Technological advancements have also changed how we receive content, watch movies, listen to music etc. Again, now we can simply stream movies on to our phones. For this blog post, I will focus on how our consumption has changed, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thomas Frey (2025) notes “the COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally reshaped not just how movies are made, but what stories we tell and how to tell them” (Frey, 2025). Of course, the pandemic impacted everyone, everything was shut down almost instantly. Companies had to pivot to work-from-home and movie productions stopped almost completely. Studios began investing in virtual production technologies…the shift toward virtual production has fundamentally altered the filmmaking process “(Frey, 2025). So, companies had to make an instant shift, what about consumers? Again, gone are the days of going to movie theaters. Now, as Frey observes, streaming is the new normal. “Today, streaming-first or hybrid releases are the new normal. Theaters are no longer the gatekeepers of a film’s financial success” (Frey, 2025) and “perhaps the most profound change has been the audience. The pandemic trained viewers to expect premium content at home. Streaming services filled the void left by shuttered cinemas and audiences got used to the convenience” (Frey, 2025).
The youtube video linked here, goes into more detail about Netflix specifically and how this once a mail order movie business transformed the streaming world and became a giant in the movie and show industry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc2y8hZ_YTc
And convenience, we now know, is King when it comes to media consumption. We are so used to being able to access everything right at home, why would we leave the house? Technological advancements in how we receive content has had the most significant impact on our society as a whole and we value convenience over almost everything, it seems. As Frey observes, “the boundaries between film, television and interactive content have blurred… but the core impulse of cinema – to tell stories that move us- remains unchanged… movies helped us cope, escape, connect and reflect (Frey, 2025)” and that still remains true.
References:
Frey, T. (2025, August 21). How movies changed after COVID. Futuristspeaker. Retrieved December 30, 2025, from https://futuristspeaker.com/futurist-thomas-frey-insights/how-movies-changed-after-covid/
How Netflix Changed Entertainment (Forever). (2021, December 5). [Video]. Youtube. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc2y8hZ_YTc
Erin A Clark 