a16z Podcast a16z Podcast: Addiction vs Popularity in the Age of Virality
Jul 15, 2017
Derek Thompson, a journalist and author of "Hit Makers," joins Adam Alter, an NYU professor and author of "Irresistible," to explore the fine line between popularity and addiction in today’s media landscape. They discuss how familiarity influences our preferences, and why we crave novelty and endless engagement, especially in entertainment. The duo humorously addresses our shrinking attention spans, likening them to goldfish, and highlights the unpredictable factors behind success and virality, all while pondering the impact of smartphones on our relationships.
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Popularity Is Cultish Not Majority
- Popularity often means cult-like appeal by a commercially viable minority, not broad majority approval.
- Culture in the age of abundance is composed of many cults rather than universal hits.
Familiarity Drives Liking
- We prefer things that offer a mix of familiarity and novelty, liking what feels both new and sneaky familiar.
- The mere exposure effect means repeated exposure makes us like something more, especially when it feels easier to process.
Addiction Favors Novelty Over Familiarity
- Familiar things are less addictive because repeated exposure builds tolerance.
- Addiction usually arises from novelty and the buzz of new experiences, not from familiar ones.