Things I Tell My Wife by Matt Knutson

“Merriam-Webster named ‘culture’ as their word of the year,” I said to Sera as I wondered how many words of the year we needed.

Dictionary.com had already selected “exposure” as their word, and Oxford Dictionaries named “vape.” Three different publications with three different words of the year. It seems pretty clear that we can’t summarize a year in a single word, but it doesn’t stop us from trying.

I often wonder how these decisions are made. Is there strict criteria for how each word is chosen? How many hours are spent trying to come up with what the one word will be? Who gets to be a part of that decision? Sometimes there are too many questions in life to which we’ll never know the answer.

That being said, “culture” is a distinct choice. Merriam-Webster cites its more frequent use as one of the reasons it was selected, but also its impact on conversations at large has increased. Understanding what this word means can further unravel the mystery as to why it was chosen.

I suppose it makes sense to start at the definition, and for this purpose, it makes sense to head to Merriam-Webster to find it. “The beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, place or time; a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc.; a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization (such as a business).”

2014 has taken the analysis of culture to a new level. We’re no longer interested in just the culture of Americans, but narrowing that focus in on black Americans in the South or gay culture in the Midwest help shape today’s narratives.

The concept of culture has also entered into the internet. YouTube has a different culture than Vine, and Facebook has an entirely different way of behaving than Twitter. Even within these communities are subcultures.

As a communications professional, I’m always looking at culture in terms of brand. How does a company represent itself? Apple has a very different culture than Microsoft, and I can say that quite confidently. Their brands go far beyond the logo that appears on their products. Their culture, how they do what they do, shapes the public’s perception of what someone sees when they see a logo.

As the scope of culture has expanded, I think we’ve lost some of the classic cultural assumptions. The world continues to expand as social interaction on the internet grows, and we’re beginning to realize that cultural definitions may just be stereotypes.

With that thought in my mind, I dare to say I think our culture is moving more towards looking at people as individuals and less as groups. Even looking at my earlier example of understanding the culture of black people in the south seems a bit outrageous. The southern part of America is so large that it’d seem foolish to analyze the culture of that group.

If we narrowed in on a place known for their culture, like Louisiana, are we able to better define a subgroup of people? What if we focused on just New Orleans?

This continual zooming in causes a breakdown in perceptions of large-scale culture that we were perhaps blind to before. Maybe we knew that individual cultures were there but found greater value in a larger picture before. Either way, it seems that society’s move toward the individual rather than the collective is increasing rapidly.

When I look at Facebook advertising and realize I can target a female, age 30-35, who lives in Albert Lea, is a homeowner, and interested in The Big Bang Theory, it seems abundantly clear that the concept of marketing to the cultural collective is in the past.

I would have never predicted “culture” would be the word of the year, but the study of its increase in use is a fascinating one to me. The other words chosen have a much clearer link to what was going on in 2014.

“Exposure” is directly tied to the Ebola outbreak and “vape” relates to the increase in electronic cigarette usage. Neither of these words will likely have much bearing on 2015, but I expect culture to still be important in the coming year. We may not need three words of the year, but I for one find them a fascinating reflection on, dare I say it, our culture.

 

Rochester resident Matt Knutson is the communications and events director for United Way of Olmsted County.