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SELECTED ITEMS OF INTEREST TO THE MEDIA COMMUNITY
“Community” comes at a price
May 20, 2023
As affiliation with religious institutions and availability of other accessible, affordable gathering places has declined, inaccessible and expensive activities have increasingly become the basis for community. That trend is also evident where media and news products attempt to engage their readers and users by creating "community" around their stories and content, with the most engaged communities built around niche products and special interests.
In an interview with Vox, an academic says the "privatization of community" has led to a dramatic divide in the social connectedness of the rich and the isolation of the poor. Other findings by Harvard Kennedy School Fellow Sam Pressler include:
- During the past 50 years, the proportion of families living in poor or affluent neighborhoods doubled, while the proportion living in middle-income neighborhoods declined by more than one-third.
- In affluent neighborhoods of well-educated people with disposable income, an abundance of "pay-to-play" activities such as SoulCycle, pottery studios, and pricey cafés and bars offer the promise of community -- for a price.
- There has been a concurrent dramatic decline in availability of free or low-cost accessible spaces and institutions in poor neighborhoods. Even team sports in school have moved from being free to often requiring fees, which in many cases are beyond the means of parents.
Pressler also suggests that having large groups of people disconnected from community may also be a contributing factor in a rise of authoritarianism.
Go here to read the complete Vox interview.
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