Hey Media… What’s Your Endgame?

It is existential crisis time across all “Media.” From news organizations to streamers to social media, all are struggling to figure out what business they are in, who their customers and competitors are, and how to make money — in many cases, just to survive. We know this because they have been asking us.

News organizations are caught between a rock and a hard place, trying to capture more of the declining interest in news while avoiding sensationalism and maintaining journalistic integrity. The television industry's foray into streaming disrupted a profitable model in favor of a tech-style growth play, only to see costs skyrocket, subscribers churn, and deeper-pocketed loss leaders enter the market. Social media continues its frenzied approach of imitating each other's features, ignoring the many ills that plague its users and fighting back against the regulation that might result.

And just as these issues have persisted, a new wave of challenges has already thrust itself upon the industry.

Traditional Media silos are no longer self-contained, as consumer preferences continue to change without regard to distributing attention evenly across "news," "TV," and "social" (whatever those categories even mean anymore). Innovative technology with massive implications for how content is created continues to emerge, namely Generative AI (Artificial Intelligence). And new business models are being experimented with, matching the still-booming creator economy with decentralization technologies that have the potential to upend how Media is financed, developed, and viewed.

All of which makes us wonder: what is the endgame for Media?

How to Determine an Endgame

Let us ignore the business context for a moment. What do you, the consumer, think of your Media experience?

It would be one thing if everyone were having a wonderful Media experience, but they are not. Sure, there is excellent journalism, sensational movies and shows, and even wonderful social media use cases in recent years; but these are not the first things that come to mind when people think about their day-to-day media experience. It is more likely that they think about the overwhelming anxiety they have when trying to absorb a cascade of content, the withdrawal they feel after binging entire streaming series, or the sadness they feel after comparing their lives to others on social media.

The current Media landscape has been driven by business needs and models, not by consumer needs. We are not naïve to the commercial factors driving Media to this state; we just believe people are ready to take their attention elsewhere.

Therefore, when searching for a new endgame, we believe the answer exists somewhere within the many problems consumers have with media today. We talked with consumers all over the United States to gain clarity on these problems, and we used those problems as a springboard to potential opportunities for media.

Here is some of where that took us:

Content Overload

• The Problem: The deluge of content across every medium, every source, and every topic leaves consumers feeling anxiously overwhelmed.
• An Opportunity: What if consumers were drawn to Media platforms based on value beyond content?

Addicting Experience

• The Problem: The media experience is designed to get you hooked, which results in undesirable sensorial and emotional side effects.
• An Opportunity: What if Media created new products and experiences…beyond the screen?

Sell me! Sell me!

• The Problem: Consumers are now fully aware they are the product, and their Media experience comes at the cost of selling yourself.
• An Opportunity: What if Media replaced advertising as a revenue model entirely?

Loud Noises

• The Problem: Every headline is optimized to capture your attention, leaving you confused and anxious.
• An Opportunity: What if all content came with the paper trail of its origin?

One Size Fits None

• The Problem: To reach mass appeal, homogeneous content often gets the green light.
• An Opportunity: What if consumers could invest in the projects they want before they were even produced?

A Renewed Vision

As Media struggles with issues of old, and starts grappling with the issues of new, one thing is for certain: a new vision is needed. We believe that vision starts by addressing the many consumer problems that exist in the world of Media. Given the clear problems and powerful innovative technologies available, the endgame to us looks more exciting than grim.

So, Media, if you have not already asked, the time is long overdue: what is your endgame? To get started, hear from your consumers in their own words how they are affected and where we can make an impact.