Culture Blog

at be+cause, we think a lot about culture as a powerful vehicle and arena for change. It is also something we like to create--from producing the Tibetan Freedom Concerts to starting a clothing line to assisting other culture makers in their efforts to create positive social change. Being part of a lab (our parent company is C3 Lab), we like to innovate and experiment. This blog is where you can see it happen.

11.19.2007

Understanding Young Adults

A recent op-ed piece in the NY Times describes succinctly the social, economic and cultural environment in which young adults in between school and adulthood (financial independence, marriage, children, etc) find themselves. A good read for anyone working with, parenting, or otherwise engaged in the lives of young adults.

posted by erin  # 1:44 PM 1 Comments

11.16.2007

Links between entertainment choices + political leanings?

The Lear Center just published a study that shows the entertainment preferences of conservatives, moderates and liberals in the US. I wish they had studied the undecided...still there is great information to be had. Here are some of my favorites:

* Conservatives hate: reggae, electronic, Latin, punk, and world music. They like gospel + Country.
* Liberals like all music, although rock was the most favorite.
* Liberals go to the movies more than conservatives + moderates.

There are some entertainment choices that bridge the political divide:

House
News-viewing
Football
Th Da Vinci Code
Classical music

posted by erin  # 12:49 PM 0 Comments

DIY to DIT

I read Wired magazine a lot, and I love their section referring to what is tired and what is wired. So, in homage, here is my own:

Tired: Do-it-yourself (DIY)
Wired: Do-it-together (DIT)

I first saw reference to DIT in the DIY craft community, where sewing groups, bitch+stitch groups, etc. are common place. But we're also beginning to see it in other sectors and subcultures. Even marketers are getting on it.Check out this Toyota youth marketing effort:

HEYA is a forum for creative people like you to collaborate with each other and innovate with Toyota. We want to hear your thoughts about what we do; what you think works and what doesn't. And, we want to support your personal projects with financial sponsorships. We hope you'll visit the site and contribute multiple times a week - we want the most active forum possible!

Any HEYA member may start with an idea, seek help from other members of the forum to develop it and then propose the project to Toyota for funding. The project can be an art piece, Web site, community service initiative, invention—just about anything, really.

The question that sums it all up: "What can we do together?"

posted by erin  # 12:16 PM 0 Comments

11.06.2007

Web 2.0 is a misnomer.

The name web 2.0 gives the impression that its strategies are entirely web-based. In reality, web 2.0 is a collaborative communications + community-building strategy that is enhanced by online technologies but exists beyond it. In fact, they work best when they reach us in both our online and real world lives. Nonprofits tend to choose one over the other due, but they cannot afford to much longer.

We're living in a post-Bowling Alone world, which means that community is being formed. It's just that it doesn't look like it used to look.

posted by erin  # 7:07 PM 0 Comments

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