Author: Garth Beyer

The Big Sort

Garth Beyer

William McGuire, developer of the Model of Persuasion, says people who are exposed to information that they want to pay attention to, want to comprehend, want to accept, and want to retain, then take action on that exposure. What the model fails to represent is the looping effect; that people then act on finding more information that corresponds with their beliefs. This is the method used by political candidates. Could “actions” also consist of surrounding oneself with other likeminded people, other people who vote the same? Bill Bishop would say yes.

Bishop says that despite how diverse and polarized America has become, the places we live are crowded with people who live, think, and most importantly vote like we do. He goes on to say how the second half of the twentieth century brought social specialization, the displacement of mass culture by media, organizations, and associations that were both segmented and more homogenous. Combine this with historical efforts of gerrymandering, it’s no wonder people live in communities where others have similar views – especially on politics, the hottest button of all beliefs.

The largest turn of trends comes post-materialism. There are two parts to this which Bishop covers. The first is that materialism is viewed as a value-system. Given the industrial revolution and consumerist society, people no longer have to worry as much about survival. As a result, attention is turned toward post-materialistic movements (civic political ideas). The second part of post-materialism is the idea that “every economic order grows to a state of maximum efficiency, while simultaneously developing internal contradictions and weaknesses that contribute to its systemic decay.”

In the end, Bishop notes that, “homogeneity may be a perk of the unprecedented choice our society offers – but it also breeds economic inequality, cultural misunderstanding, political extremism, and legislative gridlock.” Arguing for the middle ground in politics is like trying to write a completely objective article; it’s been pursued but never accomplished. Dare I suggest that Bishop is taking a similar outlook on The Big Sort as does the news on any topic: negative. I believe there is a route that Bishop could take that could exploit The Big Sort in a way that it benefits, not only the community, but the entire nation – despite polarization, despite the changing/declining economy, despite the inequality.

Americans are prone to move forward and construct lifestyles – as well as political realms – that work off their polarizing beliefs. While I’m no economist, I think Bishop copped out. There are two routes of further research and foresight he could make to support (or counter) his theory of The Big Sort. First, if The Big Sort is making a large enough impact as he states, then why not seek ways that America can leverage it? Secondly, if The Big Sort is leading to such turmoil, then what’s next? Sure, Bishop does a brilliant job of explaining The Big Sort, supporting it with endless research, but if I held the cure to cancer, just holding it doesn’t do much good.

Let It Come To You (NOT)

Garth Beyer

When you want something, you have to go get it. Simple.

When you’re going to get it, you’re also going to hit a lot of roadblocks depending on how worth what you’re chasing is.

After that, you’re going to get suggestions to stop chasing it and let it come to you.

The advice is to stand still. That patience is a virtue.

What they are really saying is that you should keep chasing it, keep searching, but on your journey, don’t expect anything. No one means to tell you to stop moving, to stop doing, to remain immobile. No. People are better than that.

 

Stay Positive & Keep Searching, Just Stop Expecting

Garth E. Beyer

When To Talk About Your Work

Garth Beyer

Running it by someone who might not understand is waste of your time.

Sure, you may get some variant input, but no serious support.

Instead, follow the motto: run with it and review.

Talk about your work after it’s shipped, not while you’re working, not while you’re creating, not while you can be manipulated by poor forms of criticism.

“Talk about what you have written, by all means, but do not read from it while the work is in progress. Every gratification procured in this way will slacken your tempo. If this regime is followed, the growing desire to communicate will become in the end a motor for completion.” Walter Benjamin, One-Way Street

 

Stay Positive & Until It’s Shipped, Follow The First Rule Of Fight Club

Garth E. Beyer

Breaking The Long Tail Into Phases

Garth Beyer

Phase 1: It’s a common misconception that books, movies, music, etc., just make it to the top 10, to the best sellers, to the “most popular” categories – one day you don’t see them there, the next day you do. It’s magic. Phase one of the Long Tail is making whatever you make, big: big audience, big profit, and big exposure. 50 Shades is a prime example, it is average price and a bestseller.

For the mass, one day it just showed up and they had to have it.

Phase 2: This is when a slight price reduction takes place. Most commonly found in the form of a sale, a discount, a sweepstake or giveaway. Phase two of the Long Tail is making it (perhaps 50 Shades of Gray) slightly more available. The goal is to reach an even larger audience that without the price reduction would have never been reached.

Phase 3: While phase two slightly expands the range of those who would purchase the product; phase three involves an even larger price drop. By now the production costs have been paid, the creator has profited, and the goal is to reach as many people as possible while still making profit – small profit, but profit nevertheless.

