Introducing The Culture of Proximity a data-driven documentary about power, identity and connection in a world where people behave like brands, develop friendships with strangers, and star in the reality shows of their lives. The film leverages proprietary Viacom research to give a snapshot of the world as it’s never been.

The Culture of Proximity turned a study originally meant as a B2B tool for Viacom’s channel strategists into a standalone piece of entertainment. So compelling, it was aired on TV.

The data we curated and explored helped us to hold up a mirror to mass culture and see it for what it has become. Interplaying the data with musings from academics and influencers helped both amplify its impact and make a massive cultural shift easier for our audience to grasp

Through surveys, statistics, academic research and the expertise of our interviewees, data started to paint the picture of a shift in how culture operates today.

Stats about who we trust and who we don’t. The symbiotic relationship between crowd culture and mass culture. Even how we value ourselves based on our social media performance. The information pulls back the veil as to how much we’ve changed.

What started as proprietary research became provocative entertainment – a film so compelling, it was aired on TV, garnering millions of impressions along the way.

The Culture of Proximity blended academia with entertainment. By synthesizing data gathered from pop culture, it forced us to take a look at how much closer together – and farther apart – we’ve all become.