Paradoxically, huge cities create environments where small niches can flourish. [...] Subcultures thrive in big cities for this reason as well: If you have idiosyncratic tastes, you’re much more likely to find someone who shares those tastes in a city of 9 million people. A
The linked article happens to focus on a new – wait for it – social networking software (in fact, I think Xtina had suggested I join it months ago) by the name of Dodgeball. With your phone, you dial in and find out all the cool, niche-y, idiosyncratical events going on near your current locale. Neat concept, I guess, but like MySpace, I’m waiting for the community to hit critical mass before I opt in.
More broadly, I find that living in a biggish city (obviously SF is not of the same scale as NYC) is appealing precisely because of this phenomenon. Where suburbia and even smaller cities like, say, San Jose, offer mainstream conveniences in spades (some would say in excess), only in densely packed urban centers are you likely to encounter the unique subcultures populated by free thnkers with fringely ideas. Some say that this quality makes places like SF & New York City ‘bubbles’ that are not reflective of the culture outside our spheres. I say, that is exactly why I love those places so much.
One Comment
I wholeheartedly agree with you. My little sister just came to visit from Georgia and was amazed by all the different people here. She sticks out in Athens because she’s a free spirit but felt like she was part of the masses here. I love telling SF “anything goes” stories to people who live in Iowa or Alabama. Where else can you see a tranny walking down the street while waving to a marina-ite who is walking into a biker bar? It’s awesome! And thanks for cruising by my blog!