Breaking bubbles in 2017
People Nerds on how they resolve to venture outside of their safe zones
Illustrations by Delaney Gibbons
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dscout's Trump Diaries research was launched just after the election to help us better understand American voters and perhaps break through -- or at least expand -- our metaphorical research bubble. This year, we've asked some of our fellow People Nerds if they had similar bubble-bursting plans for 2017. Here are a few of their answers:
“My team and I have spent much time recently, given the election results (and previously the Brexit results), discussing how we as researchers can better understand the underlying motivations of the populations we study, how we can get out of our own bubble, and how to build better customer empathy among our business partners.”
Adrien Lanusse, VP of insights, Netflix
“Dropped off social media and am spending that time reading history to make sense of Trump’s America.”
Mike Griffin, User experience manager, Ricoh Innovations
“Yes! By organizing a solidarity trip to strengthen Cuba’s grassroots Internet movement.”
Danny Spitzberg, principal at Peak Agency
“Reading Sean Patrick Hughes. I wanted to add a non-liberal voice to my bubble, and he’s the best I’ve found.”
Christopher Ireland, author, Rise of the DEO
“Social media feeds are, literally and metaphorically digital ‘walls,’ where one can post 140-character blips that produce cyclical, obtuse, and one-sided conversations. To get actual perspective, I need to engage or observe in civil conversations where context boils to the top. Once I understand how people live––and how they developed their opinions––I can empathize with how a neighbor can view the world through such a vastly different lens.”
Jack Wheeler, product manager, InVision
Kari Dean McCarthy is a seasoned brand communications strategist, award-winning filmmaker, and gnocchi expert.
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