Top 250 movies

    1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)     9.2   
    2. The Godfather (1972)     9.2   
    3. The Godfather: Part II (1974)     9.0   
    4. The Dark Knight (2008)     8.9   
    5. 12 Angry Men (1957)     8.9   
    6. Schindler's List (1993)     8.9   
    7. Pulp Fiction (1994)     8.9   
    8. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)     8.9   
    9. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)     8.9   
    10. Fight Club (1999)     8.8   
    11. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)     8.8   
    12. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)     8.7   
    13. Forrest Gump (1994)     8.7   
    14. Inception (2010)     8.7   
    15. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)     8.7   
    16. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)     8.7   
    17. Goodfellas (1990)     8.7   
    18. The Matrix (1999)     8.7   
    19. Seven Samurai (1954)     8.6   
    20. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)     8.6   
    21. City of God (2002)     8.6   
    22. Se7en (1995)     8.6   
    23. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)     8.6   
    24. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)     8.6   
    25. The Usual Suspects (1995)     8.6   
    26. Life Is Beautiful (1997)     8.6   
    27. Léon: The Professional (1994)     8.5   
    28. Spirited Away (2001)     8.5   
    29. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)     8.5   
    30. Saving Private Ryan (1998)     8.5   
    31. American History X (1998)     8.5   
    32. Casablanca (1942)     8.5   
    33. Interstellar (2014)     8.5   
    34. Psycho (1960)     8.5   
    35. City Lights (1931)     8.5   
    36. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)     8.5   
    37. Modern Times (1936)     8.5   
    38. The Green Mile (1999)     8.5   
    39. The Intouchables (2011)     8.5   
    40. Rear Window (1954)     8.5   
    41. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)     8.5   
    42. The Pianist (2002)     8.5   
    43. The Departed (2006)     8.5   
    44. Back to the Future (1985)     8.5   
    45. Whiplash (2014)     8.5   
    46. Gladiator (2000)     8.5   
    47. Memento (2000)     8.5   
    48. Apocalypse Now (1979)     8.5   
    49. The Prestige (2006)     8.5   
    50. The Lion King (1994)     8.4   
    51. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)     8.4   
    52. Sunset Boulevard (1950)     8.4   
    53. Alien (1979)     8.4   
    54. The Great Dictator (1940)     8.4   
    55. The Lives of Others (2006)     8.4   
    56. Cinema Paradiso (1988)     8.4   
    57. Paths of Glory (1957)     8.4   
    58. Django Unchained (2012)     8.4   
    59. The Shining (1980)     8.4   
    60. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)     8.4   
    61. WALL·E (2008)     8.4   
    62. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)     8.4   
    63. American Beauty (1999)     8.4   
    64. Princess Mononoke (1997)     8.4   
    65. Aliens (1986)     8.4   
    66. Oldboy (2003)     8.4   
    67. Citizen Kane (1941)     8.4   
    68. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)     8.4   
    69. Das Boot (1981)     8.3   
    70. North by Northwest (1959)     8.3   
    71. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)     8.3   
    72. Vertigo (1958)     8.3   
    73. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)     8.3   
    74. M (1931)     8.3   
    75. Reservoir Dogs (1992)     8.3   
    76. Braveheart (1995)     8.3   
    77. Amélie (2001)     8.3   
    78. Requiem for a Dream (2000)     8.3   
    79. A Clockwork Orange (1971)     8.3   
    80. Taxi Driver (1976)     8.3   
    81. Double Indemnity (1944)     8.3   
    82. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)     8.3   
    83. Toy Story 3 (2010)     8.3   
    84. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)     8.3   
    85. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)     8.3   
    86. Amadeus (1984)     8.3   
    87. Full Metal Jacket (1987)     8.3   
    88. The Sting (1973)     8.3   
    89. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)     8.3   
    90. Bicycle Thieves (1948)     8.3   
    91. Toy Story (1995)     8.3   
    92. Singin' in the Rain (1952)     8.3   
    93. Snatch (2000)     8.3   
    94. Inglourious Basterds (2009)     8.3   
    95. The Kid (1921)     8.3   
    96. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)     8.3   
    97. L.A. Confidential (1997)     8.3   
    98. For a Few Dollars More (1965)     8.3   
    99. Rashomon (1950)     8.3   
    100. The Apartment (1960)     8.3   
    101. Scarface (1983)     8.3   
    102. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)     8.3   
    103. 3 Idiots (2009)     8.3   
    104. A Separation (2011)     8.2   
    105. Metropolis (1927)     8.2   
    106. The Hunt (2012)     8.2   
    107. Yojimbo (1961)     8.2   
    108. All About Eve (1950)     8.2   
    109. Good Will Hunting (1997)     8.2   
    110. Batman Begins (2005)     8.2   
    111. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)     8.2   
    112. Some Like It Hot (1959)     8.2   
    113. Up (2009)     8.2   
    114. Unforgiven (1992)     8.2   
    115. The Third Man (1949)     8.2   
    116. Children of Heaven (1997)     8.2   
    117. Downfall (2004)     8.2   
    118. Raging Bull (1980)     8.2   
    119. Die Hard (1988)     8.2   
    120. Inside Out (2015)     8.2   
    121. The Great Escape (1963)     8.2   
    122. Chinatown (1974)     8.2   
    123. Heat (1995)     8.2   
    124. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)     8.2   
    125. Room (2015)     8.2   
    126. On the Waterfront (1954)     8.2   
