One Nation Under Narrative, Divisible by Paid Professionals
America's media landscape has gone evil. Audiences have been professionally balkanized, separated into niche markets to make way for media companies seeking to cater to global audiences. The push to internationalize content is what inspired carving out divisions within the homegrown American audience, pushing all Americans into distinct and insular corners.
At the outset, this strategy may have appeared logical. Dividing the audience into micro markets allowed media companies to target content and advertising more effectively. However, the far-reaching implications of this business model have begun to take a toll on the very fabric of our culture.
The creation of these niche markets may have been seen initially as a smart business move, but it has since been manipulated to the detriment of American unity. Foreign adversaries have recognized the opportunity to exploit these fractures, leveraging the division to sow discord within our society and weaken our national cultural cohesion.
Nowhere is this more visible than in the rise of 'pay for what you want to see' entertainment startups catering to conservative audiences. Subscribers fund original content, reflecting their ideological leanings. This may seem like an ideal scenario for those who feel their perspectives are underrepresented in mainstream media. However, it raises a critical issue.
This model places undue pressure on consumers, turning a pursuit of leisure into a charged act of political and cultural patronage. Viewers no longer simply seek entertainment, they are called to actively support ideologically-aligned content, thus exacerbating the cultural divide. Entertainment, once a universal language transcending political beliefs, risks becoming a permanent battleground of division.
Let's consider the consequences of this strategy with a few examples.
Take the example of a major streaming service promoting a documentary on climate change. On the surface, this seems like a win for environmental activists. However, the algorithm simultaneously promotes a counter-documentary to another viewer who has shown interest in climate change skepticism. In theory, this serves the preferences of both users, but in reality, it inflates an echo chamber that widens the chasm between the two groups.
Another example is found in the array of partisan cable news personas and channels. Originally aiming to provide varying perspectives, these outlets have increasingly found themselves in a feedback loop, pushing content that resonates with their audience's existing beliefs but also amplifying it in the most partisan way possible. These channels have cemented ideological divisions and fueled partisanship as part of their core business model.
This media landscape has erected an unstable house of cards, balanced precariously on ideological fault lines. The balkanization of audiences and the uneven catering to niche markets favored by politicians has led to a media landscape where affirmation of one's beliefs is the engine of profit over the challenge or expansion of one's perspectives as the engine of compromise and cohesion.
We need to acknowledge the situation the media got us all in – the more it segments and tailors its content to fractured audiences, the more it fuels division. As consumers, we must demand a reversal of this course, calling for content that reflects shared experiences and unity over division along tribal lines and trivial human oddities.
And how do we do this? By emphasizing the need for content that is universally appealing and high in quality by creating it ourselves through indie art and storytelling. Regardless of political beliefs, we all enjoy a good story, well told.
By creating culture we can begin to replace this mirage with a solid foundation – one built on shared experience of conflict, rather than division and discord used as conflict.
It all starts with a return to the basics: create a damn good show! Quality, engaging content resonates universally, regardless of political or cultural divides. Incorporate conservative perspectives by letting them enhance the story, not be its sole determinant and we will win more and more of the audience to a mindset of unity that empowers We the People to take back our story, which is ours and not the corporate medias.
It is possible and will be profitable to influence culture without deepening the fractures. By prioritizing (and funding) the indie production of great content, we can begin to unite audiences under the banner of shared stories and experiences. In doing so, we can start healing the divisions and regain the power to shape our own culture, rather than allowing it to be manipulated from outside our borders.
