What Changed In Media In The Last 20 Years? | CULTUR:ED
- nycto
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
I was talking to my family friend and as she was checking the website I got several questions which made it clear to me that I’ve forgotten a big potential group within our future audience.
I was writing yet never to someone who actually does not even get it, I have nothing for someone who actually thinks they can just post their work is out and that’s it.
I forgot that an audience isn’t just our target audience and I actually love that because I can write about the today’s topic!
This piece is for you if you’re actually unclear why you need to poss across as many social media platforms as you can,
If you’re unsure how or what to post,
If you think it’s been the same all this time,
If you don’t know what to do because all of the social media is new to you,
Etc.
Cultur:Ed is a segment in which you’re supposed to read from topics that cover daily behavior which assists your creative workflow all the way to media & how to grow your business and digital presence because in today’s time it should be implied that you have at least a high level of general understanding of media & social media to do your best.
First and foremost,
The new cultural landscape rewards adaptability. In order for you to stay updated you need to be in tune.
This is a great start if you’re completely new & unphased by all the changes that happened within the media space in the last 15 to 20 years.
The days of having a quality project posted and have it blow up is almost impossible.
If anything, it’s not long gone as a possibility but a lot of things changed. A lot more people are across a lot more apps, to put it in simplest terms.
Of course there’s a clear change that happened once Musically became TikTok.
Once TikTok took over we easily adapted & culture shifted into something more light. Easier to maintain and somehow even easier to lose.
We’ll touch on this a bit deeper, let’s go.
Trends emerge overnight and disappear just as quickly.
A viral video, meme, or social movement can capture global attention within hours.
The key difference that can tie all this up for you is: it’s no longer a big deal, it’s considered a must almost.
People who can pay you well want this even if they think that they don’t.
This sounds unachievable until you realise you can copy people into your first big numbers because TikTok literally rewards it. You’re officially playing a simpler game if you’re any small business or influencer.
You can see what’s trending in that section on the app and duplicate it.
It might be scary to realise that you’re supposed to do the influencer parts even if your actual goal is something which isn’t even important to be on social media.
Yeah, it’s that time.
Even with the rise of AI and how much it’s affected the world it’s
It’s now implemented with any local business - the idea of a social media person who can make casual TikTok’s to promote their work.
Consider the following questions:
What does it mean for a person, brand, or idea to be culturally relevant?
How do social media platforms influence what becomes popular in society?
Do you think authenticity is more important than popularity? Why or why not?
Can someone remain culturally relevant for a long time in today’s fast-changing digital world?
How do online communities and subcultures shape trends differently from traditional media?
Have you ever participated in a trend, meme, or online movement? What made it appealing?
Is being widely known the same as being culturally relevant? Explain your answer.
In the past, cultural relevance was largely controlled by solely institutions - Television networks, newspapers, record labels, film studios, and universities determined what ideas, trends, and figures entered the mainstream.
Today, however, the rules have changed for kids & teens. They now get that info & entertainment from those platforms’ social media posts & the influencers who cover it, talk about it amongst them all across the newsfeeds, for you pages - however they’re called on each individual app.
In an age shaped by social media, digital communities, and constant information flows, cultural relevance is no longer granted from the top down—it is earned through participation, adaptability, and authenticity.
You can even find the greatest creatives talk about this easily online.
Even Rick Rubin talks about how connecting two things that aren’t usually together can be a formula that works because it’s proven to work.
Like in tattooing - a crossover style is still a chance for you to hit bigger numbers and find new clients.
One of the most significant shifts is the speed at which culture now moves. It’s almost like it’s lost it’s heaviness and now it’s just relevant to prioritise it.
Trends emerge overnight and disappear just as quickly and it’s actually standard to first make your wave to catch and ride it.
A viral video, meme, or social movement can capture global attention within hours.
As a result, relevance is no longer a permanent status but a continuous process.
Yikes.
Individuals, brands, and institutions must constantly engage with changing conversations if they hope to remain visible and meaningful.
Another new rule is the importance of authenticity.
Audiences today are highly skilled at detecting performative behavior. Anything you think you should be doing - performative behavior, fake approach, being overly mean or nice - it’s generally detectable and appalled by the masses.
Companies that adopt social causes only when convenient, public figures who chase trends without understanding them, and organizations that communicate in overly polished corporate language often face criticism even if they’re the traditional ones.
Cultural relevance increasingly depends on demonstrating genuine values and consistent actions rather than simply following what is popular.
This doesn’t mean it’s not about covering social issues & relevant topics. It’s more so about being genuine about it.
If anything. this new world of media has made it beneficial to be apologetically unapologetic. You’d be rewarded for speaking your mind and cancelled if you’re actually not being real.
You saying your coffee is shit but you’ll do better if you show up to the cafe and not give up on the staff effort is promising on TikTok, Reels, Facebook, Snapchat…
If you claim you have the worlds best coffee - which is a standard commercial line you’ll be thrown into the oblivion.
Digital communities have also transformed how relevance is created.
Rather than a single dominant mainstream culture, there are now countless online subcultures organized around shared interests, identities, and experiences.
A creator can become highly influential within a niche community without ever achieving traditional celebrity status mostly because they’re supposed to be active. Especially by going on live every day at a certain time or multiple times a day.
People have been acting oblivious to the fact that successful influencers aren’t celebrities because these lives, content & digital presence allow people to connect even more.
Then again, it’s also good for the celebrities who can finally breathe in peace knowing the age where they’re secluded & untouchable is back in the works. First it will be by them being seemingly irrelevant and then slowly back in place.
In many cases, influence within a dedicated community can be more powerful than broad recognition a celebrity has to the business.
Think about it like this, an influencer generally is someone who does that to either become their business or market their business. They can pay a celebrity to market their brand and a celebrity can pay an influencer to market theirs but they’re not exactly the same.
Relevance to a creator is increasingly determined by engagement rather than mere visibility. Unless your goal with a digital presence is to simply have a portfolio for a potential client to look at.
What matters is not just being seen, but inspiring conversation, adaptation, and response.
As written before, the new cultural landscape also rewards adaptability.
Technologies, platforms, and social norms evolve rapidly. Those who remain rigid often struggle to connect with emerging audiences. Adaptability does not mean abandoning core values; rather, it means finding new ways to communicate those values in changing environments. The most culturally relevant figures and organizations are often those that balance consistency with evolution.
Yet the pursuit of relevance carries risks. The pressure to remain visible can encourage superficial engagement with serious issues or constant participation in fleeting trends. In a culture driven by algorithms and attention, there is a temptation to prioritize immediate reactions over thoughtful contributions. Genuine relevance should therefore be distinguished from temporary popularity. While popularity is measured by attention, relevance is measured by impact.
Ultimately, the new rules of cultural relevance reflect a broader transformation in how society communicates. So if you want to see growth quit your own bullshit and post. Find the style you should do and do it.
This is the time when in almost all cases there shouldn’t even be a choice so any type of imposter syndrome should be dealt with.
Stay tuned in!
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