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chris_gerribIn yesterday's post, I forgot to mention that I watched 50 Shades of Gray on pay-per-view over the weekend. The fact that I forgot speaks volumes about what I thought about the movie. Yes, Dakota Johnson looks good naked, but even the sex scenes left me flat, so to speak. In my opinion, "50 Shades" is an example of the "Lookie Lou" effect.
The "Lookie Lou" effect, seen when people slow down to gawk at traffic accidents, is the idea that people will "consume" entertainment just to see what all the hoopla is about. For example, back when Howard Stern was a thing, supposedly half of his listeners hated Stern. When asked why they kept listening, they said they "just wanted to hear what he was going to do next." Thus me and "50 Shades" - I wanted to see if the hoopla was worth it.
Lest you think I'm picking on "50 Shades," I also recently read Hugh Howey's massive bestseller Wool. I found it more enjoyable then "50 Shades" but not the world-beater its sales figures would suggest. Again, I think the hype around Wool created its own Lookie Lou effect.
It's certainly nice to be the beneficiary of a Lookie Lou, but it's the entertainment equivalent of being struck by lightning.
The "Lookie Lou" effect, seen when people slow down to gawk at traffic accidents, is the idea that people will "consume" entertainment just to see what all the hoopla is about. For example, back when Howard Stern was a thing, supposedly half of his listeners hated Stern. When asked why they kept listening, they said they "just wanted to hear what he was going to do next." Thus me and "50 Shades" - I wanted to see if the hoopla was worth it.
Lest you think I'm picking on "50 Shades," I also recently read Hugh Howey's massive bestseller Wool. I found it more enjoyable then "50 Shades" but not the world-beater its sales figures would suggest. Again, I think the hype around Wool created its own Lookie Lou effect.
It's certainly nice to be the beneficiary of a Lookie Lou, but it's the entertainment equivalent of being struck by lightning.
