Subscribe to RSSShared Experiences Create Community
Over the weekend, The Dark Knight debuted in theatres across America. “Debuted” is actually a misnomer. Knight falls into the category of movies that culture has waited for and eagerly received. It is an example of a tool, in the form of media, driving culture.
By driving culture, I mean it influences what people see, think, read and talk about. Many people over the weekend discussed this movie, whether they saw it or not. They dialogued about their thoughts on the movie and, most likely, the tragedy of Heath Ledger’s loss after such a crowning achievement for acting.
At the time of writing, Knight’s box office sales have grossed almost $200 million worldwide. Assuming an average of $10 a ticket, this means that roughly 20 million people have experienced this movie already. Even assuming that a number of those are repeat watchers, it is a substantial number.
Now what happens when 20 million people, or any number for that matter, share the same experience? It influences them, then it influences those around them. This is key to understand because this is what we mean when we say it shapes culture.
Imagine now that millions of people are impacted by something other than a movie. Whether it is a political movement, a major world event, or even a religion, the experience is almost irrelevant, so long as a group of people share it, as it is the medium for community development. The larger the community, the more impact on culture as a whole.
This is the foundation of the social networking phenomenon. In many ways, it is the sociological basis of Christianity, too: many differing people are all experiencing the same thing.
What community do you want to develop? If that is the question you face, then the immediate follow up ought to be, “What shared experience do I create?”
Tags: bret ceren, christianity, church, Community, Culture, Heath Ledger, influence, influential, New Iron Media, Relationships, Social Networking, the church, The Dark Knight, tool