Ordinary citizens don’t exist
There was an old gag in my last newsroom where an intern was asked to hit the streets and gather short opinions from ordinary citizens on a particular topic—the classic vox pop. He came back empty-handed, saying he couldn't find anyone who looked "ordinary."
It’s a funny story, but it serves as a reminder that while we all carry a mental image of a stereotypical “regular Joe,” that person doesn’t really exist. This is why I’ve never bought into the “our readers won’t understand this” argument you often hear in newsrooms.
Disliking that mental model, and recognizing it as a fallacy, doesn’t mean it’s not useful. When I need to form that image, I rely on statistics. For example, I know 80% of our users are on mobile, and about the same percentage use Google Chrome. When working on anything related to web development, those things are always in my mind.
This all came to me after reading Lou’s post, New Apple Stuff and the Regular People. While it might sound like I disagree with him, I don’t. Lou’s post perfectly captures the relationship most people have with their technology.
Big tech knows this well, which is why every device you buy comes loaded with software you don’t need, and why some walled gardens can be so appealing. Full disclosure: I love being in Apple’s walled garden. I’m not that different.
Regular people want their devices to simply work. For them, “computers aren’t the thing; they’re the thing that gets them to the things.” (Yes, I stole this line from Halt and Catch Fire. You should watch it. What a great show.)
Anyone working on a project without this mindset isn’t really understanding their job.
Big tech gets it. The media sector doesn’t. And that’s why people keep avoiding your website, uninstalling news apps, and canceling subscriptions.