(D) CBQ BooknotesCondensed Reviews

Abstract

49:4 Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in the Age of Distraction by Derek Thompson (New York, NY: Penguin Press, 2018—$17.00, paperback, ISBN: 978-1101980330, 368 pp., 2 sections, 12 chapters, Introduction, Notes, Index) contemplates the meaning of becoming and staying popular. Exploring a broad range of diverse figures and products that have been popularized through the media, Thompson asks what attracts attention, and what does not. The contexts for these explorations are completely mediated, as he considers how the strategies for building audiences have shifted as the media have shifted from broad to narrow, from scheduled to ubiquitous. Topics include Adele, Disney Princesses, Star Wars, Spotify, and Donald Trump. Thompson is senior editor at The Atlantic magazine where he writes about economics and the media and is a frequent contributor to other media, such as NPR, CBS, and MSNBC.