Mindshare’s Jodie Huang, Manager, Consumer Insights, looks at marketers’ issues around income bias, and how advances in tech are leaving lower income groups behind.
Excerpt: Society has always been divided into haves and have-nots, but as technology becomes more important in our everyday lives, those without access to the latest are falling even further behind. Beyond the obvious difficulties of being poor, this group is often in the blind spot of companies and marketers focused on the next big thing.
Modern social mobility is predicated on access to the internet and as more of our work, school, personal relationships, and finances are being transacted online, the lack of high-speed internet sets rural and poor communities further behind their peers. Especially in large urban cities, the advantages of telecommuting passes over the poor, who tend to live further away from their workplace. Some see the automation of jobs as a futuristic dystopian nightmare, but it affects unskilled workers first, as their jobs tend to be more programmable.
For more insights from Jodie, check out the full piece in Business Insider. And, this piece is a preview of Mindshare’s larger Culture Vulture Trends report, wherein the Insights team identifies the macro trends pervading U.S. culture and its impact on brands and marketers.
