For the Culture

I typically start my exploration of a new culture by first getting a sense of the language and general interests associated with the community. For that, I use Twitter Advanced Search, a free tool that allows you to tailor search results on Twitter for specific topics, words, hashtags, people, and dates.

The act of reconciling helps relieve any discrepancy between the beliefs and behaviors of the individual and those of the community in the mind of the individual.

Of course, Coke would say that because it makes sure everything about the brand is steeped in happiness.

We hold specific beliefs that are aligned with our identity and, since we self-identify by certain monikers (family name, title, organization, religion), we are inclined to adopt the worldview that is associated with these categorical labels.

we all fall for something and behave accordingly, not because it’s “true” per se but because it aligns with the story we tell ourselves about the world (ideology) and how we fit into the world (identity); therefore, we act in accordance with it (culture). All we need is for someone to preach the gospel so that we know what to do and how to act.

People aren’t governed by their demography; they are governed by their cultural subscriptions, which are reflected in their tribal memberships.

these trends tell us only “what” people do, whereas slow culture tells us “why” they do it.

the process of meaning making is not linear. We don’t see an ad or read an article, and “just like that,” meaning is made and reworked into our identity, like a bowling ball going down an alley to knock over pins.

Interestingly, the more Patagonia made decisions that would theoretically harm its business (like telling people not to buy more of its products), the bigger its business became. People just kept buying.