FringeStream is the New Mainstream: what used to be niche is now normal
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Transcript of FringeStream is the New Mainstream: what used to be niche is now normal
INTRODUCING FRINGESTREAM...
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WHAT IS FRINGESTREAM?
The Sound explores the perceived fringes of culture to illuminate how emerging ways of being are shaping mass culture and changing the human condition
FRINGESTREAMis a new way of thinking about mass behaviors and values
FRINGESTREAMis when fragmentation becomes the new normal
FRINGESTREAM IS THE NEW MAINSTREAM.
MASS CULTURE
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In the pre-‐digital and pre-‐globalized world, mass culture dominated with fringe cultures existing only on the, er, fringes...often in direct opposition to mainstream values and behaviors.
The boundaries between fringe and mass culture were highly de?ined.
WHAT MAINSTREAM USED TO BE...
MAINSTREAM CULTURE USED TO REPRESENT THE MAJORITY STORY...
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FRINGE
FRINGE
FRINGE
FRINGE
FRINGE
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WHAT MAINSTREAM USED TO BE...
MAINSTREAM CULTURE USED TO BE A HOMOGENEOUS COLLECTIVE, CONTROLLED BY INSTITUTIONS
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“Most Americans have become conformists...in the pursuit of short-term happiness and grati9ication.”
Caleb JacoboNation of Change, December 2012
HEAVILY MEDIATED
CONFORMIST
UNINSPIREDHOMOGENEOUS
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Living in a globalized and digital age, mass culture is now heavily in?luenced and shaped by fringe behaviors and ways of being
...where the boundaries between fringe and mass culture are beginning to blur.
MASS CULTURE
WHAT MAINSTREAM IS NOW...
NOW, THINGS HAVE CHANGED...
FRINGE
FRINGE
FRINGE
FRINGE
FRINGE
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WHAT MAINSTREAM IS NOW...
NOW, FRINGESTREAM IS THE NEW MAINSTREAM...
“Power is shifting from big, centralized institutions to distributed networks of individuals and communities.”Rachel Botsman, Author of What’s Mine is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live
INFORMED CONSCIOUS
COMPASSIONATEDIVERSE
MEANS MOTIVATION
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FringeStream emerged as a result of people having the means and the motivation to live differently.
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AN INFORMED MASS CULTURE
Fringe cultures (and brands) used to be niche because of limited awareness. If more people knew about them, they’d be considerably more popular.
With the tech revolution and rise in social mobility, fringe ways of life have the ability to reach and in@luence mass audiences almost instantly.
FRINGESTREAM IS HAPPENING BECAUSE IT FINALLY CAN
“Uber has brought its service, on average, to a new city every two days.”
The Globe and Mail, 2014
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It doesn’t take long for smaller, more localized movements to spread virally and become culturally relevant...
So what used to be niche is now normal, and tipping points are reached ever more quickly. Everyone can browse fringe behaviors and cultures without leaving the sofa. And people like what they see...
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A DIVERSE MASS CULTURE
Not only do fringe movements travel fast, but they travel far...
The technology revolution has resulted in a cross pollination of ideas and practices, making it easier for people living alternative lifestyles to @ind each other and establish communities.
FRINGESTREAM IS HAPPENING BECAUSE IT FINALLY CAN
“Like countless other outsiders who found each other online, Bronies sought each other out and created places to congregate. Now they’re everywhere: Fan blogs, Tumblr, Ponychan, even the United States military.”
Wired, March 11th, 2014
New behaviors are then legitimized and popularized through global media...
Which results in a profoundly diverse majority...making it more dif@icult to distinguish between ‘mass culture’ and ‘counter culture’ (counter to what, really?)
http://www.amylombard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/[email protected]
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A CONSCIOUS MASS CULTURE
People are increasingly informed and aligned around issues relating to sustainability, community, and equality.
People know that life is far from perfect and that the system is no longer working for the majority. They feel the human spirit is suffering.
FRINGESTREAM EXISTS BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY
“Millions of people the world over are part of The New Mainstream. It is de9ined neither by generation, by politico credo, nor by religious creed. The New Mainstream is de9ined by recognition that we are in a time of awakening to a new mindset, an expanded worldview and yes, a higher-level consciousness for humanity.”
Dianne Collins, The Huffington Post, 2014
As such, people are......asking more questions...challenging the status quo...looking to live in different ways
The more conscious the mass becomes, the more motivated people become to change.
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A COMPASSIONATE MASS CULTURE
The desire to change is not driven by punk ethos.
The desire to change is not driven by a need to rebel.
The desire to change is not driven by a relentless need to be ‘happy.’
