This is the era without a summer song
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In the summer of 2025, we will, for the first time, enter an era without a "Song of the Summer." The world's most advanced performance venue, the Sphere in Las Vegas, is screening a 16K remaster of the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz." In a feedback loop created by AI and social media, we are trapped in a cycle of "imitate, modify, and spread," constantly recycling past content. Just as environmental protection relies on reduce, reuse, and recycle, so too has cultural creation become a cycle of mimic, modify, and multiply .
"Repetition of Reproduction"
The modern creative landscape seems brimming with innovation, but beneath the surface, much of it is simply repackaging. New hits are slowed-down versions of 2007 tracks, and trendy fashion is a replica of a Tumblr subculture from a decade ago. Even the movies that dominate streaming are largely sequels, reboots, and remakes. Culture has always borrowed from itself, but now what appears new is merely a repackaging of the old, and the process has become industrialized. Remixing is no longer a subversive act; it's become the default, and we continue to consume reworked content before we even remember the original.
AI content that repeats the past
AI inherently learns from the past. Image tools like ChatGPT, music generators, and Midjourney don't create from scratch; they predict based on what they've already seen. Ask for a new pop song and you'll get a composite of the chart-toppers of the past decade. Then, in the transformation phase, slight adjustments are made to avoid copyright detection or to suit a niche market. Hit songs become 8D remixes, movie scripts are adapted into Gen Z slang, and meme templates resurface with new captions. Finally, social media replicates content and spreads it. Virality isn't a single idea, but the result of thousands of people replicating the same format. Algorithms promote what works, people imitate it, and AI tools learn from this imitation, reinforcing the patterns.
"Incentive Structure"
What makes modern recycling fundamentally different is its speed, scale, and incentive structure. Meme formats are born, go viral, replicate, and become stale overnight. AI and social media operate globally, constantly, but more content doesn't necessarily mean more diversity. Rather, everyone uses the same models, prompts, and tools, leading to convergence in output. Algorithms are optimized for sustained engagement, not for originality. If a sound works well on TikTok, it's heard in every video for weeks, and the Instagram algorithm's preferred visual format is copied by every designer. Risky ideas that don't fit the mold are filtered out without even a chance to grow.
"The Effect of Constraints"
Paradoxically, the way out comes from constraint. The most groundbreaking art and technology are born not from abundance, but from limitations. Low budgets force filmmakers to innovate, and scarce instruments force musicians to find new sounds. Now, with AI tools offering nearly limitless possibilities and platforms overwhelming us with content, we're creatively paralyzed. We must choose voluntary boundaries. We must use AI to subvert trends, not replicate them, to ask for better prompts, and to provide unique inputs. Intentionality is also necessary. These tools are not neutral; they push us toward efficiency and familiarity. But they can also be used to provoke, explore, and challenge. The difference lies in the human element.
"Back to the Age of Creation"
The imitation-transformation-spreading cycle will eventually collapse under its own weight. Audiences will tire, engagement will decline, and culture will begin to feel like white noise. That's when the desire for something truly original will resurface. Are we ready to create it? Beneath the Sphere's 16K remastered nostalgia, the endless TikTok scrolling, and the AI-generated content farms, there's still a hunger for the unexpected: a lovely song you didn't expect, a story that makes you uncomfortable, a moment that feels authentic despite not referencing anything else. The question isn't whether everything will be new again, but what it takes to create something truly new, and whether we're willing to try.
Summary: Claude
Original: https://mikefisher.substack.com/p/repurposing
Original: https://mikefisher.substack.com/p/repurposing
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