No longer are we passive recipients of culture dictated by a boardroom. We are critics, remix artists, and tastemakers. A fan edit on YouTube can rehabilitate a failed movie. A hashtag on Twitter can get a canceled show renewed. A popular mod (modification) of a video game can create an entirely new genre (e.g., MOBA as a result of Warcraft III mods).

Interactive entertainment is projected to generate over $200 billion in 2024, dwarfing the global box office. But it is not just "games" anymore. It is narrative software.

This democratization has given birth to the .

Apple’s Vision Pro has re-ignited the mixed reality space. Entertainment will soon migrate to your eyeballs. Imagine watching a basketball game where the live stats float in the air, or a horror film where the monster crawls out of your actual living room wall. Passive viewing will become active spatial computing.

: How popular media (e.g., Disney+ ) reflects or shapes cultural values and gender norms.