29. Mass versus Niche

Niche communities, identities and communication channels—they are a sign of the great diversity of interests, views and cultural groups in our society… but they can also be a sign of fragmentation. In a world that’s brimming with super-specific feeds, tailored content and targeted advertising, could some mass media actually offer a better way of engaging with major global issues and movements, such as #BlackLivesMatter? I (a white person) try to consider and discuss this respectfully.

Notes

• Taffel, S., 2015, ‘Anti-Social | Asocial | Associated: Mapping the Social in Social Media’, in Global Media Journal: Australian Edition, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 1–9.
• Dithering episode from 8 June, ‘All the News That’s Fit to Print’
• Learn more about and subscribe to Stratechery + Dithering podcasts (not a paid endorsement).
• Occupation: Native on SBS on Demand (NITV)
• The Australian Dream on ABC iView
• Featured image and chapter artwork sources: Pexels