Zoom Bachelorette, Minimum Viable Shows, and the nature of celebrity in quarantine

Zoom Bachelorette tapped into everything I love about consumer tech. Every product that makes it easier for individuals to create gives rise to novel behaviors and ingenuity in applications. Breakthrough consumer apps—from Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and now Clubhouse—all satisfy a core user need and make it simpler to express one... See more

When the playing field is leveled such that the only content is what people are able to produce themselves, the major advantages that celebrities have disappear: access to professional production resources and distribution through traditional gatekeepers. The remaining differentiators are entertainment value and fun.

And on Saturday night, Zoom Bachelorette showed its audience that regular people are capable of producing a show that is as entertaining and fun as any “real” show: