Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction – Derek Thompson
Continuing the LIFO (last in, first out) approach to my to-be-read list, we come to “Hit Makers,” a book that has the distinction of sitting in my library for almost three years.
Purchased at a second hand thrift store at the same time as “Sting-Ray Afternoons” — one of my most surprising books of 2020 — I hoped that lightning would strike twice, but I became disinterested halfway through and switched from reading this “Hit” to listening to it.
Like most pop science, or pop psychology in this case, the thesis — uncovering why some things become insanely popular while other, sometimes better, things don’t — is an interesting question, but not one that can sustain a 300-page book without becoming repetitive.
Derek Thompson, a journalist for The Atlantic, writes in an accessible and mostly enjoyable style with little quips and footnotes of anecdotes that keep you focused when the research gets too in-depth.
There were several a-ha and thought-provoking moments, and Thompson showed a knack for connecting seemingly disparate topics together (i.e. origins of vampirism mythology shifting to a discussion of unconscious bias and gender discrimination), but after about three chapters I got the core idea and didn’t need the other 200-pages to drive it home.
Rather than marking this as a did not finish, I pivoted to the audiobook — unfortunately, narrated by Thompson — and still mostly enjoyed how he broke down the science of popularity.
Although I thought this would be more of a business book, it’s not, so don’t dive in expecting to find the secret to going viral (hint: it’s all about micro-influencing your network), although you could find some interesting nuggets to apply to broader thinking.
Among some of the more interesting facts: after the age of 33 most adults will not change their political beliefs or seek out new music, and in the 1930s George Gallup (of the Gallup poll) went to people’s houses to watch them read the morning newspaper because he assumed they would lie if you asked them what sections they read. He was right, too, comics and lifestyle articles always beat hard news.
However, what I enjoyed most was Thompson’s exploration of how some of the most well-known pieces of music and art — including Brahms’ lullaby, impressionist painters, Bill Haley and the Comets, Star Wars and “Fifty Shades of Gray” — ended up that way when the vessels of communication and connectivity were not what they are today.
In a nutshell it comes down to fluency, and how we naturally seek out things that are familiar to us with maybe an element or two that is different. He also notes that perceived popularity can make things really popular, which isn’t much of a surprise when there’s a cottage industry that allows people to purchase social media followers and engagement to appear as an “influencer.”
If you’re a fan of pop culture and pop science, you’ll likely enjoy this more than most. All others can skim the beginning of each chapter for the fun parts. Honestly, this could’ve been one massive magazine article.
Rating (story): 3/5 stars
Rating (narration): 2/5
Formats: Hardcover (personal library) and Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: April 14 – May 6, 2021
Multi-tasking: Encouraged!
