Digital subcultures lack the social distance that once fostered invention

Evidence

While digital spaces allow people to find their niches more easily, they do not create adequate social distance for the isolation that fosters invention. And the omnipresence of mainstream culture means that many subcultures are now just fan communities devoted to existing mass-market entertainment. The omnivore monoculture’s inclusiveness created the odd situation in which the most fervent, distinct subcultures exist on the political right. Yet because these groups are largely motivated by revanchist nostalgia rather than forward-thinking creativity, their cultural influence is stunted. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 865

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Marx’s status-dynamics mechanism and the reader’s interest in the ‘death of the sellout’ thesis; also ties to Lewis Mumford’s isolation-and-invention arguments.