Agreed, it's all digital assets i.e. songs, movies, tv shows, books, etc. You can still sell physical assets e.g. vinyl, blu-rays, tickets to shows, hardbacks, etc. like people did prior to the internet, but the driving motivation of most consumers today seems to me to be convenience. Physical is rarely more convenient than digital for anyone these days.

It's not about what I or anyone else "wants" IMO. It's about what is actually possible and then what's desirable for humanity considering the tradeoffs. Like the war on drugs, it can be stated all day how bad drugs are for society, but it's a moot point if you can't enforce a drug free policy. Psuedo-enforcement gives rise to much worse conditions and impacts on society through black markets, misallocation of funds to ineffective counter-measures, and inconsistent punishments.

What are some examples of things you're thinking of that people identify as that are not just brands and how do you see them as distinct?

I believe that freedom of information is more beneficial to society than any single individual's or company's claim to copyright. Will creativity suffer? Perhaps, but I don't think creative people can help but be creative (nor will people stop sharing it online). Creativity is not what's at stake; it's the established model of monetizing that creativity that is in jeopardy.

I don't think it's crazy that the internet has changed things. I think it's crazy to not change along with it.