Passing Ideas Vertically and Laterally
by Why are some things popular? How are ideas generated and passed around? Vertical and Lateral dissemination is the theory that things are spread either from the top down or among people through word of mouth. Here I look at what this means in American culture, and especially the relationship between television, radio, and advertising.
Before we start, I don’t think that either vertical or lateral dissemination is the correct answer, and I’m not trying to tell you that you shouldn’t buy things or that what these people are doing is bad. I wear American Eagle and watch more than my fair share of TV. I just think that it’s important to understand where ideas come from so you can make your own decisions.
Have you ever stopped to think about why you like the things you do? Why do I like to wear this brand of jeans? Why do I like to listen to this band? Why is this my favorite show? I never had until recently. But one night I wondered why I found myself wearing American Eagle, listening to Incubus, and watching the Office. What is it that draws me to these things? There are millions of things out there to wear, listen to, and watch, but these are the ones I’ve been participating in for so long.
Well, I thought long and hard, and used that trusty college degree something more than decoration for once. I remembered back to an idea I had. An idea about the way culture is passed around. I wasn’t sure if it was something new that I came up with, or if it was something I had heard and just remembered. But the idea is that there are two ways to spread cultural ideas: laterally and vertically.
Laterally disseminated ideas are spread from person to person. They are generated from lived experience and passed by word of mouth and observation. The subject is necessarily useful. It is a story or myth that explains something important to the people; a song that calms babies; a religious idea; a hunting pattern known to produce large amounts of food. They are necessarily useful because they are a product of a sort of cultural evolution. Ideas that have no use are naturally weeded out. They serve no function. On the other hand, ideas that have a purpose are reinforced. They begin as an experience, but over time become a powerful aspect of the community. The hunter may have stumbled upon a pattern once and was able to bring home a large load. Over time the rest of the community saw how prosperous he was, and his small idea became widespread.
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