    127. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)     8.2   
    128. Ikiru (1952)     8.2   
    129. Ran (1985)     8.2   
    130. The Gold Rush (1925)     8.2   
    131. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)     8.2   
    132. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)     8.2   
    133. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)     8.2   
    134. The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)     8.2   
    135. Blade Runner (1982)     8.2   
    136. The Seventh Seal (1957)     8.2   
    137. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)     8.2   
    138. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)     8.2   
    139. Casino (1995)     8.2   
    140. Sunrise (1927)     8.2   
    141. Wild Strawberries (1957)     8.2   
    142. The General (1926)     8.2   
    143. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)     8.2   
    144. The Elephant Man (1980)     8.2   
    145. A Beautiful Mind (2001)     8.2   
    146. Warrior (2011)     8.2   
    147. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)     8.2   
    148. V for Vendetta (2005)     8.1   
    149. Incendies (2010)     8.1   
    150. Tokyo Story (1953)     8.1   
    151. Gran Torino (2008)     8.1   
    152. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)     8.1   
    153. The Big Lebowski (1998)     8.1   
    154. The Deer Hunter (1978)     8.1   
    155. Dial M for Murder (1954)     8.1   
    156. Trainspotting (1996)     8.1   
    157. Gone with the Wind (1939)     8.1   
    158. Fargo (1996)     8.1   
    159. Rebecca (1940)     8.1   
    160. Cool Hand Luke (1967)     8.1   
    161. Finding Nemo (2003)     8.1   
    162. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)     8.1   
    163. The Sixth Sense (1999)     8.1   
    164. The Thing (1982)     8.1   
    165. No Country for Old Men (2007)     8.1   
    166. The Message (1976)     8.1   
    167. Into the Wild (2007)     8.1   
    168. Come and See (1985)     8.1   
    169. Mary and Max (2009)     8.1   
    170. Gone Girl (2014)     8.1   
    171. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)     8.1   
    172. It Happened One Night (1934)     8.1   
    173. There Will Be Blood (2007)     8.1   
    174. Life of Brian (1979)     8.1   
    175. Rush (2013)     8.1   
    176. Nights of Cabiria (1957)     8.1   
    177. Hotel Rwanda (2004)     8.1   
    178. Platoon (1986)     8.1   
    179. The Wages of Fear (1953)     8.1   
    180. Network (1976)     8.1   
    181. The Maltese Falcon (1941)     8.1   
    182. Spotlight (2015)     8.1   
    183. Shutter Island (2010)     8.1   
    184. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)     8.1   
    185. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)     8.1   
    186. Stand by Me (1986)     8.1   
    187. In the Name of the Father (1993)     8.1   
    188. The 400 Blows (1959)     8.1   
    189. Persona (1966)     8.1   
    190. 12 Years a Slave (2013)     8.1   
    191. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)     8.1   
    192. Wild Tales (2014)     8.1   
    193. Ben-Hur (1959)     8.1   
    194. Amores Perros (2000)     8.1   
    195. Million Dollar Baby (2004)     8.1   
    196. Zootopia (2016)     8.1   
    197. The Princess Bride (1987)     8.1   
    198. Jurassic Park (1993)     8.1   
    199. Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)     8.1   
    200. Touch of Evil (1958)     8.1   
    201. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)     8.1   
    202. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)     8.1   
    203. Stalker (1979)     8.0   
    204. Annie Hall (1977)     8.0   
    205. Memories of Murder (2003)     8.0   
    206. Before Sunrise (1995)     8.0   
    207. The Truman Show (1998)     8.0   
    208. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)     8.0   
    209. Gandhi (1982)     8.0   
    210. Diabolique (1955)     8.0   
    211. Rocky (1976)     8.0   
    212. Donnie Darko (2001)     8.0   
    213. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)     8.0   
    214. 8½ (1963)     8.0   
    215. Monsters, Inc. (2001)     8.0   
    216. The Wizard of Oz (1939)     8.0   
    217. The Terminator (1984)     8.0   
    218. Twelve Monkeys (1995)     8.0   
    219. Groundhog Day (1993)     8.0   
    220. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)     8.0   
    221. Infernal Affairs (2002)     8.0   
    222. Jaws (1975)     8.0   
    223. Deadpool (2016)     8.0   
    224. Strangers on a Train (1951)     8.0   
    225. Prisoners (2013)     8.0   
    226. La Haine (1995)     8.0   
    227. Barry Lyndon (1975)     8.0   
    228. Sin City (2005)     8.0   
    229. The Revenant (2015)     8.0   
    230. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)     8.0   
    231. Catch Me If You Can (2002)     8.0   
    232. The Battle of Algiers (1966)     8.0   
    233. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)     8.0   
    234. Captain America: Civil War (2016)     8.0   
    235. Ip Man (2008)     8.0   
    236. The Martian (2015)     8.0   
    237. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)     8.0   
    238. The Help (2011)     8.0   
    239. The Imitation Game (2014)     8.0   
    240. Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)     8.0   
    241. Fanny and Alexander (1982)     8.0   
    242. Castle in the Sky (1986)     8.0   
    243. A Fistful of Dollars (1964)     8.0   
    244. Roman Holiday (1953)     8.0   
    245. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)     8.0   
    246. The King's Speech (2010)     8.0   
    247. The Avengers (2012)     8.0   
    248. Throne of Blood (1957)     8.0   
    249. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)     8.0   
    250. Beauty and the Beast (1991) 8.0