Phase 4: By now, one can cut production completely and put the product online for instant download in multiple formats. The last phase is to offer the work for free, to reach everyone (at least with internet access). The goal is to catch even more eyes on the work you have shipped while you are producing new work that starts back at phase one.

This is the progressive and profiting idea of the Long Tail that most people see.

The problem with cutting the Long Tail into phases, though, is the sociological impacts that are created as a result. At each phase, you make those who participated in the phase before it more uncomfortable. “Why do they get it cheaper.” “I should have waited until the price went down.” “Next time I’m just going to hold off until it’s free.” While this has significant effects, there is one in particular that needs to be noted.

This effect directs more of those who participate in the first phase, to dig deep for the interesting, the odd, and the most creative items that are at the end of the tail. After all, everything ends up there anyway, right? In the consumer’s mind, inaction creates price reduction. In the producers mind, inaction prevents them from ever getting a hold of the work. With the Long Tail, the consumers right.

Looking back at all of this, it seems that the Long Tail actually has a negative effect. At least, if you follow it from phase one, it does.

But, what if I told you that the Long Tail was meant to work in reverse, from phase four, from the end of it. That before 50 Shades found itself in phase one; the author had produced shorter creative work, gathering a tribe of followers.

The beauty of the Long Tail is that people are able to go up the tail in short phases. All with the start of a niche product and a small, but close tribe. For most, the box office movies, the best sellers, the “top 10,” were overnight successes. When really, they worked longer and harder than one can imagine to get there.

 

Stay Positive & A lot Comes From A Little

Garth E. Beyer

The Meetings You’re Waiting For

Garth Beyer

They don’t exist.

You take internships, you jump in groups, clubs, associations, you work for organizations or companies in hopes that a meeting is called and you can be the one person to shout something brilliant out.

Everyone loves that person who – out of nowhere – comes up with a phenomenal idea. For the one meeting, you take the stage, you get the spotlight, you get the credit you finally deserve.

And then it dies. Lights off. Curtain closed. Meeting over.

Is it worth it though? To work for the blind until they call a meeting? Only for the possibility of you coming up with a great idea off the cuff and them accepting it? Then waiting for the next meeting?

No one loves a light that flickers.

Or are you: Better off connecting with the few who love your constant stream of ideas. Better off interacting with members outside of the meeting and showing them what you have created. Better off doing your work for the sake of doing your work instead of for the chance to be picked.

Or – my personal favorite – skip the meeting completely to connect with someone who is also not attending the meeting. Hell, they may not even be associated with the meeting group. They may even be someone who impresses you and changes the way you work. Instead of trying to be the remarkable one, you may just meet someone who is.

 

Stay Positive & Frequent Conformity Is Overrated

Garth E. Beyer

What Goes Around

Garth Beyer

used to come back around.

You do a good deed and someone will do a good deed for you. The saying was more about reciprocity than anything. Karma, if you will.

All positive for the most part, but slightly selfish. Karma has caught on.

What goes around no longer comes around, rather, what goes around, goes around.

It’s about the domino affect, about doing that good deed for someone and not knowing, not expecting, and not hoping that that person will do a good deed for someone else (or that it will ever come back to you). It’s doing a good deed for the sake of doing it. The action is the result.

You’re a dot. Everyone is just a dot. And no greater good can be done than connecting dots, sending frequency, life, emotion throughout this network we have created. In one sense, we have all come to realize that if we all give, care, and connect, that we need never to worry about enacting reciprocity, that to have the door held open for us, we need not to hold it open for someone else.

What goes around, goes around. Wouldn’t want it any other way.

 

Stay Positive & Puts Some Faith In Humanity, Doesn’t It?

Garth E. Beyer

Maintenance Is Nothing New

Garth Beyer

It disturbs me to hear someone say that something (or someone!) is high maintenance. It’s the same as saying that it’s only a short matter of time until they drop whatever it is, (or who!).

Humans are naturally inclined to create, to stack blocks on top of each other – you don’t have to show a kid how to play, they just do.

But you do have to show a kid how to put those blocks away, to take care of them, to clean and nurture them.

Anything we create is not too different from the blocks to the kids, yet we decide that if the blocks are too high maintenance, we would rather not have them to begin with.

This prevents creation, prevents you from building, prevents art.

Kurt Vonnegut once wrote, “Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.”

To hell with too much maintenance – that’s the most exciting art. That’s the most thrilling challenge, the greatest emotional-sociological-psychological roller coaster ride. Those moments of high maintenance are the ones you will look back on and not need anyone to thank you for the work you did… you will thank yourself.

And that is a feeling that just can’t be beat.

 

Stay Positive & Perpetuate Your Art

Garth E. Beyer