It's related to a critical mass of people believing someone or their works to be notable.
Agreed. Maybe we differ on what size makes a critical mass.
I'm not sure that the world has ever been as connected as it is right at this moment.
That's precisely what's making it so fragmented. People no longer need to join one giant popular culture, and are bonded with others all over the world in tiny interest groups. Anecdotally, I've never seen American Idol or America's Next Top <whatever>, and yet there is a notable population that worships those shows. For their part, they've never heard of _why or World of Warcraft or most anything else I'm interested in. I'm talking about cultural fragmentation, specifically.
Agreed. Maybe we differ on what size makes a critical mass.
I'm not sure that the world has ever been as connected as it is right at this moment.
That's precisely what's making it so fragmented. People no longer need to join one giant popular culture, and are bonded with others all over the world in tiny interest groups. Anecdotally, I've never seen American Idol or America's Next Top <whatever>, and yet there is a notable population that worships those shows. For their part, they've never heard of _why or World of Warcraft or most anything else I'm interested in. I'm talking about cultural fragmentation, specifically.