<p>So I'm analyzing social media data, and I've found that some people almost exclusively consume mostly the same few categories of content, whereas others consume a more diverse array of categories. It also happens that those who consume more of one or a few categories also prefer mostly popular content. This intuitively makes sense because popular content usually falls into a narrow handful of categories whereas niche content can be composed of an almost infinite number of minor, less popular categories. So, I am wondering if there are any studies or theories which explain a person's preferences for popular things vs niche content. The content can be any kind, like music, TV shows, movies, or even Tiktok videos. Ideally it would offer some psychological basis and maybe correlations with other aspects of a person's personality, but really any research on popular vs. niche preferences would be welcomed!</p>
<p>Other keywords that come to mind are, mainstream vs. non-mainstream, and conventional vs. unconventional.</p>
<p>Any references or suggestions of concepts, theories, etc. would be very welcome. Thanks!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-18T13:23:15.633Z
Please edit the question to limit it to a specific problem with enough detail to identify an adequate answer.
Community
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-18T13:27:37.047Z
I'm not sure how else to explain it, because I don't know what the theory is that I'm looking for. I tried to give enough detail about what I'm looking for without restricting the problem to something that potentially doesn't exist.
salamander
<personality><behavior><preferences>
Are there any theories which explain why people prefer popular vs. niche content?
salamander
# Are there any theories which explain why people prefer popular vs. niche content?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-01-17)

So I'm analyzing social media data, and I've found that some people almost exclusively consume mostly the same few categories of content, whereas others consume a more diverse array of categories. It also happens that those who consume more of one or a few categories also prefer mostly popular content. This intuitively makes sense because popular content usually falls into a narrow handful of categories whereas niche content can be composed of an almost infinite number of minor, less popular categories. So, I am wondering if there are any studies or theories which explain a person's preferences for popular things vs niche content. The content can be any kind, like music, TV shows, movies, or even Tiktok videos. Ideally it would offer some psychological basis and maybe correlations with other aspects of a person's personality, but really any research on popular vs. niche preferences would be welcomed!

Other keywords that come to mind are, mainstream vs. non-mainstream, and conventional vs. unconventional.

Any references or suggestions of concepts, theories, etc. would be very welcome. Thanks!

**Tags:** personality, behavior, preferences

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Please edit the question to limit it to a specific problem with enough detail to identify an adequate answer.  
> **username_0**: I'm not sure how else to explain it, because I don't know what the theory is that I'm looking for. I tried to give enough detail about what I'm looking for without restricting the problem to something that potentially doesn't exist.  

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## 0 answers

