The Perception Lag: Why Media, Like Capital and Artificial Intelligence, Compounds Before It Pays

Most professionals abandon media too early—not because it fails, but because they misunderstand how authority and perception compound. This paper introduces the concept of the perception lag: the predictable delay between investing in visibility, narrative, and AI-indexed presence, and the emergence of trust, pricing power, and long-term advantage. Media, like capital and artificial intelligence, does not pay immediately—but it compounds for those who understand the system.