will always try to capture your eyeballs. But popular media will only enrich your life if you control the remote, not the other way around. The future of entertainment is not about what gets produced; it is about what gets chosen .

Popular media is a powerful tool. It can provoke revolution, foster empathy, alleviate loneliness, and ignite joy. But it is also a tool of manipulation, distraction, and alienation.

The line between news and entertainment has dissolved. Cable news is now choreographed drama. TikTok “skeptics” debunk science with the same aesthetic as comedians. When popular media prioritizes engagement over accuracy, reality becomes negotiable. This is the "infotainment" apocalypse.

Now, the algorithm decides what is "engaging."