395:"the last vestige of the monoculture". She went on to describe it as "the glaring, currently only, and possibly final exception" to "the fractured, micro-targeted landscape" of media that would take its place, made up of "shows that satisfy every niche" and "perfectly personalized microclimates". Reynolds wrote that the monoculture had not completely disappeared by 2019 but that it "shrunk" and its power was "much weaker", also noting that there were more
406:, Darren Mooney wrote that there had been "a sense of increased fracturing of the monoculture" between 2020 and 2022 due to the differences in the media being widely discussed online, which seemed to have little impact on popular culture, and the media being watched the most, which was not being discussed online. However, Mooney stated that the monoculture had not died and was instead "just resting". In 2023, Elizabeth de Luna of
454:
that the monoculture was a myth, "a fantasy created by myopic critics who willfully misremember the past and project their personal experiences onto a diverse population", and "an illusion created by a flawed, closed-circuit system" that was based on "a utopian concept of cultural 'togetherness' that
210:
noted the disparity between media that was being consumed en masse and that which critics paid attention to and stated that those proclaiming that the monoculture had died were "describing their own relationship to that culture, more than anything".
65:
concept of a unifying and shared cultural experience among the global or national masses, such as through listening to the same songs on the radio, watching the same films or television series on the same channels, or purchasing
442:
image of a lost togetherness that was maybe just an illusion in the first place, or a byproduct of socioeconomic hegemony" wherein pieces of media "became universal by default". In 2011,
84:, Kyle Chayka described it as representing both a "monolithic culture" and a "monotonous culture" and wrote that it is "a subjective, shifting frame of reference, not a default reality".
41:
have posited that the monoculture existed from the 1960s to the 1990s and early 2000s but had ended by the 21st century, mainly toward the end of the 2010s, due to the rise of
354:
as examples of its existence. He argued that the "near-infinite offerings" of the
Internet led people to "get overwhelmed and just fall back on what we know already".
815:
932:
121:, but that broadcast TV allowed for viewers to have a "monocultural feeling" of knowing that others were watching the same channel as them. In his 2022 book
467:
of NPR also called the monoculture a myth that "was always bogus anyway" due to how many people did not consume supposed monocultural touchstones such as
385:, released in 2019, as the end of the monoculture and predicted that media would become fragmented in its viewership going forward. Alison Herman of
416:"a veritable monoculture" for its "stunning omnipresence across politics, fashion, social media, news, and music". Also in 2023, Nora Princiotti of
527:
377:... killing the idea of a mainstream" that was being replaced by the proliferation of "micro-scenes" and subcultures. Multiple critics identified
166:
304:
986:
233:... pop culture's ability to unify has been crippled," adding that "massive music moments" ended after the releases of the albums
99:
78:
described it as being hegemonic and "show a certain amount of instinctive, intuitive, reflective influence of its creation". For
410:
wrote that the monoculture had become "nearly mythological in the U.S." due to culture being fractured but called the 2023 film
958:
781:
698:
1048:
754:
33:
in which facets of popular culture are experienced by everyone at once, either globally or nationally. Critics such as
378:
593:
1053:
285:
265:
151:", the global monoculture had "infiltrated every corner of the Earth" and was leading to the endangerment of local
632:
117:
342:
in the summer of 2016, Scott
Timberg opined that "the monoculture is as strong as ever", citing the ubiquity of
844:
373:
encouraged users to be individualistic in their media consumption, which
Reynolds stated was "slowly but surely
303:
s Chris
Molanphy wrote in 2012 that the monoculture had been "reinvigorated" due to the top three songs on the
259:, in response to Touré's article, argued that there were still "widely shared cultural experiences", including
193:(2004–2010) "occupied the popular imagination" and described it as part of the monoculture during its runtime.
726:
311:
351:
293:
71:
663:
905:
132:
201:
165:
stated created "an effect of atemporality" that preceded the disappearance of the monoculture. The
97:
According to Chayka, the time during which the monoculture existed is "ill-defined" and spans from
498:
849:
731:
183:
135:
described the mainstream in the 1980s as "almost a monoculture", while the immense popularity of
30:
74:
films, albums, or television series; and largely based on
Western popular culture. Music critic
459:
agreed with Hyden, writing that the monoculture "never really existed" and was "a bit of a myth
1017:
933:"The Revenge of Monoculture: The Internet gave us more choices, but the mainstream won anyway"
875:
559:
464:
189:
46:
871:
463:... content largely depended on other characteristics of your little corner of the world".
226:
963:
438:
387:
204:
also led to an uptick in opinion pieces about the death of the monoculture. Noel Murray of
159:
allowed popular culture from the past to be preserved and shared, which Simon
Reynolds of
8:
786:
123:
610:
366:
181:, according to Reynolds, reinforced the existence of the monoculture. Darren Mooney of
148:
602:
421:
270:
253:
and had become "less intense" and "shorter" in the years to follow. Later that year,
323:
128:
75:
38:
34:
560:"Yes, a lot of people watched the Super Bowl, but the monoculture is still a myth"
991:
358:
42:
396:
343:
250:
169:
also began in the 2000s, and the phenomenon of "appointment TV" series such as
816:"'Streaming has killed the mainstream': the decade that broke popular culture"
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703:
637:
606:
412:
319:
289:
255:
206:
197:
80:
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664:"'My Tastes Don't Evolve; They Broaden': An Interview with Robert Christgau"
1013:
584:
555:
443:
347:
327:
277:
177:
171:
161:
156:
140:
139:
in the 1990s has been described as an element of the monoculture. By 2001,
50:
235:
144:
131:
outlines the monoculture as existing from the 1960s to the 1990s. Singer
67:
614:
588:
759:
668:
331:
260:
281:
880:
245:
221:
62:
987:"Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and a monoculture yearning for romance"
502:
407:
105:
370:
362:
240:
152:
111:
53:, have suggested that the concept of the monoculture is a myth.