PS4 Pro: Boom or Bust?

Sony's latest console, the PS4 Pro, is the firm's first 4K console, and it obliterates the traditional console life-cycle - a big move as the market moves away from that familiar structure.
The new console is a turbo-charged version of the PS4, which means it plays all existing titles while giving graphical boosts to both old and new games and outputting at 4K.
Look past the hype, and the PS4 Pro looks like a mixed bag - there are opportunities, but vast complications. We examine the implications for developers, and wonder whether the PS4 Pro can continue Sony's console dominance.
The PS4 Pro Explained
The new console enhances the existing AMD Jaguar CPU, but the biggest change is to the the AMD Radeon GPU. That chip now wields 4.2 TFLOPs of power - a huge boost over the 1.84 TFLOPs of the original.
The revised GPU uses the Polaris architecture, and is based on the desktop RX 480. That card is a great GPU, but it's not capable of handling intense, triple-A games at 4K - and that's true even with the PS4 Pro's custom tweaks.

The architectural limits of the GPU makes the PS4 Pro's status as a 4K console a little tricky.
Games will output at 3,840 x 2,160, but most won't run natively - games will be rendered at lesser resolutions, then upscaled. Sony includes an in-built "checkerboard" upscaling method that works well, but there's no guarantee that developers will use this - and so no guarantee of a standardised, effective upscaling technique on the new console. Some games will look barely different from native 4K, but some might look barely different to 1080p.
The PS4 Pro doesn't just offer a resolution boost. The Pro will run games at smoother, higher framerates, and developers can deploy additional graphical affects - sharper textures, more objects, dense particle effects and improved lighting all feature.
The extra horsepower means Sony can use HDR, too. High Dynamic Range technology serves up a wider range of colours and higher contrast ratios, which means more vivid, detailed games. It makes a huge impact, but this feature also comes with its own issues: you'll need a compatible TV to run those games.

The PS4 Pro doesn't just make new games better - existing games will be improved with patches, although Sony has confirmed that third-party developers may charge for these updates.
There's yet another thing to bear in mind: whether a game is displayed on a 1080p or a 4K screen. Sony says every PS4 game will play at 1080p on the Pro, but it's also confirmed that games will offer different enhancements depending on their output resolution - an inevitable result when loftier resolutions make more demands on GPU hardware and when only certain TVs support 4K and HDR.
The Last of Us Remastered, for instance, is a rare title that runs at native 4K on the PS4 Pro - but only at 30fps. To get 60fps, the resolution has to be dropped. The Witness renders at around 1440p and upscales to 4K to maintain a 60fps frame-rate, but running at 1080p sees improvements to anti-aliasing too, and Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor provides super-sampled anti-aliasing at 1080p.
Sony also showed off Spider-Man, For Honor and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided at its launch event, but didn't confirm that the games were running at native 4K - just outputting to a 4K display.
The PS4 Pro doesn't have a 4K Blu-ray drive because Sony reckons people stream more these days, and it's not going to have any exclusive games - the latter is certainly a smart move. The Pro will cost £349 for a 1TB model.
What About the Rest?
The PS4 Pro isn't the only Sony console that's getting an upgrade. The PS4 and PS4 Slim will both receive firmware updates that enable HDR support, which will provide a significant visual boost without taxing the lesser hardware in those older systems.
However, HDR on the vanilla PS4 won't be a dramatic leap forward like it is on the PS4 Pro, largely because the older consoles output at lower resolutions - so there just aren't as many pixels to show off HDR's improvements.
Microsoft's Project Scorpio will arrive later and with a higher price than the PS4 Pro, but it justifies the added cost with 6 TFLOPs of GPU power and support for 4K Blu-ray. That makes the Scorpio better for media, and it also means that Microsoft's console will have a better chance at running games at native 4K. Existing Xbox One games will have performance improvements, too.
Then there's the Xbox One S. Released in August, this console supports 4K Blu-Ray and HDR in games, and games can also be upscaled to 4K.

