The Reading Garden: 3/28/25
Welcome to the Reading Garden, where every Friday we spotlight three must-read pieces we're paying attention to and explore what they mean for legacy media.
Here’s what’s on our radar this week.
Deloitte’s annual media report recently dropped, and while most pundits are sounding the alarms by singling out the fact that 56% of Gen Zs and 43% of millennials think social media content is more relevant to them than traditional TV and movies, they fail to mention the main reason why (also in the report, by the way): they feel a stronger personal connection to social media creators than they do with actors.
This piece presents legacy media with so many opportunities to rethink how to connect with younger audiences where they already are, because that same 56% watch TV shows or movies after hearing about them from creators online. If you take one thing from this, let it be the following: Social content creators can be the strongest advocates of studio creativity, talent, and storytelling. They can be allies who help engage audiences and communicate with greater authenticity.
2. Viralflation comes to YouTube
Taylor Lorenz offers a thought provoking piece on virality, or what was once a clear-cut path to instant fame. Today, going viral has been reduced to something completely different. With inflated view counts designed to attract advertisers as well as a slew of other factors discussed in the article, virality often just means popularity within a niche rather than a universal hit givenhow much the internet has fragmented.
As one expert put it, claiming content is "viral" these days is about as meaningful as your local diner boasting the "world's best coffee”. Fun marketing, questionable truth.
For legacy media, the takeaway is straightforward: instead of focusing on big numbers, attention should shift towards genuine engagement and community-building. Virality is fleeting, but the authentic connections and loyalty you can build with an audience last much longer.
3. Why Hollywood Talent Will Embrace AI
The latest piece by Doug Shapiro tackles the Hollywood-AI debate head-on, noting a quiet but growing group of high-profile creatives who aren’t just accepting the technology but actively embracing it. He argues that historically, new tech (talkies, DVDs, CGI) initially gets villainized before becoming an industry standard, and AI appears to be next in line. The piece further highlights specific advances making AI tools more precise, controllable, and creatively liberating.
Legacy media should read this as a gentle nudge. Perhaps instead of fearing AI as a creativity-killer, it can see it as a potential ally in a tough landscape.
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See you next week.