The Cultural Decline of Literary Fiction
We are reaching the point where we have to ask not only whether works of larger significance and reach can still be created, but also whether audiences—readers, viewers, listeners—would still know how to take them in if they were.
Sven Birkerts • The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age
It’s intuitive, really, that the meatier essays are rewarded on platforms like Substack and a lengthier, splashier magazine piece can still achieve a degree of virality. As the internet fragments and AI dross proliferates, a hunger sets in among individuals who still want to have a satisfying reading experience. The consumption of much of the conte... See more
Never before has so much culture been available to so many at such little cost.
There’s just one tiny problem.
Where’s the audience? The supply of culture is HUGE and GROWING. But the demand side of the equation is ugly.
In many cases—newspaper subscribers, album purchases, movie tickets sold, etc.—the metrics have been shrinking or even collapsing.
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