Days Gone impressed in 4K at Sony's New York announcement event

Development in the PS4 Pro Era
The PS4 Pro offers ample opportunity to developers. The extra graphics horsepower means games can run at higher resolutions, and developers will be able to deploy more visual detail and depth than on any console before.
It's not certain if many games will run at native 4K, but it is certain that the PS4 Pro will provide a gigantic leap forward.
The burgeoning PC game scene could lend a hand, too. Many of the graphics improvements available will already be familiar to PC gamers, and studios that already work on comprehensive PC ports will surely find it easier to transition to the PS4 Pro.
There's opportunity here, but the PS4 Pro is a big gamble for Sony - and for developers - because the new hardware represents a break from the traditional console life cycle.
We're used to consoles being replaced by smaller, cheaper versions, but this is a rare occasion when a console has been joined by a beefier version in the middle of its lifespan.
Developers usually become familiar with a console over its lifespan, optimising code to produce progressively better games, but that's not the case here.
We're half-way through a generation, but developers will now need to become familiar with a new machine, learning its foibles to get the most out of the new hardware. To do that while still developing for the PS4 is a tall order - and to do that while maintaining quality across the two different systems could prove insurmountable.

"It won't help anyone if a game is lazily upgraded to the PS4 Pro, but it's conceivable given the extra workload. There's also the issue of resources: the added concentration on graphics could see other development areas suffer"

Development decisions for PS4 Pro games could make it harder to scale back to the regular PS4: it's easy if a title's Pro incarnation involves a higher resolution and a better framerate, but it's harder if the Pro title is littered with improvements that the base console can't handle.
And what about games already being developed for PS4? It won't help anyone if a game is lazily upgraded to the PS4 Pro, but it's conceivable given the extra workload. There's also the issue of resources: the added concentration on graphics could see other development areas suffer, with the meat of the game falling behind in order to give the title a little extra pizazz.
The best case scenario is that large studios will have known about the PS4 Pro for a while, and will have had time to prepare - but, even then, the new console's challenges are numerous.
Consumers, Marketing and the new Console Landscape
The PS4 Pro doesn't just make life more complex for developers - it could hinder consumers and marketing departments, too.
The Pro's visual improvements could be difficult to sell given the methods used to consume gaming news and reviews. Twitch streams and YouTube videos don't have the fidelity to show off subtle graphical improvements let alone the transition to 4K, and it's going to be near-impossible on smartphones, too.
Desktop PCs and laptops are better, but it's still going to be challenging, especially with video - you'll need a great web connection to run a 4K trailer or comparison video.
At best, these formats will only show off some improvements that PS4 Pro can offer - and that's no way to convince customers to shell out.
The two-tier Playstation landscape means that many consumers will inevitably be left behind as early adopters upgrade to the PS4 Pro.
There are pitfalls if the PS4 Pro sells in big numbers - and obvious issues if it doesn't. A successful launch could see poorer games released for the vanilla PS4 as developers put more resource towards their Pro versions, which is no good for Sony's original console and for the goodwill of its gamers.
Conversely, a weak Pro launch means there's little incentive for developers to spend time and money upgrading games - or even releasing Pro versions at all. It's a chicken-and-egg scenario: customers won't buy without a hefty slate of Pro-enabled games, but a poor customer base means those games just won't appear.

"No matter how the launch goes, it leads to a fragmented market - and that's already a thorny issue on other gaming platforms"

No matter how the launch goes, it leads to a fragmented market - and that's already a thorny issue on other gaming platforms like PC and Android.
There's no question that the PS4 Pro will make games look far better - but there are dozens of questions around every aspect of Sony's new console.
The PS4 Pro isn't a pure 4K machine, no matter what the hype says. The number of native 4K games will almost certainly be dwarfed by titles that only run at 4,096 x 2,160 because of upscaling.
HDR will offer a huge leap forward, but there's so much confusion elsewhere. The different enhancements for 1080p and 4K will need to be explained clearly, and there's been little clarification about updates coming to existing games.
Then there's the small matter of 4K TVs: if you don't have one already, you'll need one to make the most of the PS4 Pro, and they're not exactly cheap.
Sony's new console sees the firm staying at the forefront of gaming technology, and that's no bad thing. We've no doubt that higher resolutions, better framerates, improved graphics and proper HDR will make games look vastly better, and delivering a 4K experience - or a near-4K experience - for £349 is an impressive achievement. But...to get to this point, Sony has made everything more complicated. Development will be harder and more expensive, consumers will be confused, and the PS4 Pro will be a tough sell. The Pro changes the console game, but I'm not sure if the world is ready.

