RE: Coffee consumption and market differentiation
It is deeply infused into our society nowadays, starting at the very earliest ages. We are dropped in front of the consumer device to shut up and be distracted at the age of 3 already. And when we hit ~6 and finally go to school, we sit there and listen for most of the time. Look and soak in, instead of seeking for solutions, then thinking about them and solving problems with it. Things you learn as a very small child are not to be unlearned anytime in life again.
A further thought on your question:
The most dangerous trend of the TV era was, that we could not choose what the general selection was. TV broadcasting networks pre selected content and we picked the grape we wanted to eat, but we couldn't go for an orange.
The Web did solve that problem with YouTube, Apple TV, Netflix, Amazon prime... and still 90% of all the people in the 'western world' still watch the same stuff!? So 'is it by necessity, design or choice', or are we still apes and totally overwhelmed with our modern and progressive type of society. I believe we need, more than ever, a force to guide us the way - the simpler our lives are, the more we can cherish it.
Thanks for writing this interesting pice again, love it! BestRegards Manni
Weapons of mass distraction.
I think there is a cultural element to it as well as an availability bias with what we watch. the platforms are going to curate the choices that will make them the most money, their algorithms are to do the same. Once something starts to get popular, it rises in the rankings and attracts more popularity. People love jumping on Bandwagons, which is great for politicians to hack.
So far, our daughter has no screen time and won't have for as long as we can manage it.