The Monoculture Died, and Nobody Noticed

For most of the 20th century, everone took American pop culture for granted. It pulled people together: Millions watched the same television shows, listened to the same hit songs, read the same blockbuster novels, and saw the same films in packed theaters.

These were shared experiences; moments that drew disparate lives into a common rhythm. From rural towns to big cities, the nation seemed to converge around the same stories and the same icons.

Today, that shared cultural center no longer holds.

A recent analysis captures what already feels obvious to anyone paying attention: The American monoculture has fractured. As the cultural glue formed by mass media over the last century unravels, audiences scatter across countless platforms and formats. The internet, streaming services, and personalized feeds give each person a different lineup of content, and there is no single reference point to unify everyone anymore.

The evidence is in the numbers. Once upon a time, a blockbuster movie or hit television show would command the attention of tens of millions. A big finale could ignite office or classroom-wide discussions the next day.

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