Xbox One S has Bluray UHD support and video streaming

The PlayStation 4 has consistently led console sales this generation, but the Xbox One may be gaining traction. Last night, Microsoft's corporate VP of Xbox marketing Mike Nichols cited the industry-tracking NPD Group with the news that the Xbox One was the best-selling console in the US for August, making it two straight months atop the chart.
In July, Xbox One sales were bolstered by a price cut to the machine. Last month, the system's numbers were helped by the launch of the Xbox One S, which adds 4K Blu-ray and video streaming, as well as HDR support for games.
Microsoft touting Xbox One's sales performance relative to the competition is a reversal of the company's position in recent years, as it has steadily downplayed the significance of unit sales and instead pushed Xbox Live engagement as a better metric of the business' health. Nichols did offer an update on the engagement front as well, saying that total global gaming hours on Xbox One increased 42% year-over-year in August.

PS4 Pro: "This could be the final nail in the coffin for Xbox One"

Sony's two new hardware announcements didn't come as a surprise to anyone, but the launch date and price of the PS4 Pro did feel like an aggressive move by the company, if you ask analysts. "The pricing gives Sony a big advantage. PS4 Slim is competitive with Xbox One S, but PS4 Pro is a bargain [at $399]. For the same price as the 2TB Xbox One S, you get 1TB and future proof for 4K. I think this sells very well at holiday, and was surprised it was coming out this year," Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter
DFC Intelligence's David Cole agreed, commenting, "The only big issue was when Pro would launch and they have a firm date this year and a solid price. Really this could be a final nail in the coffin for Xbox One now that Microsoft has told consumers to wait until 2017 [for Scorpio]. Sony will have the powerful system with VR now and a well-executed plan that leaves consumers no reason to wait. It is just an all-around compelling proposition."
SuperData's Joost van Dreunen added, "The relatively low price point for all available devices and the publisher support promises to supercharge the holiday season."
IDC games research director Lewis Ward acknowledged that the PS4 Pro launch date and price is "a shot across the bow," but he also told us, "I don't think there's much of an impact on Scorpio at this point."
"The main course in the Pro upgrade is the roughly 2.2x boost in GPU power. That's enough to drive one hell of a sexy picture. Unfortunately, both 4K TVs and HDR TVs, let alone sets that do both, are barely off the drawing board. So while Sony has staked out new territory as far as home consoles go on the rendering front, I question whether the Pro will be a big seller this holiday season since there doesn't appear to be a large installed base of 4K/HDR TVs out there to take advantage of the sexy (AMD) silicon," Ward continued.
"This is more about getting out there early and future-proofing the PS4 as gamers and videophiles eventually shell out for high-end TVs over the next several years. Having said that, the fact that Pro has a 1TB HDD may be more of a near-term selling point for those who like to download lots of content. For an extra $100 that's a decent deal by itself when you realize that today's PS4 with 1TB can cost $400-$500 depending on what's in the bundle."
Piers Harding-Rolls, head of games research at IHS, agrees with Ward that PS4 Pro sales will be limited to "a minority of PS4 buyers." IHS has provided a forecast of 1.5 million PS4 Pro units sold worldwide in 2016, and the firm expects the overall PS4 installed base to reach 53.5 million by the end of the year. Interestingly, unlike the other analysts, Harding-Rolls also believes that Xbox One S could have the upper hand. "Microsoft's cheaper Xbox One S also steals some of Sony's Pro thunder, with a significant overlap in 4K features between the two consoles," he said.
Furthermore, as Mike Goodman, Strategy Analytics' director of digital media strategies, noted, Microsoft still has time to adjust its own strategy with Scorpio. "Microsoft is in an unusual position in that it can sit back and see how the market reacts to Sony and adjust plans accordingly," he said. It's also hard to know at this point whether console owners "are willing [to] buy into the cell phone model and purchase a new console every couple of years."
Ultimately, while it's exciting for the industry to see new hardware, the PS4 Pro and Scorpio are only targeting a sliver of the consumer market. According to Strategy Analytics, the global installed base of 4k UHD TV sets will be 83.8 million at the end of this year, and perhaps more importantly, the global installed base of HDR compatible televisions will be between 3 and 3.5 million.

Is Facebook Dying? What’s Killing It?

I never intentionally set out to be a social media “guru,” though now looking back it seems an inevitable choice. Why? Not only do I love helping people but I also have an insatiable appetite for cracking codes and patterns…then using that information to predict trends.

But this skill has come in handy and has allowed me to be at the leading edge of the evolution of the Digital Age. By examining vast amounts of data, I can see patterns emerge almost with a life all their own. The best way to describe it?

