The way we share our words & ideas has changed.
It’s no secret that the internet has changed how we do everything. We now have the ability to connect with people who are interested in the same things we are with ease, but not only that, we are also able to have in-depth conversations and build real connections with people through our genuine mutual interests.
Because we are now connecting through these interests, we as consumers of these platforms are more powerful. No longer do we have to get all of the information that is relevant to use through the media, we’re now connected through separate cultures that can be approached in different ways.
The platforms we use, the websites we visit and television shows we watch are all contributing to us being more interconnected within the culture, as I’ll cover in this article.
Velocity Viacom is a full-service integrated marketing and creative content team within Viacom’s music and entertainment groups.
Everything I will cover in this article has come from their research, methodologies and hard work of keeping their finger on the pulse of culture!
I felt strongly about sharing this amazing approach with you because it makes a lot of sense in how the modern world works…
The Culture of Proximity
Tim Urban who is an Illustrator & co-founder of “Wait But Why” is featured in a YouTube video explaining what Viacom Velocity refers to as “The Culture of Proximity”.
The Culture of Proximity is based on 4 distinct cultures that now exist within society, but they are all connected to each other and impact one another in huge ways that I will demonstrate.
Close Culture
The first culture that this theory is based on is called Close Culture.
Close Culture consists of the people around us like friends & family. These smaller communities of people talk to each other because they are either close in physical space or in a close relationship.
Mass Culture
The second level of culture is mass culture, things that we all are aware of & see from people and publications that have a large reach.
Mass culture consists of things like celebrities, newspapers & the big media outlets that we are all familiar with. This is called mass culture because it is obviously the “big gorilla” in the room and what many people would argue is the only thing that impacts the conversations we have and what we get to actually see.
It used to be normal for mass culture to be the only influence on people and their thoughts, but these new cultures have decentralized how information gets to people.
Crowd Culture
The third level is crowd culture.
The idea that people who are within “close culture” can talk to each other individually is known as crowd culture. Crowd culture typically happens when someone in one group has a unique interest that other people in the group don’t have, creating another layer of connection & culture.
Deep Cultures
Last but not least is “deep culture”.
Let’s say you’re a huge fan of cocktails, so you decide to create a cocktail club on Instagram that features recipes, new cocktails, cocktail secrets & whatever else your heart desires.
This new group of people you are bringing together also create another group, which is referred to as deep culture.
The Culture of Proximity
When these concepts are brought together, they’re referred to as The Culture of Proximity.
This is an important theory because it examines the way that ideas spread within culture today. As the internet continues to change every day, it’s important to think about how these changes are impacting how people interact with and find new ideas.
Hold up! real quick…
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