Last week started with the Super Bowl and ended with Valentine’s Day. This Super Bowl was the most watched one yet, and while Valentine’s Day is on a downward trajectory, it is still celebrated by more than half of Americans. This is good. As a country that can feel divided, we need those shared experiences to bond over. Whether that is pigging out on a multi-layer dip, or pigging out on chocolate-covered strawberries, we as humans need to have things that bring us together. But it doesn’t have to end with food or holidays. Art can bring people together as well. It can supersede politics and demographics and unite people. Which is why art must be communal.

Too Many Choices

But when you see that there are nearly 600 TV shows airing, 100 years' worth of movies available on streaming, and basically any book ever published just a few clicks away, you can see that we are not consuming art as a community. At least, not the same art.

It didn’t used to be this way. I have heard tales from my parents. Legends of televisions with only three networks. Legends of no social media, and a handful of movies to choose from at the theater. To say it was a simpler time would be the understatement of the century!

Limited choices meant that people were consuming the same piece of art at the same time. We read the same comic strips in newspapers. Watched the same movies and TV shows. Shoot, back in 1942, Americans in every state were listening to “The Bob Hope Show” on the radio on a Sunday afternoon. When Niel Armstrong stepped foot on the moon, roughly 650 million people watched. This created a collective consciousness. Something you could talk to your coworkers about the next day.

Water Cooler Moment

These “water cooler” conversations used to be the goal of art. Be it movies, music, TV shows, books, etc. You wanted some kind of art to be so interesting that when somebody went for a water break at work, they didn’t ask their coworker how their wife was doing, if their kids were healthy, or if they had any plans for the weekend. They asked each other about art.

But today, when you look at art, there are no “watercooler” moments. In fact, this is what most likely happens when two coworkers approach the water cooler today.

“Did you see the newest episode of Severance?”

“No, I don’t have Apple TV Plus. Did you see the newest episode of Squid Game?”

“No, I don’t have Netflix.”

The two co-workers return to their jobs, with no sense of camaraderie, and a continuous creeping feeling of isolation.

There is no "I" in Art

This is because we are reaching a level of individualism and niche art that we have never seen before on the planet. And it is not a good sign. While streaming has allowed me to watch exactly what I want, when I want it, and Project Gutenberg allows me to read any classical book whenever I want to, however I want to, and Spotify and YouTube allow me to listen to any song that comes to mind, I still say this is bad.

As my older brothers have moved out of the house, you would think having two fewer opinions on what to watch would make it easier. Not so. Thanks to streaming, I want to watch a foreign animated movie with no dialogue, my mother wants to watch an English period drama, and my father wants to watch something about Alaska. What used to be a single television house, has become a television, tablet, and laptop house where we have all watched our separate programs. This is awful.

Community

I grew up homeschooled, so I am used to being “out of the loop.” I still do not know anyone who has seen Squid Game, even though articles tell me that “330 million people” watch it. I didn’t watch Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc. In short, I was not part of the collective consciousness of America. However, in my church, where more than half of the children were homeschooled, it felt communal.

Focus on the Family produced so much content for the Millennial generation, that my friends and I could discuss Adventures in Odyssey, The Last Chance Detectives, and McGee and Me! We watched Veggie Tales, and listened to DC Talk and Steven Curtis Chapman. I distinctly remember when the silly song Gated Community dropped and there was a debate amongst my friends about whether or not this was a hit or miss. In short, we connected over art.

How You Can Contribute

So where does that leave us as writers? We must write in such a way that kids can bond over reading our books. This was difficult when I was younger. My friends were not reading R.M. Ballantyne and I was not reading Percy Jackson. Stephen Bly had some overlay, but books did not have the same commonality that movies, music, and TV shows did. As writers, we need to think about putting enough variety into our books that boys and girls, nerds and jocks, introverts and extroverts can all enjoy. Marketing will tell you to write for a niche group, and while that makes sense financially, do not write in such a way that your biggest fan has never met a fellow reader.

But it goes deeper than what we write. As part of a growing writing community, we must also champion the same books. I know there is danger in the homogeneous. If all your friends read a terrible book, would you? But let’s take, for example, The Dead Sea Squirrels by Mike Nawrocki. I bought the first nine books of the series and have been lending them to my niece. While I could have just given them to her, I wanted to read them too. I wanted to have a connection with her through books. And you know what? They are delightful books. I can ask her questions about her favorite moments. Later this month, they are premiering an animated show based on the books on the streaming service Minno that you should check out! If you know children between the ages of 7-10, buy them these books.

A Call to Action

We need this generation to have commonality. Right now, they have Bluey, but that seems to be the only thing holding them together. You do not need the skills to write a generation-defining book series to contribute. You can play a part in helping future generations find common ground by championing good Christian children’s books.

While we are divided by politics, good art can bring us together. Create shared childhood memories that will build bridges stronger than any political movement ever could. So let us write for the masses, champion the successes, and try to create art that unites rather than divides. Because as my title suggests, art must be communal.

Author Bio

Just like his two older brothers, Kyle Morgan was homeschooled from Kindergarten through High School. When he is not busy writing, the next classic children’s book, Kyle loves spending time with his family, all things baseball, and watching black and white movies. He is a monthly contributor to Write2Ignite where he blogs about writing for children. His work has appeared in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, The Caldwell Perspective and StarLight Magazine. You can check out his Facebook page or follow him on Instagram.