In an Era Where Entertainment Teaches: The New Economy of Expertise

Today, form takes precedence over substance.
Has entertainment become the only gateway to knowledge?
And if so, does this gateway still allow for critical thinking?

These questions are not mere provocations. They reflect a profound shift in our modes of accessing knowledge.

The seduction of form

On social media, what circulates is not necessarily the most solid, but the most attractive. Short formats, viral videos, personal storytelling—everything is designed to capture attention before transmitting content. The expert who can tell a compelling story will reach far more people than the one who sticks to rigorous but dry analysis.

The illusion of knowledge

This dominance of form is not neutral. It produces an illusion of knowledge: emotion is mistaken for validity. A punchline, a slogan, a metaphor sticks, but the argument or demonstration is forgotten. The result: we “like” an appealing story, but no longer exercise the critical distance that knowledge requires.

The democratic challenge

Entertainment is not, in itself, a problem. It can be a valuable entry point to reach new audiences and open up debate. But if it becomes the only entry point, the risk is clear: expertise reduced to consumable content, stripped of depth and confrontation. Critical thinking does not vanish overnight; it erodes gradually, scroll after scroll, like after like.

So, what do we really want? An expertise that informs, enlightens, and debates? Or an expertise that merely entertains?

This is what I explore in my upcoming research article to be published on Zenodo Open Science: “Typology of Contemporary Expertise in Context: Productive, Capitalizing, and Self-Instituted Figures.”