315:
499:"How 'Barbie' became the American monoculture of the moment"
70:
goods. It is typically economically motivated; based around
45:
and the fracturing of popular culture. Other critics, like
531:
424:
as "the two largest bastions of monoculture in
America".
136:
200:
of music had led to the end of monoculture. The 2009
16:
Concept of popular culture being experienced globally
727:"The Last Vestige of an Old Order in 'The Nineties'"
528:"The Year In Pop Charts: Return Of The Monoculture"
155:and Indigenous cultures. In the 2000s, YouTube and
229:wrote in 2011, "We no longer live in a monoculture
838:
836:
809:
807:
805:
436:, Kyle Chayka argued that the monoculture was "a
1040:
845:"The Monoculture Isn't Dead – It's Just Resting"
350:, and the homogeneity of music nominated at the
699:"Does monoculture still exist on the internet?"
633:"One Nation, Still More Or Less Under A Groove"
833:
802:
1012:
900:
898:
657:
655:
583:
554:
521:
519:
950:
924:
959:"The Very Last Piece of the TV Monoculture"
579:
577:
550:
548:
147:ideology and "the massive US entertainment-
1006:
895:
864:
692:
690:
688:
686:
652:
626:
624:
516:
492:
490:
488:
338:... at their respective peaks". Also for
280:doing the dance from the music video for
196:By 2006 Robert Christgau stated that the
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661:
574:
545:
525:
269:yielding five number-one singles on the
61:The monoculture has been defined as the
930:
683:
621:
485:
100:The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1041:
956:
842:
782:"The Top 50 Music Videos of the 1990s"
752:
746:
696:
630:
870:
814:Reynolds, Simon (December 28, 2019).
724:
526:Molanphy, Chris (December 25, 2012).
984:
662:Horowitz, Steve (October 17, 2006).
497:Luna, Elizabeth de (July 26, 2023).
496:
843:Mooney, Darren (January 22, 2022).
753:Slaski, Jacek (February 22, 2023).
214:
13:
697:Chayka, Kyle (December 17, 2019).
14:
1065:
92:
957:Herman, Alison (July 12, 2017).
931:Timberg, Scott (July 31, 2016).
631:Murray, Noel (August 26, 2009).
286:Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
985:Yahr, Emily (October 3, 2023).
978:
774:
725:Simon, Ed (February 16, 2022).
334:—"each seem to own U.S. culture
718:
455:only ever appeared to exist".
346:and celebrities, particularly
1:
478:
308:Year-End Hot 100 singles list
56:
876:"Why I miss the monoculture"
427:
312:Somebody That I Used to Know
7:
1018:"The monoculture is a myth"
352:2016 MTV Video Music Awards
10:
1070:
1049:Popular culture neologisms
87:
446:, in response to Touré's
420:denoted Taylor Swift and
187:wrote that the TV series
906:"Making the monoculture"
589:"The Global Monoculture"
202:death of Michael Jackson
167:Golden Age of Television
1054:Popular culture studies
732:Chicago Review of Books
288:", and the virality of
31:popular culture studies
874:(September 29, 2011).
399:than household names.
558:(February 13, 2024).
1016:(October 11, 2011).
594:Earth Island Journal
143:argued that, due to
450:article, wrote for
133:"Weird Al" Yankovic
912:. October 17, 2011
367:Amazon Prime Video
361:platforms such as
225:, cultural critic
219:In an article for
149:industrial complex
29:) is a concept in
27:global monoculture
790:. August 23, 2010
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638:The A.V. Club
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585:Barlow, Maude
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556:Holmes, Linda
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453:
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320:Call Me Maybe
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290:Rebecca Black
287:
283:
279:
275:
273:
268:
267:
266:Teenage Dream
262:
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256:The Economist
252:
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238:
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207:The A.V. Club
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465:Linda Holmes
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437:
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278:Barack Obama
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184:The Escapist
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170:
162:The Guardian
160:
157:file sharing
141:Maude Barlow
124:The Nineties
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63:sociological
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47:Linda Holmes
26:
22:
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236:The Chronic
153:artisanship
145:free market
72:blockbuster
68:mass market
23:monoculture
1043:Categories
964:The Ringer
760:Exberliner
669:PopMatters
479:References
418:The Ringer
388:The Ringer
379:the finale
261:Katy Perry
249:(1991) by
239:(1992) by
118:The Office
57:Definition
787:Pitchfork
607:1041-0406
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306:Billboard
292:'s song "
284:'s song "
272:Billboard
263:'s album
246:Nevermind
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473:Seinfeld
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408:Mashable
106:Seinfeld
469:Friends
391:called
371:Spotify
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282:Beyoncé
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