Remember those Magic Eye images that were so popular in malls in the 90s? They just looked like a jumble of dots or colors or random images but if viewed in a certain way, made a larger three-dimensional image? Some people could see the image easily and some to this day claim it was all a hoax designed to sell overpriced wall art.

But this is a lot of what I do when it comes to social media, to analyzing what is going to be the next vector. What sites are gaining traction and which might be flagging or even dying. I ponder all the points and they come together into a larger “whole.”

That was why, when writing my book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors of the Digital Age, I chose to focus on human patterns rather than technological ones. Humans are far more constant and techniques I teach in my book will work no matter what changes the Digital Age throws our way. Why? Because my approach is based on people not technology.

This said, there is a new trend that is piquing my interest and I think it’s going to make a radical shift in social media that might even have the power to topple the mightiest of all. Looking at all the random dots? The larger emerging Facebook picture is not pretty.

But before I go there, I want to warn you ahead of time that this post was longer than usual. Problem was, I felt if I spaced this out over separate days that my assertions might lose critical integrity. Thus, to make viewing easier, I have broken it up in the body so you can choose whether to read all at once or space it out.

Thank you!
Act One—The Life Evolution of the Digital Age

The Digital Age as we know it was, in a way, an unplanned pregnancy. The original Web 1.0 collapsed with the fall of the dot.coms and then *POOF* this new idea of how the Internet would work came to be. In the 90s (Web 1.0), web sites were the firm domain of professionals who knew how to write code.

Most regular people (as in those without a programming skills) were not on-line. Those who were on-line used the web in a passive way. We weren’t actively a part of the web. We simply consumed what was given to us.

No one really ever imagined an Internet fueled by user-generated content (Web 2.0) as opposed to controlled corporate content (Web 1.0). What do I mean? Well, a good example of this is the notion of the “Super Model.”

In the 90s, the fashion industry and corporations chose who would get the title Super Model. Many of us grew up in the age of the Cindy Crawfords and Naomi Campbells. They graced every magazine cover.

Every cover.

Like ALL of them.

These days? Who graces the cover of a magazine is far more democratic. Popularity with the people is the highest priority which is why we are seeing so many of the new fashion “icons” rising from places like Instagram. But who would have imagined in 1993 that regular ordinary people would be determining who would be on the front of Cosmopolitan and Vogue, as opposed to some big shot fashion photographer with an “eye” for the next big thing?

And of course it would be the next big thing because, really what choice did we have?
Back to Baby

If we go with this idea of Web 2.0 being an unplanned baby, then we see some patterns emerge. In the beginning a baby is really cute…but can’t exactly do a lot. That was the beginning of the Internet (as we know it). Didn’t do a lot, but it was sooooo adorable and had such potential!

Dial up? Baby learned to crawl. Awww look a the cute message boards.

Cable Internet. Learned to walk, climb and get into everything. We can shop? And not have to wear pants?

The early days of social media (in my opinion) were like the gilded years of childhood. It’s like watching Spawn play. He doesn’t care what color a kid’s skin is, if the kid has expensive shoes, or what hairstyle said kid has. All kids are, as he calls them, “My new best friend.”

We were that way in the beginning of sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter which all emerged at roughly the same juncture in time.

You have a MySpace page? OMG! Me too! Lets be best friends!

Tweet me!

Granted it wasn’t all kisses and unicorns but compared to these days? Those were halcyon times for sure.

Now? I think the Digital Age is in all-out-want-to-stab-it-in-the face-adolescence.
Act Two—Invasion of the Mean Girls

I know all of this is very unscientific, but there is something to the saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” I think when social media was new, regular people minded their manners better. We were caught up in the newness of it all. Then? It wasn’t as new. Then it was part of everyday life.

We got comfortable. Too comfortable. Things people would never say or do in person? Became fine on-line. More folks began burping and farting and scratching themselves in blithe ignorance to the damage it was doing to the overall social experience.
Social media is social. I have said this until I am blue in the face. When we forget that fundamental element, we invite disaster.

Case in point. I was speaking on a panel at Thrillerfest a few years ago and an author was livid with me that I criticized the use of automation.

I replied, “But I’m not on social media to talk to a robot. I can call AT&T if I want that.”

I explained that the problem with automation was it inevitably bred more. That eventually it would wreck Twitter because no one wanted to just sit around for a bunch of automated link spam.

Now, is Twitter useless and gone? No. But for socializing? Pretty much. It’s harder and harder to find real people because the relentless surge of automation has crowded them out.

I gave another prediction years ago. I cautioned users from posting too much on inflammatory topics like sex, politics and religion. If we think of social media as social, this makes sense. Who wants to go to a cocktail party to be yelled at and attacked?

What? No takers?

I postulated that, like automation would inevitably breed more automation, more toxicity would breed further toxicity.

