The100: Deflecting privilege, work friendships & grievances

Using our limbs to help save brains

The UK arm of Watch Me Think (21 of us) are each walking 22 miles for Dementia UK on 26th September. This is your last chance (ahem) to donate to this great charity. We’re up to GBP 5.6k in donations already. I’m super proud of the team. And whilst there may be some sore feet/knees/legs on the Friday morning afterwards, I’m looking forward to spending time with them, walking and talking …admittedly they may not feel the same 😉

Yet this is a great way to make friends out of colleagues. In fact, friendships at work are the 2nd most popular way to make these bonds (after school). 

As such, there is a concern, as the new generations come through, that younger people aren’t spending as much time at work, and therefore not making these connections. Turns out people over 51 are twice as likely to have made friends at work than those under 30. Of course this may be completely fine right now, but it could have a multitude of impacts for many in the future. 

Insight is perspective, intimacy is experience

Steve Walls believes we should focus on intimacy, not insight. He says that while insight tries to change perspective, Intimacy tries to surface experience. This is shown in work such as:

“that purple period where Under Armour work was brilliant (I’m thinking Phelps), a lot of the Nike stuff over time, the classic PlayStation Double Life”

On the award winning Essity / BodyForm ads, he says such work:

“‘gets it’ – it’s brilliantly observational, it’s concerned with showing the truth of something … it puts the reality of experience on screen, in ways that are inventive and entertaining. It represents real life without being a mirror of it – and it’s all the better for it.”

We’re here for that Steve. 

Influencers’ Kodak moment? (🙏)

Another human story is that of the curated review, which has been well shared this week. It’s been sparked by frustrations such:

“I got so sick of people going to London and complaining about not having a good time and telling me where they went, and it was some stiff place that got a high rating from a boomer on Time Out.”

And…

“Nothing is more embarrassing than waiting for a viral pastry because some influencer said it was yummy after not paying a dime.”

The peer based sharing of curated docs is something that has moved the dial when it comes to experiences (of all types). Reviews are too generic, not targeted. 

My friends and I share a lot of recommendations between us. TV programmes for example. And that’s what I watch, because I know them, and I know they like what I like. The personalisation is what’s missing in the generacism and genuinelessness (yes, I made that word up) of influencers and algorithms. They simply leave the vast majority disappointed. 

I’m off to create a doc – they are the new mixtape.

It takes more effort to choose these days

Others think AI is going to make buying decisions easier, reducing the cognitive load brought on by the increasing, internet-enabled paralysis of choice. Though it is stated that:

“The biggest risk to the wide adoption of AI is losing the human centricity in it — that we forget who is at the heart of the marketing process, which is people.”

Being ‘common’ is getting more common

Who are the ‘new elite’ and who are the ‘common people’? 

It appears that the elite are deflecting privilege, downplaying any aspect of their lives that suggest such privilege, and thus trying to present themselves as ordinary. 

“43% of those that told us they came from working-class backgrounds had actually grown up in families where their parents did solidly middle-class professional work.”

Saying vs. doing?

Totally (hopefully) what this newsletter often does…

Our friends at Capuchin shared a great article on venting and how it can actually boost your appeal. They said:

“Expressing grievances can actually make people like you more, provided you do it with the right approach. If frustrations are shared with empathy and self-awareness, rather than blame and hostility, they create a sense of authenticity and vulnerability. This can enhance interpersonal connections, as others appreciate the honesty and relatability.”

The most powerful persuasion method. Ever.

For those out there who said ‘no’ when asked in a survey about whether they’d go to the moon if it was a free and safe option. And then gave the reason why they didn’t want to go to the moon as ‘because there isn’t enough to see or do when you get there’, I have mind-changing news: Researchers are looking into how to brew beer on the moon. 

First world inanity

And as if airport security couldn’t get more fun / slow, some people have determined that artfully arranging their possessions in the grey security trays and taking a photo of them is something that others want to look at. Read the article (and weep). Separate queue for these people please. 

With a heavy heart

A lot of us here at Watch Me Think are still reeling from the terrible news that an ex-colleague and friend to many, Zach Churchill, has passed away. He was someone many of us knew, as a lot of us are ex-Mintel-lians. And I was fortunate enough to work with Zach for many years. He was one of the good guys. Always decent. Always kind. He will be missed. Huge love to his family and friends. We are thinking of you.