It’s no surprise that audiences have begun to notice a repetitive pattern in what’s showing in theaters and on streaming platforms. For some time now, a significant share of new releases has consisted of familiar properties: remakes, reboots, and sequels to stories the public already knows well.
Audiovisual works have always reflected the societies in which they were made, so this “cultural déjà vu” is tied to what psychology calls Information Fatigue Syndrome (IFS). This condition seems to define the current moment.
WHAT IS INFORMATION FATIGUE SYNDROME?
IFS refers to the cognitive and emotional overload caused by the constant influx of data, notifications, and content in modern life. When the brain is exposed to more information than it can reasonably process, it tends to shift toward familiar paths as a coping mechanism.
This phenomenon is not abstract; it is amplified by the digital environment. Constant interruptions, multitasking demands, and countless notifications increase the flow of information to the nervous system, leaving little time for processing. In such a hyper-connected world, escaping IFS becomes nearly unavoidable.
When new tasks or environments are introduced, this overloaded system struggles even more. The unfamiliar demands additional cognitive effort, which makes the experience feel heavier, more tiring, and often uncomfortable.
A study, published by Cambridge University Press, helps illustrate this mechanism. Participants were asked to perform a task that required constantly switching between two types of activity for two hours straight. As time went on, they made more mistakes, responded more slowly, and showed neural markers of reduced attention and readiness.
The researchers concluded that mental fatigue weakens our ability to adapt and plan, pushing the brain to favor repetition and known routines over new actions.
Psychologist Nicollas Rosa de Souza adds that this fatigue doesn’t just narrow our cognitive flexibility; it also undermines the very neurological systems that sustain motivation and curiosity.
“Mental fatigue puts the brain into an energy-saving mode. Even when someone wants to start a new task or engage with something unfamiliar, they often can’t. It’s not laziness, it’s a lack of cognitive energy. When dopamine levels drop, the world loses color, and everything feels harder than it really is.”
THE COMFORT REFLEX
This overload doesn’t just influence our internal processes; it quietly shapes everyday habits, including how we consume media. Nicollas Rosa de Souza notes that information fatigue plays a decisive role in steering people toward predictable entertainment choices.
“Familiar content offers a sense of control and reduces physiological arousal, which is why people return to the same shows, songs, or narratives. It’s a coping strategy, not just a preference.”
This psychological pattern extends beyond individual behavior and becomes a strategic opportunity for the entertainment industry. In a saturated media landscape, familiarity works as comfort for audiences and as economic security for studios.
Few people understand this dynamic as clearly as Dr. Matthew Jones, Professor of Film Studies at De Montfort University in Leicester. In an interview with Cosmopolitan, he explains:
“The most secure option for studios is always going to be something we call a ‘pre-sold property’ […] This is not laziness on the part of the production studios. It’s just good, sound financial logic.”
With audiences mentally exhausted and studios wary of financial risk, originality is increasingly endangered. The concept of “wanting is not enough” feels especially true: even the desire to explore new stories often isn’t enough to overcome the fatigue and predictability both sides cling to. As Charles Gant of Screen International told The Guardian:
“They need fresh stories and characters to launch franchises and create new sequel opportunities – but landing that plane can be hard.”
RECYCLED INNOVATION
Even amid adaptations like Dune, Barbie, or a Mean Girls musical, truly original works still surprise audiences, though the trap of “cultural déjà vu” persists.
Series like Stranger Things, inspired by Stephen King novels, or films like Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), which draw heavily on inter-dimensional and surrealist narratives, ultimately fall into familiar patterns, even unintentionally.
Nostalgia offers viewers an emotional refuge, letting them revisit familiar worlds and stories during times of cultural and informational overload. For studios, it doubles as a financial safety net, creating a seemingly perfect win-win.
Yet even works that appear original often draw on familiar templates, giving the illusion of innovation while reinforcing the cycle of repeated narratives and limiting the creative evolution of the medium.
The article above was edited by Rafaela Navarro