Includes bibliographical references (pages 311-334) and index.

In his groundbreaking investigation, Atlantic senior editor Derek Thompson uncovers the hidden psychology of why we like what we like and reveals the economics of cultural markets that invisibly shape our lives. Hit Makers takes readers on a tour through the last century of pop culture blockbusters and investigates the most valuable currency of the twenty-first - people's attention. From the dawn of impressionist art to the future of Facebook, from small Etsy designers to the origin of Star Wars, Derek Thompson leaves no pet rock unturned to tell the fascinating story of how culture happens and why things become popular, and what it takes -in an age of distraction - to make a hit.