What is Ignored by the Media but Will be Studied by Historians?
This blog looks at 7 examples of topics that are often ignored by the media but will be studied by historians. It examines the aging population crisis, the lost lockdown generation, and the decline of the US dollar.
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George Mack
The 0.1% of ideas I think — or discover in rabbit holes. Get access to the best ideas I've found for free here: https://t.co/q33ixsFPbq
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What is ignored by the media -- but will be studied by historians?
— George Mack (@george__mack) March 29, 2023
Here's 7 more examples: pic.twitter.com/QzNn8wljYL -
1. The Aging Population Crisis
— George Mack (@george__mack) March 29, 2023
70% of countries are below the required population replacement levels.
You need a 2.1 fertility rate to maintain a population:
• US = 1.64
• Germany = 1.53
• Japan = 1.34
• China = 1.28
• Korea (below) = 0.84 🤯 pic.twitter.com/pY8GVYsPyT -
2. The Lost Lockdown Generation
— George Mack (@george__mack) March 29, 2023
• Reading ability in the USA is the lowest in 30 years
• Maths scores are the worst since tests began in 1969
• 50% rise in mental health emergency room visits for young people
This has been swept under the rug. pic.twitter.com/A4jYNsLUX4 -
3. The BRICS overtook the G7 in GDP this week
— George Mack (@george__mack) March 29, 2023
BRICS = Brazil, Russia, India, China, SA (+ Bangladesh, Egypt and UAE)
G7 = Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK (+ EU)
"It's no longer developed & developing world. It's ascending & descending world" - @balajis pic.twitter.com/E06IhonU22 -
4. The Rise Of Obesity In America
— George Mack (@george__mack) March 29, 2023
You can only appreciate this epidemic by watching this video... pic.twitter.com/FhgDqb8iSX -
There's a lot of talk about the Wealth Gap between the rich and poor...
— George Mack (@george__mack) March 29, 2023
The "Diet Gap" is barely discussed.
• 29% of the world's population faces hunger and food shortages.
• 38% of the world's population is overweight or obese. (Set to rise to 51% in the next 12 years) -
5. The Video Game Industry Is Bigger Than You Think
— George Mack (@george__mack) March 29, 2023
The gaming industry is bigger than all music, TV, and film combined.
It has outearned music and entertainment for the last 8 years! pic.twitter.com/dMViwXifih -
6. Inflationary Industries vs Deflationary Industries
— George Mack (@george__mack) March 29, 2023
• Why are hospital services and college tuition fees getting more expensive?
• Why are TVs and software getting cheaper? pic.twitter.com/Q4jjuiFvGb -
7. The Rise Of The Leveraged Creator
— George Mack (@george__mack) March 29, 2023
There's no such thing as "mainstream media" anymore
Instead, there is "legacy media" & "new media"
The only thing that gives the "mainstream media" power is the legacy language of "mainstream media"
This is the Emperor's New Clothes pic.twitter.com/PwjaCTZxJE -
• When it comes to new media, faces & personalities are outranking brands.
— George Mack (@george__mack) March 29, 2023
• Branding in marketing started in the 1500's.
• Meanwhile, human facial recognition dates millions of years - which is why there's such a power law to individual creators. pic.twitter.com/LO1XSzezWM -
This trend has been replicated across cultures.
— George Mack (@george__mack) March 29, 2023
Lebron James has more followers than the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS and WNBA combined. pic.twitter.com/hkzcegM4ob -
Prediction:
— George Mack (@george__mack) March 29, 2023
The biggest marketing competitors to Coca-Cola + McDonalds will be creator brands.
1. It's harder to build a Mr. Beast audience than is to create a burger
2. There's no moat - so whoever has the best advertising wins
3. They can acquire customers cheaper -
This was a sequel to the original piece:
— George Mack (@george__mack) March 29, 2023
Hopefully, this was more of a Godfather 2 kinda sequel than most terrible sequelshttps://t.co/s5OXfO3ILS -
PS. I write a newsletter called Clouds & Dirt.
— George Mack (@george__mack) March 29, 2023
Clouds = Big Ideas, Mental Models, Marketing
Dirt = Trends & Tactics
A recent study (It's 2023 - nobody asks for sources) suggested that not signing up is the biggest deathbed regret.https://t.co/du72StsxKu -
Nuance alert:
— George Mack (@george__mack) March 29, 2023
The point isn't that no media organization hasn't ever covered these topics.
It's that historians will give these topics greater significance than the media is giving them.