Common ground

Flipping through radio stations tonight I heard a liner on one boasting that they were the place to hear three bands not all that similar stylistically. (The Pet Shop Boys and Poison were named. I don't remember the third.) The only thing the groups have in common is that they shared a home on Top 40 radio in their day. I can't claim to listen to a lot of Contemporary Hits Radio (or whatever the format is called today), but it seems to lack the variety that it had in my formative years. (Isn't that always the case?)

A large part of the reason is because everything these days, especially in radio, is about serving the niche. That's not necessarily a bad thing. We have greater access to the kinds of music and movies we want to hear and see than has ever been possible. We are able to feed our interests better. What could be wrong with that?

For one, the potential lack of diverse opinions among the whole occurs when we can hang out exclusively in our own corners of the culture. Echo chambers replace common ground. With that comes the loss of perspective.

Consider the film festival experience. It is possible for two people to attend the same festival and see little or nothing that overlaps. Obviously their individual impressions of the event may be quite different simply on the basis of no common ground.

For the most part the biggest things in pop culture aren't as big as they used to be. Some songs, films, and television programs continue to span the divides, but they're exceptions to the rule. The most watched TV shows tend to cater to specific audiences. It makes sense. With so many available options, it's easier to appeal to and please narrower audiences than everybody.

One of the few remaining cultural crossovers is sports. Super Bowl XLIII takes place tomorrow, and I suspect most of you will be watching or attending a party where the game is on even if you couldn't care less about football. It's a unifying event unlike most everything else. Pop culture used to provide entertainment like this on a wider scale, so let's make sure to enjoy these moments like when they do come around.

And yes, that holds even if those dastardly Steelers win.