#06 Reframing Narratives, Societal Change & Pride
This is the first time the newsletter comes out on a Friday - choosing Tuesdays at midday for the regular schedule was a bit of a random decision, so would be great to know what you’d prefer.
Last week I went to see three completely different exhibitions all housed under the same roof at the Tate Modern. Olafur Eliasson (who features on the Netflix show Abstract), Nam June Paik (the pioneer of new media art) and Kara Walker (who produced a massive monument on the origins of the African diaspora inspired by the memorial in front of Buckingham Palace). All incredible in their own way, so check them out if you can.
⚡️Fast culture (something popular/trendy this week)
Everyone was talking about Emma Watson this week because in an interview with British Vogue she declared “I’m very happy being single. I call it being self-partnered”. Some people praised it and some others ridiculed, but whatever your take on it, the new term reminded me of a series of tweets that I’ve been seeing lately.
Even though these are light and funny takes of situations we all experience (as being single), we can reframe them to apply a different meaning.
What’s driving it?: A desire to rewrite our narratives in a way that better reflects our intentions, approach to life, or makes us more interesting.
🌎Slow culture (change in behaviours or values in society)
The General Social Survey runs every two years and asks Americans about their views on topics like equal marriage, reproductive rights, drugs, etc. They just released their latest results and found that even though public opinion has grown more liberal, this is not driven by a change of heart in people’s beliefs, but as a result of generational replacement. Conclusion (and therefore why is important to distinguish between fast and slow culture): societies change their minds faster than people do
Graph from The Economist
It’s really interesting to go through their data and look at age responses. No wonder these tensions are manifesting in a war between generations.
How is this useful?: the GSS is the single best source for sociological and attitudinal trend data covering the United States since 1972 (it’s the second most cited social science dataset in the US, only after the Census).
🖌Unusual pattern (two unrelated things coming together)
Found this short feature documentary exploring the story of Edie, a transgender anti-LGBTQ activist and member of the alt-right. She went from being liberal and voting for Obama, to supporting Trump and defining herself as a white nationalist.
“When people subconsciously register you as female, you finally feel included in the heteronormative world. I was developing an appreciation for tradition, for American culture, for things I used to despise. My politics started to change. In 2016 when Black Lives Matter came out saying that even if you are on the left, you’re still a racist because of institutional racism, I woke up and I was like - I’m now the enemy I’m supposedly fighting against. I was very ashamed, I was a liberal, I thought I was going to vote Hillary Clinton, how could anyone vote for Trump? But I just don’t want Hillary. I want America first. I want to keep tradition in America alive. So I voted for Trump but kept it very private. I started telling people “I’m a Republican, but I didn’t vote for Trump, cause I’m not that stupid”. But then Trump did the executive order with the travel ban, and I was like YES! cause this is one of the reasons why I voted for him.”
So much to unpack here on the role of emotions when making choices. Really recommend watching the documentary (produced by research agency Further&Further)
🎯Cultural insight (the insight from culture behind an advert)
Let me continue on the LGBT theme and share one last ad before we all jump into the Christmas craziness. This is by Santo Buenos Aires for Sprite in the context of the Pride parade in Argentina last weekend. For as long as I can remember, Sprite has celebrated people who love themselves and who are willing to go against the current to live their best life, and this last ad keeps delivering on that premise. Even though Argentina was the first country in Latin America to legalise same-sex marriage back in 2010, the LGBT community continues to face discrimination and violence.
Thousands shared it and felt seen by it (the music and casting are also beautiful).
The insight uncovers a new way of looking at pride - what we feel when someone we love chooses to be free, supporting the brand’s point of view. The ad highlights empathy, support and understanding towards LGBT people in a moment where ideological division is heightened and core values like freedom and love become anchors for identity. But it also shows how parents, friends and grandparents can support LGBT people, extending the focus beyond this community to every part of society and increasing its cultural relevancy and impact. One of those tv ads to remember.
🕶 Bonus track
TikTok of the week: Teens are coming to the realisation that TikTok is owned by a Chinese company that is advancing Chinese foreign policy aims abroad through the app. We can’t even comprehend what and how much we are willing to give away for fun short videos, but for now, they are convinced therapy is more expensive.
Extra links:
Mandatory download: WeAreSocial Think Forward and Crowd DNA Cultural Trends with Twitter
The YouTube celebrity/influencer ecosystem in 2019 is mad - this collaboration proves it.
People don’t trust banks - so naming new financial services by human first names seems to be a new trend in the industry
Exciting artists like Rosalia, Lil Nas X and Tyler, The Creator can’t be placed in any genre category - this is a great article by Vice explaining how genres have collapsed
Incredible video by Nerdwriter1 (as per usual) analysing meaning and communication on Succession
Anyone fancying a posh advent calendar has found their fix with this Tiffany’s limited edition
GroupM to Advertisers: the next new thing may be outdoor, radio and print.
Thanks so much for reading, and if you want to share any thoughts on this week’s edition, just hit reply to this email and I’ll get back to you, or connect with me on Twitter.
Flo
Cultural Patterns is a newsletter by Florencia Lujani about cultural insight, creativity and strategy. If you’ve enjoyed it, consider subscribing :)