At Ad:tech, Chris Anderson, Editor of Wired Magazine is his keynote address spoke about this topic:
The major theme of Anderson's speech was the notion mass media was an anomaly and our current world of fragmentation, niche interests and the resulting Long Tail is the norm. Before mass media existed, humans naturally fell into small niches caused partially by geographic separation and partially by natural individual interests. Mass media temporarily pulled together people who, given natural individuality, wouldn't normally find themselves together.
With the rise of the Internet, social media, online retail and the proliferation of every possible niche topic, people have returned to the natural state of things. This doesn't mean mass media is dead. It's not. It still plays an important role but its monopolistic hold on people is fast eroding.
Anderson calls this the "radical redistribution" of consumption or the fragmentation of retail markets. People are buying more but less of the same thing. They are suiting their individuality instead of buying what everyone else buys because it was the only thing marketed or distributed.
And in a nod to the socialization of media and the consumer control of it, Anderson offered up an important piece of wisdom: Your brand isn't what you say it is. It's what Google says it is. Indeed.
Source: Adrants