Some notes from an article entitled “Massless Media” in the February, 2005 Atlantic: America is getting “niched”. Back in the very old days of the 50s and early 60s, we suburbanites pretty much watched the same TV shows, bought the same cars, listened to the same music, went to see the same movies, read the same books, had the same kind of furniture, etc. However, in our modern economy, with all of its technology and innovations, the range of consumer choices set before us has greatly expanded. Thus, we’re now encouraged to have differing, individualized tastes. A top marketing guy at McDonalds was quoted as saying that “we’ve had a change from ‘I want to be normal’ to ‘I want to be special’”.

OK then, is Mickey D’s gonna expand its menu as to offer some real choices, like maybe healthy meals made from fresh, local ingredients? There certainly is a niche of people (including myself) who would like to see that. But don’t hold your breath. What the Mickey D guy wants to do is to use advertising to make you feel special; he’s not talking about actually changing the product. And, I suspect, most of the other “specializing” of America is also just a surface phenomenon. Beneath the skin, most people in middle America are still pretty much the same. They all want their SUVs, McMansions and McDonalds, whether or not they can afford the first two.

A few lines later, the author of that article asks, “what is blogging if not a celebration of the self?” Hmmm. I suppose that a lot of blogs are awfully self-indulgent. And even the more though-oriented bloggers (like yours truly) have our “hey look at me” moments. But a lot of blogs are actually oriented toward ideas, same as the article where that quote came from. Even more blogs focus on a specific interest or hobby. So no, I don’t agree that blogging reflects a growing narcissism in America. Bloggers are definitely another “niche market”, but I think we blog mainly to share stuff with others, and not to show off. I think that bloggers contribute to, instead of take away from, the notion of “community” in a digital world.

Oh, one more thing about the February Atlantic (aside from that scary cover and the scary story by Richard Clarke about the future of terrorism in America). There’s a really good fiction story that exemplifies what eternal studentdom is all about (“Lost in the Meritocracy” by Walter Kirn, on page 142). The guy in the story is a brilliant anti-student, but in the end he sees the light. Sort of like a religious conversion. “I no longer cared about advancement. I wanted to lose myself. I wanted to read. I wanted to find out what others thought.” Ah, I love stories with happy endings.