Work inspired by a certain world view

I was recently chatting with a friend about the impact our media consumption can have on our worldview. How it can change how we approach shared culture; whether we're fundamentally hopeful or cynical, etc. In the simplest form - consider the difference in perspective (not opinion) between someone who consumes (exclusively) Rush Limbaugh and the National Review vs. the Daily Show and Headline News vs. the New York Times and NPR. From those extreme vantages, the world is a vastly different place.

I mention it here because I found myself preaching the gospel of Alan Wolk's NASCAR Blindness today and started to think about how many of my professional blind spots and unusual assumptions are directly related to the media I consume - to the selective culture that builds my worldview.

The big question: For people in our industry, is it responsible to let our personal choice drive our media choice? Or do we owe it to our clients to intentionally, daily go broader.

Top 10 Media / Cultural Connections that shape my personal view:

1. NPR news
2. New York Times - particulary the magazine
3. Contemporary fiction - particularly Irving, Cunningham, DFW and Palahniuk
4. Local art - particulary CCAD, Comfest and Available Light Theater
5. This American Life
6. Ted
7. The Moth
8. Blogs - particicularly Element 22, Quipsologies, News from the Herd and The Social Path
9. Bravo
10. The Daily Show

How that list would change if I wanted my work to reflect a more diverse experience:

1. Network news
2. Chicago Tribune
3. Womens magazines - particularly Oprah, Rachael Ray and Redbook
4. Pop culture - particularly American Idol, contemporary music and the WB
5. Sports Center
6. 20/20
7. Popular fiction - Picoult, Gilbert and Lamb
8. Blogs - particularly especially the Huffington Post, Boing Boing, Perez Hilton
9. Bravo
   
10. The Daily Show
    

Hmmm. Where to go from here?

Comments

[callie lipkin]

love it - this is why i am married to my husband. between the two of us we cover both lists - almost no overlaps - then we recap for one another. i have tried changing what i like to look/listen/read with zero success. i guess two heads are better than one, right?

[Grace]

This is so true. I think it is really important to try to gain information from all media outlets. One of my professors told me once that the best thing you can do is try to understand things from a person's point of view that is polar oppisite of yours. You do not have to agree with it, but its incredibly imoportant to at least understand where they come from. Just becuase a client of yours has a different opinion about a topic than you does not mean you shouldn't understand where they are coming from...in fact the opposite is true, if you can get yourself to be open to at least learning about everything from both sides of the arguement you will be a much smarter, well-rounded individual...and a bit of a know-it-all, but in a good way =)

[golublog]

It's interesting to think how much ones thinking is affected by ones media consumption. As a New Yorker, I have such a skewed perception of what other people read, watch and think because my interests are often so localized.

[Mike Brown]

Thanks for this. Something I need to think about too, as I often over-urbanize in my work zone. Actually, having an 8-year-old nephew addicted to NASCAR has been very eye opening to me, especially as I watch how brand loyal these fans are in shopping and politics. One hard blind that I don't plan to break is my on-going refusal to listen to WTVN or any right wing talk radio... listening to that skews everything, there is no north star for these folks, only anger. While I understand there is a market for this, I just don't want to play in their forum.

[Dirk Singer]

Hello Leigh, an interesting post and I agree completely (and thank you so much for the blog mention - coming from you, praise indeed)

I actually sent the makers of the Mr Tweet Twitter recommendation service a mail the other day, suggesting they introduce a feature where I can follow people NOT like me.

As yet they haven't replied!

[Andy Webb]

I'm not sure how much List II is a shift from List I. Why not get open minded and delve into conservative media, for example. If you're repulsed, so what? You've stretched your mind, which I believe was the point of your post.

Andy Webb

[elijahP]

I think we owe it to ourselves as people first and consumers first to self-select our environment based on whatever criteria we choose. Then, as marketers, we should go window shopping in the great public mall of media influencers. One thing I've found is that distinct cultural and political outlets, especially on the web, are in fact closed tribes. One can lurk, but can't participate. Just try posting on a site like Redstate or contributing to a thread on a NASCAR loyalist site.

I think it's interesting that you think the three situations you mentioned in your post (Rush-NPR, NYT-NPR, etc.) you consider vastly different. I agree that in my universe, they are diverse, but in the big picture, I think you're talking about people within the 40 yard lines (sorry-football analogy). Check out Al-Jazeera, survivalists, uber-ecologists. And then beyond. Do you think we're sub-dividing ourselves so narrowly that we're defeating the purpose of a flattened world?

N-e-e-d-m-o-r-e-c-o-f-f-e-e