I have been troubled with the contrast between mainstream and milieu for several weeks now (see e.g. “Mainstream Milieus“).
This week I discovered a fascinating insight, and I wrote about it on “Epidemic of Knowingness” [ https://podcasts.video.blog/2025/03/28/epidemic-of-knowingness ]. In particular, Chris Williamson describes something he refers to as experiencing a “lonely chapter” in life, which people can experience if (and when) they do something different (than the group — I guess whether mainstream or milieu might not matter that much here). During the discussion, he observes that only few people are willing and able to face such risk and “go out on a limb” (my use of the idiom, not his). I believe this has to do with a fear which has deep roots in human evolution, an anxiety about the potential for an individual action (or behavior or whatever) to lead to ostracization. This is perhaps also related to something sometimes referred to as a “bandwagon effect”. In any case, it seems to be a strong motivator towards conformity.
The propaganda and gaslighting (and similar types of manipulation) used in mainstream media are littered with these types of motivations. The word mainstream itself motivates people to pay attention and fall into line with what “everyone” says.
Yet what happens when mainstream makes a mistake? Do they investigate and find solutions to problems? Hardly.
Socio Business blog 