FRINGESTREAM EXISTS BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY
“A younger generation is fast extending its empathic embrace beyond religious af9iliations and national identi9ication to include the whole of humanity and the vast project of life that envelops the Earth.”
Jeremy Riftkin, Author of The Empathic Civilization, Huffington Post, March 18th, 2010
It’s driven by empathy.
It’s driven by contribution.
It’s driven by a need to reconnect to what makes us human.
The more compassionate the mass becomes, the weaker the @it of capitalism.
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LIVI
NG O
FF THE GRID
Making the conscious choice to not be dependent on technological, social, political & economic systems
CONNECTION TO FREEDOM
Making a conscious effort to consume fewer things and own more experiences
CONNECTION TO OWNERSHIP
Appreciating diverse family dynamics and forms of relationship
CONNECTION TO LOVE
Communing & empathizing with other human beings in authentic &
meaningful ways
CONNECTION TO OTHERS
Finding personal & spiritual guidance outside of organized religion or
traditional channels
CONNECTION TO SELF
LE
SS IS M
OR
E N
EW SPIRITUA
LITY
5 FRINGETRENDS... LIVING FRINGESTREAM
FALLOUT FAMILIES
POSITIVE CO
LLECTIV
ISM
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MAKING THE CONSCIOUS CHOICE TO BE LESS DEPENDENT ON TECHNOLOGICAL, SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND ECONOMIC SYSTEMS
LIVING FRINGESTREAM
LIVING OFF THE GRID
THE CONTEXT
Lack of trust in governmentEconomic recessionTime-‐starved families
Over-‐reliance on technologyOver-‐consumption of goods
& resources
THE ALTERNATIVE
Live a simpler lifeBe more self-‐suf@icient
Use tech wiselyRe-‐connect with nature
CONNECTION TO FREEDOM
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MAKING THE CONSCIOUS CHOICE TO BE LESS DEPENDENT ON TECHNOLOGICAL, SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND ECONOMIC SYSTEMS
LIVING OFF THE GRID
"We are both artists and wanted to live in nature as we are
inspired by it. We decided that we wanted to 9loat and one can live in nature and not interfere
with it by 9loating."
Catherine King, Co-builder of Freedom Cove, a self-sustaining
island
“Designed to promote a healthier
balance between our real lives and those lived through the small screens of our digital
devices, Moment tracks how much you use your phone each day, helps you create daily limits on that usage,
and offers ‘occasional nudges’ when you’re approaching those
limits.”
TechCrunch, June 2014
CONNECTION TO FREEDOM
LIVING FRINGESTREAM
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COMMUNING AND EMPATHIZING WITH OTHER HUMAN BEINGS IN AUTHENTIC AND MEANINGFUL WAYS
POSITIVE COLLECTIVISM
THE CONTEXT
Rapid urbanizationPhysical disconnectionViolence in mediaTime starvation
THE ALTERNATIVE
Know thy neighbor Meet-‐ups
CrowdfundingShare economy
CONNECTION TO OTHERS
LIVING FRINGESTREAM
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COMMUNING AND EMPATHIZING WITH OTHER HUMAN BEINGS IN AUTHENTIC AND MEANINGFUL WAYS
POSITIVE COLLECTIVISM
CONNECTION TO OTHERS
LIVING FRINGESTREAM
“Started in New York City in 2004, Cuddle Party
currently has over 70 different facilitators in eight different
countries. “
The Huffington Post, November 26th, 2014
“We are hopping into strangers’ cars (Lyft, Sidecar, Uber),
welcoming them into our spare rooms (Airbnb), dropping our dogs off at their houses (DogVacay, Rover), and eating food in their dining rooms (Feastly). We are entrusting complete strangers with our most valuable
possessions, our personal experiences—and our very lives. In the process, we are entering a new era of Internet-enabled
intimacy.”
Wired, April 23rd, 2014
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FINDING PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE OUTSIDE OF ORGANIZED RELIGION OR TRADITIONAL CHANNELS
NEW SPIRITUALITY
CONNECTION TO SELF
LIVING FRINGESTREAM
THE CONTEXT
Lack of work-‐life balanceConsumerist culture
Religious corruption and violence
Secular society
THE ALTERNATIVE
Health & wellnessMindfulness
New drug cultureAtheism
Smaller spiritual communities
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FINDING PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE OUTSIDE OF ORGANIZED RELIGION OR TRADITIONAL CHANNELS
NEW SPIRITUALITY
CONNECTION TO SELF
LIVING FRINGESTREAM
"Whereas, only a few decades ago, the
ayahuasca experience required that a lone traveller make his or her way to the forests of South
America, now notions of local and global spaces converge as shamans and tourists travel throughout the world to perform and participate in a diversity
of ayahuasca ceremonies.”
