Totally, I quit high school at 15 to become a rock star. It didn't pan out.
I think the difference is the automation, the algorithms designed to maximise for maximum engagement of human attention. Growing up in the MTV generation, these algorithms were handled mostly by humans, and their reach was limited due to television, radio and print media being the dominant form of communication with the audience.
Now we have an Internet, everyone including our kids is connected, everything is only a click away, and the algorithms run at massive speed due to the compute power of today.
I think the difference is the automation, the algorithms designed to maximise for maximum engagement of human attention. Growing up in the MTV generation, these algorithms were handled mostly by humans, and their reach was limited due to television, radio and print media being the dominant form of communication with the audience.
Now we have an Internet, everyone including our kids is connected, everything is only a click away, and the algorithms run at massive speed due to the compute power of today.