The answer is usually both.
Every second a user spends watching a video is a second they are not spending on a competitor. Therefore, the battle for is a battle for human consciousness. The business model has shifted from selling DVDs (physical goods) to selling subscriptions (access) to selling micro-attention to advertisers (free, ad-supported tiers). HotTS.21.04.29.Kept.By.Jade.Venus.Part.2.XXX.10...
Choose your content wisely. It is choosing you back. The answer is usually both
To survive and thrive in this landscape, one must become a curator, not just a consumer. Ask: Why am I watching this? Who made it? What are they trying to make me feel? Am I being entertained, or am I being manipulated? The business model has shifted from selling DVDs
Platforms like Patreon, Substack, and Ko-fi have allowed independent creators to bypass traditional gatekeepers. If you have talent and a unique voice, you can build a direct financial relationship with your audience. This has led to a golden age of diversity, where stories about queer Latinx drag racers or disabled D&D players—stories that legacy media would have deemed "too niche"—thrive.
For younger demographics, they get their "news" from John Oliver or HasanAbi, not from a newspaper. This has led to an infotainment society where the emotional truth of a comedic sketch often carries more weight than the factual truth of a report. Media literacy—the ability to discern the intent behind the content—has become a survival skill. Why is this industry worth trillions? Because attention is the only scarce resource in the digital age.