Hollywood Invented the Attention Economy. Now It’s Being Devoured by It

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As a gamer, I’ve come to realize that the gaming world didn’t merely create fame, grandeur, or communal fun. It paved the way for the Attention Economy – the very system that’s now teetering on the edge of its own demise.

In recent times, it wasn’t Hollywood that sought the spotlight; instead, it held it with authority. Blockbuster premieres would halt entire city areas, and a mere poster could create anticipation for an entire series. Waiting in line was a traditional part of the experience.

Now? The spectacle is everywhere — and almost none of it sticks.

Even before TikTok made eye contact valuable and set bedtimes by autoplay, or when influencers started making money from emotional breakdowns, Hollywood had already capitalized on the human gaze. It didn’t just tell tales; it crafted addiction. Blockbusters weren’t merely for enjoyment; they were tools to shape culture. Gone with the Wind didn’t merely debut; it arrived like a nationwide phenomenon. Jaws didn’t casually swim; it stalked us, making avoiding it feel like neglect.

Studios weren’t asking for attention. They were extracting it.

However, fostering an excessive fixation can be perilous when it comes to growth. By showing individuals what to yearn for, you inadvertently guide them on how to acquire it independently.

That’s exactly what happened. The monster didn’t escape. It evolved.

Hollywood has conditioned its audience to anticipate grandeur, thrill, and commanding storytelling, but it paused when platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram began providing these elements swiftly, informally, and without seeking approval.

It wasn’t just a shift in technology. It was a shift in power.

In 2007, when Britney Spears shaved her head, it wasn’t just reported by the internet, but rather, it was deeply absorbed and processed – akin to metabolization. This marked a shift in fame from being a singular event to an ongoing series – fame became serialized. The focus shifted from talent or craft to visibility. As a result, Hollywood ceded control of the narrative, which also meant they relinquished their grip on the audience’s perception.

Sometimes, a video on TikTok shot in a bedroom can spark more cultural buzz than a blockbuster movie costing $200 million, and it frequently does so.

Or, simply:

A TikTok made in a bedroom can create as much cultural excitement as a $200 million blockbuster, and this happens quite regularly.

Once upon a time, I could immerse myself for a solid 120 minutes in a game, but now it’s over in the blink of an eye. Trailers used to be exciting previews, but they feel more like spam now. When developers talk about their games at press junkets, it feels like watching hostage videos instead of genuine passion. And all those fancy visual effects in games these days? They don’t leave me in awe anymore – they just make my brain numb.

Even the powerhouse of attention-grabbing in Hollywood, Marvel, seems to be experiencing a decline. The latest Marvel productions have failed to impress, resulting in a drop in fan enthusiasm. The continuity lacking meaningful impact feels more like chores than an exciting journey. Overexposure without any fresh surprises is causing audiences to lose interest and scroll past.

Hollywood often confused size with devotion, commotion with influence, and material with significance. Unfortunately, this has led to audiences being conditioned to passively watch a rapid succession of 30 scenes within just 30 seconds.

This wasn’t an unintentional journey into the spotlight, but rather a well-charted path that Hollywood understood, marketed, and refined.

From Howard Hughes creating sensational news through his daring plane crashes to The Blair Witch Project generating legends in online discussion forums, the entertainment world has long recognized that a story’s life is as much off-screen as on. The buzz wasn’t distinct from the performance; it was an integral part of it.

But that gravitational pull doesn’t come from the top anymore. It’s been democratized.

Influencers experiment openly, react swiftly, and use authenticity as their tool. There are no pre-releases, no approvals, and no delays.

Taylor Swift didn’t rely on a network to approve her tour; instead, she made it a global phenomenon. The Eras Tour wasn’t just content – it was established lore. She didn’t merely perform for her audience; she redefined the artist-audience dynamic. MrBeast doesn’t depend on a distribution company for his videos. He is the one driving the algorithm, with his attention-grabbing philanthropy and live spectacles attracting more views than many studios get in an entire year.

* Taylor Swift didn’t need approval to create her tour; she made it a worldwide hit on her own.
* The Eras Tour wasn’t just entertainment – it was an important part of the Taylor Swift story.
* Taylor didn’t just sing for her audience; she changed the way artists interact with their fans.
* MrBeast doesn’t need help from a company to distribute his videos; he creates such popular content that he earns more views than many studios do in a year, all by himself.

These aren’t flukes. They’re blueprints. And they’re working.

In the meantime, Hollywood continues its efforts to create a sense of urgency (FOMO) by employing embargoes and massive billboards. Essentially, it’s like throwing a press kit into a social media battle.

Or more casually:

Hollywood is still using embargoes and big billboards to make people feel like they need to see something right away (FOMO). It’s like taking a press pack to a meme war.

Executives discuss box office fatigue and streaming service cancellations as if they’re just changes in the weather, but it’s actually internal problems that are causing these issues.

1. The misconception that an audience will always return on its own.
2. The fallacy that intellectual property (IP) is the only factor in maintaining attention.
3. The false assumption that quantity equates to worth.

As the system continues to expand, content creators are struggling with burnout, viewers are losing interest, and executives are reaping profits.

This isn’t an obituary. It’s a reckoning.

The traditional methods of maintaining market dominance through toolkits like platform monopolies, strict launch timelines, and media rollouts are still around, but they’ve lost their impact. Audiences no longer patiently wait, wonder, or blindly follow. Instead, they demand immediate gratification and have the power to make their preferences known.

And yet, one thing still works: the story.

Not the franchise. Not the trailer. Not the metrics. The story.

The type that cuts through the clamor, as it contains elements that artificial intelligence cannot mimic: risk, authenticity, significance. It is crafted with humans in mind, rather than digital platforms.

Each of them – Everything Everywhere All At Once, Barbie, and Oppenheimer – flouted conventions. They didn’t seek to make an impact through conventional methods or by following a predefined plan; instead, they dared to take bold, unpredictable creative leaps that defied the norms of any spreadsheet calculation.

Don’t linger for the machine to reach out. You’re no longer in a waiting list. The control is yours. Now, you can shape and grow your audience according to your rules, and make your distinctive, unforgettable impact.

The issue isn’t about competing against the algorithm. Instead, it’s about finding things that you are prepared to express which the algorithm cannot do or understand.

Hollywood doesn’t triumph by pursuing viral trends, it simply cannot. Its strength comes from creating items that audiences actively decide to hold onto.

Because when everything else is disposable, memory is the only platform that still matters.

Hollywood didn’t drop the ball; instead, it constructed a colossal apparatus, became intoxicated by its own success – and somehow lost sight of the initial appeal that captivated the world.

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2025-06-05 00:56