Big Idea’rs
Big Ideas
Wealth gap
Food Security
Exposure to diversity
Sex/Gender Expresssion
Socioeconomic Disparities
Media Narratives
Avoiding/Mitigating Climate Crisis
De-stigmatizing Mental Illness
Stress/Anxiety
Reinvention
Misinformation
Hyper-sexualization of everything
Excessive consumerism
Excessive production of waste/garbage
Censorship
Excessive Surveillance
Social Media Addiction
Right to be Forgotten
Identity Politics
Restorative Justice
Drone warfare
Self Medicating
Privacy
Cancel Culture
Doxxing
Labor Unions
Power
Exploitation of people
Performance psychology
Consent
Feminism
Trust
Modern Virtue
Citizens United/Money as Influence and Power
Nudity
Age of Self-Promotion
Viral Culture
Crypto-currency
Populism
Cultural Appropriation
I think that I would love to tackle Food Security and Nutrition as a topic for further exploration in art. In my experience (specifically in Detroit) underserved neighborhoods typically have “food deserts” where access to produce and non-processed foods is extremely limited. This primes kids and young adults for unhealthy eating habits, and unhealthy relationships with food, which in turn can affect their health. I think exploring and creating an inviting and interesting access point for healthy foods and feeling like nutrition can be playful would be beneficial for communities. Drawing awareness to food deserts is a large issue, but people’s relationships with food is small and personal and there is so much room in between and beyond to explore.
I would also like to explore Media Narratives as a topic because it can steer the whole ship that is our national conversation. I think people can be reactive to the narrative without being aware of it as an influence. Drawing awareness and exploring the benefits and downfalls of such a large, inexhaustible and continuous media apparatus would help everyone’s perspective for the better. I think part of healing our volatile and polarized society is shifting our perspective and recognizing who is stoking the fire and why. I think misinformation could fall under this category, too. Information has become very decentralized (thanks to the internet) which has benefits and drawbacks, but exploring how misinformation can affect our lives in direct and indirect ways can be really fascinating and scary.
Cancel culture is also a topic that I think needs to be heavily explored artistically. With so many voices talking at the same time, there has been a need for some way to process information coherently and methodically; cancel culture has become the popular way to filter out the unwanted noise. I think that cancel culture can be a really toxic way of isolating oneself in an echo-chamber and “othering” everyone who doesn’t agree with everything you believe. By shutting out those that do not share our beliefs we are subconsciously dehumanizing people and losing opportunities to learn from each other's mistakes, empathize and help people. I think cancel culture reinforces confirmation biases and can stunt growth and compassion. I would like to see more kindness and patience and acceptance of differences, and I think that happens when we can turn a mirror on ourselves in these ways.
Privacy is also a fascinating topic. With the proliferation of the internet and social media, we are constantly on display, our information is public and accessible, we are plugged in or surveilled at all times and it is changing the way we think and behave. The line between private and public is deteriorating quickly and what that means and how we process will shape a considerable amount of our culture moving forward. Does our culture tolerate privacy anymore?
