The Power of Shared Moments in a Divided World
Hello Digital World,
The solution to our divided country might be staring us in the face—and we’ve been missing it all along.
In an era of streaming and personalized content, it’s easy to feel like we’re drifting further apart. Every day, we’re reminded of our differences—politically, ideologically, culturally. We retreat into our bubbles, where people talk and think like us. But last night, millions gathered to watch the 𝘑𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘶𝘭 𝘷𝘴. 𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘛𝘺𝘴𝘰𝘯 fight.
I couldn’t help but wonder: could live broadcasts be the antidote to our divided society?
When I was a kid, we didn’t just watch TV; we experienced it—𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.
There were monumental broadcasts that, no matter who you were or where you lived, you wouldn’t miss it. These weren’t just events; they were 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴.
From 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘰𝘸𝘭 halftime show, 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐𝘥𝘰𝘭 finales, to the 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴’ series finale. There were heartbreaking moments, too. The 9/11 attacks united Americans in grief and resolve.
These events transcended our personal bubbles and reminded us we were part of something bigger—a collective “we.” They gave us a communal language, breaking down the walls of “us vs. them,” even if just for a moment.
But streaming has changed this.
Now, we don’t all watch together. Even when something takes the world by storm, like Netflix’s 𝘛𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨, happens asynchronously. Some of us binge it in one day, while others another. The shared moment becomes diluted, and our conversations feel less immediate and more fragmented. It’s harder to connect when your neighbor is five episodes behind or has already moved on to another show.
This is where live broadcasts—whether a bizarre boxing match or a royal wedding—offer something streaming can’t: a moment in time that we all share.
When we watch live, we’re forced to experience the same story together, at the same pace. It creates opportunities for connection, even among people who disagree on almost everything else.
It’s in those connections that we can begin to understand and even appreciate our differences.
I’m not saying Jake Paul and Mike Tyson’s match was a unifying cultural masterpiece (though the memes were pretty good). But the fact that millions tuned in live (crashing Netflix), whether out of genuine excitement or curiosity, proves there’s still a hunger for these shared moments.
For a brief second, it didn’t matter who you voted for or what you believe in; we were all watching the same gloves throw the same punches. In a world where division seems to define us, maybe we need more moments like that—not just in sports or entertainment, but across our lives.
So here’s my question: could live events help us feel a little less divided? Could they heal some of the fractures in our collective identity?
Live broadcasts won’t solve all our problems, but they might remind us of something simple yet profound: we’re all human, and sometimes, it’s nice to experience life together.
The image was created by Midjourney using the following prompt: A television that is the center of the focus while people gather around connected with others in other homes sharing a moment in time. Make the television a generic scene without people.
