January 30th, 2009

I'm not popular, just popular-curious

Rick Banister
The notion of popularity used to be a hierarchical, fascistic one. Stereotypes were developed and fine-tuned in popular culture and broadcast media. We then absorbed them and the privileged among us went to the mall to buy what we were sold while watching TGIF.

Those fascistic systems rely on random punition to enforce cultural norms. If you didn't have a Stussy shirt you were a loser; if you had one, but didn't skateboard you were a poser. Hecklings came when you least expected, and were most easily avoided by getting a skateboard and a Stussy shirt and spending two to four hours a day learning to kickflip.

Skateboarding and sixth grade power structures are an edge case, however. By-and-large America has become a super power by employing the inverse of a fascistic system. We have the lottery, we have coupons, sweepstakes, Publisher's Clearing House, random acts of kindness, e-cards, candygrams, Amazon wish lists. America is built on conformity by random reward, we never know when we're going to get ours, so we'd better keep our heads down and get that gold star for the day. It's a sort of cultural Stockholm Syndrome. (I first read about this idea in a super old issue of Hermenaut magazine, which is most definitely now-defunct.)

[caption id="attachment_268" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Zeldman Minus Zeldman"]
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So, the last few years have seen technology rapidly increase the democratization of everything. Access to media and deceasing costs of production have caused an increase in the rate of "aristocratic inflation." It's a lot harder to flaunt your privilege when everyone (in the ever-expanding middle class) has a flat screen TV, computers with internet access, cell phones, etc. I read yesterday that private jets are on fire sale since the stock brokers had to give them up.

Now then, if you can leverage this new democratic paradigm of popularity, you can quickly gain influence. Influence has long been the hidden spoil of war. What good is land if not for the cooperation of its inhabitants. As we all become more and more plugged in, more cerebral, war becomes an intellectual battle of influence. Whoever speaks loudest (and with the most valuable message) gets the readership, gets the militia. Ideas can't be shot at and ideology can't be blown up.

Since no one is forcing you to read this or that you now get a choice—unless your government is trying in vain to filter your consumption. This places the burden on the influencer to create quality content, to have the best ideology, to give out random rewards.

It's easier to achieve and maintain popularity, and perhaps that popularity is now more rightful. But wait, if everyone becomes popular, then no one will. We will be Commander in Chief and Private First Class.

Forward this to ten of your friends or no one will post on your wall ever again!
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