Niches cultures are a great expression for diversity and in today’s internet age it seems there is something for everyone. Carter said it best when he called the diverse subcultures “Connoisseurs.” One important factor to consider is the way that the internet and media have created a void for face-to face human interaction within these subcultures. I am happy to see that we are all very comfortable expressing out opinions via likes and dislikes on the internet, but I often wonder if people would be so expressive in a real life situation.
It is important to let our hobbies and interests lead us to bond outside our office, living room, or back porch and help us venture out to discover each other in person. Staying inside on the computer will lead to a division of cultures. This reminds me of a phrase we are all familiar with, “United we stand, divided we fall.” I am truly for diversity and independence, but equally for sharing and experiencing each other in person. Venturing out “keeps us real” and gives us the fulfillment we need from human interaction. Danny mentioned that the answer to this is belonging to multiple tribes and I couldn’t agree more! My friendships represent such an eclectic group of people that I often have a hard time having them all in one place at the same time. Some people are not ready to cross cultur-ize themselves, so I have patience and understanding.
In another class of mine, we talked about dehumanization and the roll the internet plays. It is true that people are more likely to say how they really feel on the internet especially because of anonymity. You can pretty much be whoever you want to be. It also plays into how we treat each other in the physical world. I would definitely agree that our niches can be barriers but they are also great means of self expression which is also very important.
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