product strategy at New_Public; previously community & growth @ Geneva
As we are fed more content, we are pushed deeper into algorithmic niches. In return, we are encouraged to engage with more extreme and polarizing identifiers because it is more labelable, more indexable by the machine — the creation of the “Island". On this island, the slang, in-jokes, and archetypes which emerge as a community develops in... See more
Through data we collected in 2024, we found that most people in the U.S. had little sense of belonging in their community. Most don't feel accepted or "fit in" with others in the places they live, and this non-belonging crisis is leading to less involvement in community events and activities.
Before the Watergate era, many journalists did not have college degrees. They were just smart people who knew how to get information. They were naturals at talking to people. And they knew enough about how things worked to recognize news.