Institute for the Future's Franz Dill discovers the Dunbar number, the theoretical size of the number of "stable relationships" human beings tend to form.
I've referred to the Dunbar number frequently in explaining to journalism and new-media audiences the concept of hyperlocal relevance. It works like this: If I have about 150 people in my inner circle, and I never see them in your newspaper, then your newspaper isn't about me and my kind.
That's a tough level to penetrate with conventional journalism techniques.
Sometimes I get blank stares back when I refer to the concept, and I'm glad to see somebody else finds it meaningful.
Comments
Dunbar Number
Amen! I've long held to the idea that given ownership, the students would better embrace the newspaper and its content. After 20-plus years as a small town community journalist, I found it disheartening when I realized the chronicles of students' lives are not reflected in most campus newspapers. With the onslaught of online, instantaneous world, regional, even local hard news, would not the campus newspaper best offer that which is not found anywhere else? Is there anything more interesting than learning about one's neighbor? Whew! Thanks. I feel much better.