No More Edge
Posted on July 7, 2006
Filed Under Insights |
One of the fascinations of IPTV is the way that what appear to be minority interests - like Indian television in America - come into the mainstream.
I mention it because a couple of days back when I was talking with Gary Murray of Ooh TV, it struck me that edginess is everywhere. We’re not just headed for a Long Tail but for the fracturing of dominant cultures, inside and outside the enterprise. Concepts of “minority”, and “the edge”, are set to disappear.
I know, I know in India, Indian culture is not a minority. That’s not the point I’m trying to make, though. In the USA it certainly is but now it has the capacity to be as visible as middle America, Wisteria Lane, etc.
It is important because we have always lived in societies where a dominant culture has had almost exclusive access to the means of retaining its cultural dominance.
Equally with what we used to call edgy culture, innovation, change merchants.
These were formerly barely visible except to the niche that sought them out. Of course on occasion they broke into the mass market but not without huge compromises (think Beatles!).
When Gary started to talk to me about Brazilian underworld culture I though, great, but then it’s as likely Ooh wil be featuring New Orleans sub-cultures and those of Delhi or Dublin.
In other words, the world’s edge comes to town and is like any other cultural offering.
The demands of the cutting edge, or anarchic creativity, are coming to the mainstream and I’m curious to see its impact.
Take the same point into the workplace. Will companies, Government departments or any organisation retain the power to determine an organisational culture? I think it’s unlikely but what are the consequences?
Organisations will be confronted with their own subversive cultures, won’t be able to marginalise them and will have to find ways to reflect their own internal diversity.
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