I cautioned that if people failed to employ the same kind of self-restraint used in person, that eventually even mega-giants like Facebook would be abandoned and left the sole domain of bullies and trolls much like Twitter has been left to bots.

Why? To be blunt, there would be too many jerks pissing on the party.

It takes no genius to surmise that regular people would eventually not tolerate non-stop venom. Even Psychology Today wrote a recent article about how the presence of even one mean employee (not even a bully but merely rude) can drag down the entire workplace. What is true at work is true on-line.

Back to my metaphor.
Teenagers

In humans, this is a critical and difficult stage of transformation that is key for determining not only a future adult identity but the core elements of character. What kind of adult will the teen become?

On one hand teenagers can be dreamy and filled with hope. Wild with abandon and creativity.

But on the other?

They can also be selfish, cruel, unrestrained, reckless, and…drama queens. Everything is a big deal. Of course what happens is that when everything is important, then nothing is.

In earlier days of Facebook we would hit critical junctures where emotions would be more heightened than normal (I.e election years). In the social media tween years? Wasn’t too bad. Was at least manageable.

Now, with the Digital Age being in full on adolescence? It is freaking moody and volatile and plain damn MEAN. It’s selfish and emotionally out of control.

Full steam ahead and no one is sidetracking me from my drama du jour!!!
Drama, Drama and YES…More Drama

Everything has become a big deal and so many of the people I follow have morphed into pseudo-journalists overnight. Here’s the thing, if I wanted to be hysterical, I’d stream CNN. But I don’t want to be hysterical. I want to talk and laugh and…socialize.

Facebook used to have shorter and fewer cycles of distress. There would be some big disaster/event/decision/election and everyone would be in a tizzy for a few days. But then? FB would return to a relatively bucolic normal.

These days? The cycles have become so brief they are now overlapping and blurring into a singular rage-filled constant. It seems everyone is upset about everything and to make matters worse? Too many folks insist on talking about whatever is bothering them non-freaking-stop.

And God help anyone who disagrees.

I’m wondering if people are becoming meaner or if the mean ones are the only ones remaining on Facebook.

Not everyone mind you, but a far larger proportion than I’ve ever witnessed. What’s worse is the offenders are also becoming far more aggressive and oblivious to any semblance of civility and decorum.

For instance, I never post about politics or anything else inflammatory. If you scroll any news feed on any of my social sites, you are going to laugh. I love making people smile. If you follow me, you are not going to need a bottle of Tums at the ready for what I post on my wall.

But the other day a friend of mine who resides on the opposite side of the political spectrum was pulling my digital pigtails and I baited. We were all poking fun at one another and having fun.

*enters troll*

This guy set his sites on me and no matter how politely I tried to get him to lighten up, he was hell bent on proving how smart he was by going for my jugular. Eventually? I had to leave the conversation and block the person.

So y’all know…


I was never ON Facebook to defend myself non-stop from ruthless and brutal attack. I don’t think anyone is…and that is what will be Facebook’s undoing.
The Unfollowed

Recently I have found myself doing something I thought I would never do but have been forced to in order to maintain some semblance of sanity. I’ve started unfollowing people (many of them other writers). Not unfriending. I don’t believe in that.

I also don’t believe living in an ideological echo chamber is healthy and have all kinds of friends. I’ve never blocked content I might disagree with…until recently.

But it had less to do with the type of content and more to do with the sheer VOLUME.

Sort of like automation. Automate a few links on Twitter? Meh. No biggie. Automate everything everywhere?

*runs away screaming*


These writers—The Unfollowed—have mutated from friends into geysers of hysteria, hate, ranting, or general pissed-offedness. And I think that’s sad. The same writer who’s spending time on social media might one day announce a book that I would have seen and maybe even bought…had they not pushed me to the point of unfollowing anything they posted.

There are even some well known authors I used to read and buy their books…but now I no longer like them. Deep down I resent how they’ve selfishly beaten me over the head with their opinions. Frankly, there are too many nice and considerate authors to buy from instead.

What makes this all the more interesting is that we humans are by nature social creatures. It’s in our DNA. We don’t socialize we go crazy or die or go crazy then die.

Whatever. Y’all get the point.

We have also come to accept that much of that socialization will be done digitally. I think Facebook was bullet-proof so long as there was no other alternative. But now?

I bring you…The Pokemon GO.
Act Three—Can Pokemon Go Kill Facebook?



The Internet (and the following social component) has evolved dramatically since babyhood, from chatrooms to increasingly advanced social sites. And though many new trends have come along, none in my estimation have ever had the power to dent Facebook…until Pokemon Go.

Pokemon Go is basically geocaching but way “funner.” It’s made what used to be a relatively nerdy activity “mainstream” just like Web 2.0 did to Web 1.0.

So are we witnessing the genesis of Web 3.0? Worth pondering😉 .

