Is this the worst-ever era for American pop culture?

Is this the worst era for American pop culture? That’s the provocative question posed by Spencer Kornhaber in a recent piece for The Atlantic that explores how technological advancements such as social media, streaming and AI affect the quality of art.

In an era of seemingly never-ending content coming from all directions, a recent YouGov survey rated the 2020s as the worst decade in a century for music, movies, fashion, TV and sports.

But are reports of the culture’s demise greatly exaggerated? Could this be another instance of recency bias and false doomerism? Perhaps the critics are looking in the wrong places? Or maybe all the upheavals in tech are soon to birth a renaissance we can’t yet predict or understand.

This hour on Studio 2, we look at the evolution of culture and try to unpack our current moment.

Guest

Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic