Happy New Year: Let's talk Habits & Affinity
We’re all fighting for attention. But with Gen Z and Gen Alpha - attention is a downstream effect of habit and affinity.
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve written…partly because my brain has felt like it’s stuck in a Three Stooges syndrome (Simspons’ fans iykyk). Too many thoughts colliding at once! Maybe it’s the brainrot, burnout and general state of the world that’s got me in feeling millenial ennui. Help!! (But also - how great is the word ennui?)
Ok, so here’s a little bit of what’s been on my mind.
We are officially entering a post-disruption era.
For those of you who celebrate the Lunar Calendar - February 17 marks the start of the Lunar Year, the rise of the Fire Horse and the end of the Wood Snake. The ‘wood snake’ was a year defined by shedding the old and systems that no longer serve us. Setting the stage perfectly for the Fire Horse in 2026 - which is symbolically all about passion, ambition, and clever intensity. We’re already seeing this happen in real time - with social media flooded with personal (and professional) re-brand trends. This is going to be the year we see seismic rebuilding.
But if I had to sum up what actually matters in this next phase of culture, media, and youth behavior, it’s two words: HABIT and AFFINITY.
Platforms, formats, who makes what (creators, Hollywood, etc.) is less consequential, and rather a direct result of who can own Habit and Affinity. Habit is how we as people, storytellers, and yes brands -show up in repeatable and consistent ways. And affinity is well - the chase of love and emotional resonance - connection, belonging and purpose. There is no going back as a society no matter how much we wish it was 2016.
Brands Will Build Their Own “Hollywood” Because Habit Lives Elsewhere
We are officially entering a phase where brands can bypass Hollywood (distribution and content) to reach audiences. As traditional media continues to disintermediate from audiences, brands are going direct to where attention already lives: social platforms, creators, gaming worlds, and feeds.
We’re already seeing it:
Funding original IP: Roomies
Partnering directly with creators as both talent and distribution
But the real driver here isn’t just content. It’s creating discovery through habit.
Platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and gaming ecosystems have trained audiences into reflexive, always-on consumption. Doug Shapiro explains this through behavioral economics:
System 1: fast, emotional, reflexive or what we can also call mindless consumption.
System 2: slow, deliberate, intentional.
Platforms (social media) and algorithms are the home and ‘gatekeeper’ of System 1. If you don’t follow the rules of the algo, you won’t be discovered.
And of course, we know that as kids, teens, and parents continue to shift their time into System 1 environments, it will be harder and harder to break ‘habit’.
Why this matters for kids & families
Young audiences form habits inside platforms first, not around scheduled programming or theatrical releases. Identity, play, and community are already embedded in YouTube, TikTok, Roblox, Fortnite, and creator ecosystems.
So what?
The future of kids and family entertainment won’t be decided by who greenlights the next show - but by who builds affinity ecosystems that audiences habitually return to.
Microdramas Aren’t More than just ‘formats’ They’re a case study in Hooks & Habit
Microdramas are often misunderstood as a format trend. They’re more than that! At the 1 Billion Followers Summit - Scott Brown (CEO, Second Rodeo) said plainly:
“If we make a vertically framed Netflix show, we will fail.”
The failure he’s pointing to isn’t production quality, it’s behavioral.
Microdramas succeed because they are:
Low cognitive lift
Emotionally bold and reactionary hooks
Designed for repetition
Distributed inside habit-forming systems
This is why Quibi failed and China’s short-drama ecosystem exploded. Quibi tried to force high-cost, System 2 storytelling into System 1 environments. China embraced the opposite: low cost, high volume, obsessive serialization, and speed.
Per-minute costs are lower, but it’s more than that, it’s about hooks coupled with habit. ALL disruptors in the next wave of media will use this same formula. Microdramas redefined what was possible within the vertical video category, just like mobile gaming (a la candy crush and angry birds) did with ‘gaming’ - just like
Why this matters for Gen Z & Gen Alpha
Microdramas won’t replace longer-form traditional TV or social content - they’ll sit alongside them. Younger audiences are already slicing attention across reflexive (system 1) and lean in (system 2).
System 1: reflexive consumption - Microdramas, creator formats, short social video, “background TV” aka comfort watching/passive viewing… and this quote from Matt Damon on Netflix’s notes to repeat plot is crazy too….
Fun Fact: 94% of 25-34 year olds scroll while the TV is on (1 in 3 admitting they ‘always’ do it) * expect MORE and more distracted viewing as a habit as well.
System 2-lite: deeper engagement - gaming, fandom participation, live streams (which you can also argue is a passive viewing*), IRL experiences.
But let’s be VERY clear here -the lesson is not “go make a microdramas.” It’s learn how habit that is engineered inside environments.
Every brand and studio can apply these mechanics: repetition, familiarity, emotional clarity without copying the format itself.
📰 Headlines! Headlines!
“If word of mouth drives everything, how do you reach kids?” Juliet Menz has a great analysis of the challenges in the Kids/Family media - but as a marketer I disagree that there isn’t a clear formula on how to build healthy franchises/brands etc. Ultimately the answer isn’t sexy at all - it’s all about building HABIT and AFFINITY. Kids and family marketing is an exercise in consistency (always on) and engineering conditions for momentum (credibility/ trust building). *this case study on Bluey shows what I mean Remember we’re in the attention economy now folks!!
Do we hate posting online now? Are we just spectators? As much as we all want to be ‘creators’ there is also an equal fatigue.
Bring back hobbies - the solution to midlife crisis
GenZ Stare is def related to their supreme social awkwardness and fear of talking on phones etc.
Once again, people are dating chatbots…
No one is dancing at clubs because they’re afraid of being memed.
YA book sales are hitting a slump, could it be that the ‘middle demo’ is also disappearing in publishing?
Kai Cenant live stream, reading is so great.
Vaseline is making a comeback and my prediction this year is that we’re going to want to go back to skincare basics? Aquaphor, Vanicream - unaesthetic product trend!
On the topic of skincare, wanted to highlight that social media virality doesn’t guarantee brand longevity - Drunk Elephant decline
GenZ are flocking to teaching as a career. The reason? “craving human connection and experiences that feel real”.
New study from Morgan Stanley shows that 50-60% of listeners 18-44 are reporting 2.5-3hours per week listening to AI music.
Now, let me leave you with this:
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