In situations where popularity is determined by the lowest common denominator, the Long Tail will thus lead to improvement in a society's level of culture. TV is a good example of this: TV stations have limited time slots, so the opportunity cost of each time slot is high; stations therefore choose programs that have the broadest appeal. But as the number of TV stations grows or TV programming is distributed through other digital channels, the choice of TV programs grows and the cultural level rises.

Another misapplication of economic theory to culture.