6/20/20 Recommended Issues: Bias, Political Campaigns, Music

Issues Worth Reading

Here is this weekend’s Worth Reading-- a set of interesting newsletter issues that may have flown under your radar:

• Weekly 3: Seeing beyond your bias. (In Idea Journal Weekly 3, by Idea Journal). This is a straightforward, easy read that tackles the concept of bias in three concrete ways: 1. It provides some useful explanations about how to embrace your own ignorance-- and actually turn it into a positive. 2. It helps you to visualize examples of invisible insulation or invisible privilege. 3. It pushes you to question “normal”. This is worth a read because you will walk away with more perspective than you started with -- and can actually apply it going forward. (1059 words; 4 minutes)

• Facebook toggles off political ads. (In The Interface with Casey Newton on June 17, 2020). For better or worse, society had gotten used to political ads-- and then social media came along, kind of turning everything on its head. This issue delves into what it means when a social media company allows you to toggle on or off viewing political campaign ads; it’s not pushing an agenda of right/wrong, so much as offering you some interesting questions to ponder when this power is put into your own hands. It’s worth reading because you will be more aware of the trade-offs of putting this choice onto people-- and that is a pretty fascinating thought exercise. (1022 words; ~3.5 minutes … read just the political ads section at the top and skip everything else)

• Why Did We Pause The Show? (In Penny Fractions, by David Turner on June 17, 2020) If you’re at all interested in the music industry, this is a fascinating deep dive into its response to the ongoing Black Lives Matter and protest movements. You’ll understand more about the history, economics, and the current state of what’s going on -- and, also very valuable is that David actually shares easily digestible recommendations for change. It’s worth reading to grasp the racial realities in the music industries as well as pathways forward for change. (2600 words; 9.5 minutes)

This week’s Industry Highlight: ADVERTISING

Sometimes we also highlight a specific industry newsletter that is unique and helps you keep a pulse on that industry or offers you a unique perspective on that industry. Feel free to write to us at newsletters@narrowscale.com and let us know what industries you do care about; we’ll prioritize finding and highlighting those for you.

If your work has anything to do with advertising, you might find The Ad Spot newsletter valuable. It is a roundup of the week’s most talked-about and trending ads. It offers some commentary, as well as personality, and helps you to know why the ads are interesting or important. The Ad Spot covers everything from popular TV commercials to trending big brand social media updates, so if you’re in the advertising industry (or work adjacent to it) these newsletters will help keep you current without any overhead. Check it out.

We hope you enjoy reading and learning.

And if you’re interested in receiving more from any of the newsletters above, you’re always welcome to subscribe to Idea Journal Weekly 3, The Interface with Casey Newton, Penny Fractions, or The Ad Spot.

Also, if you have any issues to recommend, let us know at newsletters@narrowscale.com.