SF Signal asks up-and-coming author Paul Melko (whose The Walls Of The Universe we reviewed here) whether the ways people consume mass media are influencing pop culture. And he says:
I like the idea that we as a species evolved with story as a part of intelligence. When we see disconnected facts, our brains try to piece it together as narrative. This works to our advantage — we can reason and strategize — and disadvantage - we end up making stories (myths, astrology, religion, bad theories) to fit the facts. But in any case, we're hard-wired for prose, and that will not change. People will need story, but of course the medium of story will change, but the common characteristics will not. We need heroes, vivid description, plot, a moral, exotic settings, romance, interesting people doing interesting things.... And of course we'll need people to write those stories.