The Ritualized Self
As we rush to mine ‘big data’ for novel audience insights, we often overlook enduring social behaviors as time-tested as any research.
It should come as no surprise to any sentient human that we are creatures of habit. The everyday routine, the daily grind, the quotidian—our language is suffused with references to the dull repetitions of life. Urban planners discuss the “reproduction of daily life” in hushed tones. Politicians stage theatrical battles over whether to dispense with time-honored entitlements. And brand planners strategize ways to “repurpose” content on new platforms. Even the stories we tell draw on archetypal myths that we tirelessly rehearse.
Yet the ways in which we appeal to audiences often overlook our most customary habits.
