Forced into the cages of limited options, they were told what to watch, when to watch, and how to watch.
New audiences are a swarm.
Freed from the cages, they can't be controlled. Can't be hemmed in to limited choices. Can't be fed rubbish and told it's great.
Facebook. Youtube. Twitter. Netflix.
These platforms don't control the swarm. They just provide a comfortable hive where the swarm can rest. A place to gorge themselves on the sweet nectar of quality visual storytelling.
Then they move on. Remember the demise of Facebook's predecessor 'MySpace'?
The swarm goes where it wants.
And that's not a bad thing. Because the swarm, alive and free, has many more members than the battery hens ever did.
There are vastly more opportunities, therefore, to find an engaged audience.
For visual storytellers, however, the challenge is now greater. There is no longer a captive audience. You have to attract the swarm.
You have to make something great.
'Tastemakers' can help you a little. A traditional media story. A blogger with a large following. Jimmy Kimmel and other celebrities, with a tweet or two.
But, for you visual storytellers out there, don't be confused. Help from a tastemaker will not make you a success.
The only power of the tastemakers is knowing where the swarm is.
Attracting the swarm, giving the swarm quality visual stories to encourage them to stay and binge...
...that's up to you.
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