Dr. Daniela Peluso, Social Anthropologist
“More than 90 schools in 13 states now teach meditation, thanks in part to nonpro9it
organizations like MindUP (founded by actress Goldie Hawn), the David Lynch Foundation, and Mindful Schools, a Bay Area-based initiative that offers teacher training and structured curricula for kindergarten through high school.“
Outside Online, April 17th, 2015
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APPRECIATING DIVERSE AND ALTERNATIVE FAMILY DYNAMICS AND FORMS OF RELATIONSHIP
FALLOUT FAMILIESLIVING FRINGESTREAM
CONNECTION TO LOVE
THE CONTEXT
Cost of livingDiscrimination
High divorce ratesExtended adolescenceShifting gender roles Geographic mobility
THE ALTERNATIVE
Communal livingMulti-‐generational families
Alternative familiesDINKs
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APPRECIATING DIVERSE AND ALTERNATIVE FAMILY DYNAMICS AND FORMS OF RELATIONSHIP
FALLOUT FAMILIESLIVING FRINGESTREAM
CONNECTION TO LOVE
“In the US 18% of women now reach their mid-40s without having a
child, an increase of 80% from four decades ago.“
The Guardian, April 8th, 2015
“The Tipton-Tatz quad live together in
Marietta, Georgia, with the Tipton’s 3 children -- ages 12, 7, and 5 -- and the Tatz’s infant son. The children are raised to call all the adults Mom and Dad and the adults share childcare duties for all 4 children.”
CNN, October 26th 2013
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MAKING A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO CONSUME FEWER THINGS AND OWN MORE EXPERIENCES
LESS IN MORELIVING FRINGESTREAM
THE CONTEXT
Hyper-‐consumerismEconomic recession & @inancial system collapse Environmental degradation
Global hunger
THE ALTERNATIVE
Share economyDe-‐growth economicsDown-‐sized livingMakers’ movement
CONNECTION TO OWNERSHIP
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MAKING A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO CONSUME FEWER THINGS AND OWN MORE EXPERIENCES
LESS IN MORELIVING FRINGESTREAM
CONNECTION TO OWNERSHIP
“Freeganism is a total boycott of an economic system... instead of avoiding the purchase of products from one bad company only to support another, we avoid buying anything to the greatest
degree we are able.”
freegan.info
“The tiny housing market has quickly
evolved from a quirky project to a serious undertaking. As more and more tiny homeowners share details on their comfortable lives in their tiny homes, many people -- particularly Millennials -- are
following suit.”
The Huffington Post, March 17th, 2015
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A BRAND NEW WORLD‣With FringeStream there is no normal, no majority story...
‣ Study, work, vote, have kids, get in debt, retire, die...following the rules of previous generations has never looked so unappealing
‣ The FringeStream wants to live life on their own terms, and they have the means and motivation to do so
‣ Brands therefore need to re-‐think their role...
-‐ Marketing and branding to FringeStream will be fundamentally different
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GROWTH IS UNSUSTAINABLE ‣ Ownership, growth, and consumption are being challenged and rede?ined by FringeStream
‣ Upgrading and buying the latest and greatest version may well become minority pursuits
‣ Some brands will need to re-‐think the very nature of transaction and by association, their business model
-‐ If there is a free option, FringeStream will ?ind it
-‐ If there is a means to lease or share, FringeStream will adopt it
-‐ If there is a sustainable option, FringeStream will support it
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MAKE A DIFFERENCE‣ FringeStream is empathetic and inclusive...and brands need to be too
‣ Social cause-‐led brands and marketing activity are increasingly well received
-‐ A key differentiator and driver of loyalty
‣ Your brand needs something to believe in...and don’t fake it, or they’ll spot it
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GET REAL
‣ FringeStream represents a new human condition
‣ People are seeking more community, more time with people they love, greater connection with nature, answers to big questions, a healthier life...
‣ Brands can help facilitate this, but be careful not to overstep the mark
-‐ FringeStream is not just brand savvy but brand skeptical; emotional selling points and big ideas are only welcome if they are respectful and realistic
INNOVATE AGAINST THE FRINGETRENDS
‣ FringeStream is made up of a myriad of emerging communities and behaviors...we call them FringeTrends
‣ Each FringeTrend represents an innovation opportunity for brands
-‐ A niche is often only a niche because of awareness...
Immerse in The Sound’s FringeTrends by subscribing to and reading The Sound’s FringeStream series, bringing to life each of the trends from July to December 2015...and employ them in your innovation process.
Watch out for FringeStream, the documentary series. Coming soon!
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THANK YOU For more information on FringeStream contact [email protected]
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