I appreciate this piece so much. As someone who recently stepped into overseeing communications for a hyper-local, grassrootsy nonprofit with "building community" in its mission, this productively challenged some of my assumptions or mental shortcuts about what "good" or "professional" communications should look like. ("Look like" being the operative word there.) Effective and inclusive communication, yes, but glossing everything into optimized homogeneity, not so much.
Oooof yes I feel you. It is especially subtle how those dominant aesthetics raise the bar for everyone, even smaller (and probably much cooler) orgs to look and feel like them too. It becomes a "best in class" thing even though it's really worth picking apart why that's considered best in class, and if we even like it! I'm with you though, it's really a constant unlearning!
Elise!!!!!! You always manage to see inside my brain and make a beautiful essay out of it. I have been thinking so much about this topic which in my brain I've basically boiled down to the meme of instagram versus reality. I've signed up for so many things based on instagram hype and then I show up and the vibes are not good and I'm like "THIS IS THE EVENT EVERYONE SAID CHANGED THEIR LIFE on instagram?????".
The branding and the selling is so real. This essay is a really good push to try things out with less info.
Also though I really appreciated your caveat about certain info being actually crucial to have up front like accessibility.
Loved this. So thought-provoking. Thanks for sharing.
This nailed something I hadn’t realized I was feeling/doing, thank you!
Also did you ever read the piece on Blackbird Spyplane about the “un-grammable hang zone”? A lot of connections there I think
https://www.blackbirdspyplane.com/p/un-grammable-hang-zone-manifesto
YES i've also wanted to write a UGHZ/community space connective piece for a while, deeeefinitely same idea and was really inspired by that piece!
I appreciate this piece so much. As someone who recently stepped into overseeing communications for a hyper-local, grassrootsy nonprofit with "building community" in its mission, this productively challenged some of my assumptions or mental shortcuts about what "good" or "professional" communications should look like. ("Look like" being the operative word there.) Effective and inclusive communication, yes, but glossing everything into optimized homogeneity, not so much.
Oooof yes I feel you. It is especially subtle how those dominant aesthetics raise the bar for everyone, even smaller (and probably much cooler) orgs to look and feel like them too. It becomes a "best in class" thing even though it's really worth picking apart why that's considered best in class, and if we even like it! I'm with you though, it's really a constant unlearning!
Elise!!!!!! You always manage to see inside my brain and make a beautiful essay out of it. I have been thinking so much about this topic which in my brain I've basically boiled down to the meme of instagram versus reality. I've signed up for so many things based on instagram hype and then I show up and the vibes are not good and I'm like "THIS IS THE EVENT EVERYONE SAID CHANGED THEIR LIFE on instagram?????".
The branding and the selling is so real. This essay is a really good push to try things out with less info.
Also though I really appreciated your caveat about certain info being actually crucial to have up front like accessibility.
Haaahahaha "THIS is the event everyone said changed their life??" is tooo good. So glad this resonated and our brains are on the same plane!!