And yes I get that this gaming experience is new and there are problems (I.e. accidents/players being a nuisance) but I really don’t care because Pokemon Go is only the beginning, a sign of what will surely be ahead.

Pokemon Go is doing what no other social media site can do. It’s getting people out of the house to socialize.

Players enjoy the fun and the mental challenge of a scavenger hunt and their social needs are once again being met in person (likely where the other humans are far less likely to suddenly start ranting in their face about Monsanto).

Why I think Pokemon Go will change everything is because I follow the money. The problem with monetizing any social site is that people there to mingle, not to shop. Advertising is either invisible or annoying and pure social media sites have had always had a challenge monetizing (even Facebook).

But Pokemon Go doesn’t have that disadvantage.
Pokemon Go makes money off people buying stuff to play the game. Where there IS money is in merchants joining in and promoting the experience.

Businesses have a vested interest in customers getting out of the house and coming to THEM…which means if this catches on the way I think it will? Facebook will be hemorrhaging advertisers.

Seriously. I already see it happening.

Tuesday, I took my son rollerskating because I was fed up with Facebook and played hooky. Guess what I saw? The skating rink was advertising that skating was a good way to get their “egg to hatch” (referencing Pokemon Go).

According to my hair stylist (who blushed and confessed that she’d abandoned social media and taken up Pokemon Go) the eggs hatch depending on the player’s overall level of physical activity. I can say that my stylist looked remarkably trimmer, tanner and…happier.

I think Pokemon Go is going to be a major blow to the social aspect of Facebook.

Now, Facebook (at least from what I can see) will remain relevant and important…just in a very different way.

We will still post pictures, keep up with family and scan headlines…we just won’t stick around. Fewer and fewer people are going to choose to socialize there, especially once developers start releasing better iterations and even new variations of games like Pokemon.

For instance? They get a D&D GO and you may never hear from me again,😀 .

But back to my obsession with patterns. This evolution of the Digital Age toward social games of augmented reality makes a lot of sense. Pokemon GO fills a lot of needs that Facebook either can’t or won’t.
Pokemon Go gets people out of the house.

That is NOT what Facebook wants. FB wants us to be glued to the screen non-stop and doesn’t care if we are isolated, lonely, angry and have grown an extra ass from Cheetos and stress.
Pokemon Go gives us more exercise.

We need to get the heck out of the house and we need to remember how to talk to another actual human being and have some manners when doing it.
Pokemon Go brings people closer.

It is bringing families closer. Instead of Dad scrolling FB and Mom immersed in Pinterest and Junior off on Snap Chat? Isolated, not engaging. They can go for a walk together and hunt virtual critters. Grandma can engage with the grandkids. Couples can do something together.
Pokemon Go is good for businesses.

Pokemon Go is an answer to what a lot of businesses have needed, what they have struggled with. How do we get customers to come to US? Anyone in sales knows that getting people in the door is the hardest part. That roller rink? That was genius. I could see this at golf courses or gyms or malls. Get people walking out in the world and playing together.

What if bookstores began integrating with some of these games? Bringing in people who might catch a critter, then cool off browsing some books?


When we put all these factors together? I see a major paradigm shift ahead. What this means for writers or branding? I’m not entirely sure. I need more data, though I DO have some seriously exciting ideas (I.e. people walking to audiobooks or author podcasts to unlock levels).

But even if I am wrong about Pokemon, I am right about one thing. If people don’t stop the hysteria and grow the hell UP, help social media get past the teenage drama and onto adulthood? People won’t stick around. They will uncouple from the crazy train.

What are your thoughts? I have not yet played Pokemon Go, but for anyone who has? What are your thoughts? I’ve heard a lot of good things…namely from people suddenly missing from FB. Do you think FB has gotten out of control with the emo stuff? Are you sick and tired of its eye-rolling and temper tantrums? Are you ready for the Digital Age to just grow the hell up and get a job? Do you think we can save Facebook’s social side? I am unsure.

I LOVE hearing from you!

To prove it and show my love, for the month of JULY, everyone who leaves a comment I will put your name in a hat. If you comment and link back to my blog on your blog, you get your name in the hat twice. What do you win? The unvarnished truth from yours truly. I will pick a winner once a month and it will be a critique of the first 20 pages of your novel, or your query letter, or your synopsis (5 pages or less).

All W.A.N.A. classes are on-line and all you need is an internet connection. Recordings are included in the class price.
We are doing ANOTHER round of Battle of the First Pages!!! August 5th

The first time we did this we had some tech issues doing this new format and we’ve since worked those out, but for now I am still keeping the price low ($25) until we get this streamlined to my tastes.

LIMITED SEATS. This is an open workshop where each person will submit his or her first page of the manuscript for critique. I will read the page aloud and “gong” where I would have stopped reading and explain why. This is an interactive workshop designed to see what works or what doesn’t. Are you ready to test your page in the fire?