Why Meaning Matters Story Studio Network, Ujwal Arkalgud, Jason Partridge

We’re wrapping up season two with a conversation about the changing meaning of menstrual health and hygiene that demonstrates just how connected we all are. In today’s episode of Why Meaning Matters, Erin, Jason and Ujwal talk about what hair ‘down there’ and free bleeding mean to today’s consumers including toppling the patriarchy and environmental impact.   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   There's an aspect of menstrual health that is seeing a change right now and it's what women consider to be “basic hygiene”. That includes pubic hair and its associated notion to the lack of hygiene which bears no scientific reality.   UJWAL [00:05:41] “It's a patriarchal expectation and it's certainly a problem in culture and it's being challenged.“   The media portrayal of being completely bare from 20 years ago is being challenged by women raising important questions and pointing out the purpose of pubic hair.   JASON [00:07:34] “There is a purpose for why our bodies are a certain way. And when we mess with it, it messes us up. And that starts to basically be a pushback against the expectation. And that's where expectations start to change.“   Social media is playing a role in the discourse and facilitating circulation of the free-bleeding movement and greatly impacting the feminine hygiene space with new product lines.   UJWAL [00:09:57] “They're amazing products now that are specifically built for, let's say, heavier flow days that are period underwear that are genuinely ten times more comfortable, and we can see consumers talking about this, but there's a symbolism around that, right. Which is that, the symbolism is, this thing isn't hiding the way it used to be and the other symbolism is that this is actually better for vaginal health. And so that makes a huge difference.”   JASON [00:12:28] “And that in and of itself is basically creating different narratives and different tensions and challenges in what is the right thing to do.”   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

Consumers are tethered to their smartphones everyday but what are the culture dynamics at play? In today’s episode of Why Meaning Matters, Erin, Jason and Ujwal put down their smartphones to talk about the myths and changing meaning of cell phones.   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   While MotivBase is studying the meanings around cell phones some would say, ‘What is there to analyze? It seems like everyone has one.’   UJWAL [00:02:13] “I think that's the whole point about studying meaning. The unsexy topics become sexy when you examine what they mean because there's always something that surprises us.”   Health meanings with respect to cell phones is one of those surprises. Consumers have all the health apps on their smartphones but, in contrast, these phones have been cause for unhealthy behaviors as well.   UJWAL [00:03:15] “There's been a lot of lobbying on this. But for the first time we're seeing consumers clearly make that distinction. And the distinction comes through two words, because meaning is all about words and language, and that language is Quality of Life.”   Consumers, while addicted, have come to a level of acceptance that smartphones are a part of who they are.   JASON [00:05:12] “Now I've become this person that has almost become somewhat of a creature that is partially the phone and the phone is part of me. And, that in and of itself is something that I readily accept because it allows me to thrive at so many things that I couldn't thrive at previously.”   Additionally, there is social capital in the narrative around cell phone usage. That is, there is a distinction developing between appropriate and inappropriate usage; an emerging form of cell phone etiquette.   UJWAL [00:07:47] “There's so many little moments now let's call them millions of little micro moments that are happening every day with our cell phones. The point is, do you use it to enhance your quality of life, to solve problems, to be present in the moment, to live a healthier life? Or, do you use it to, actually, to the detriment of your quality of life?”   Equally mind blowing is the distinctions that consumers are making on the role of artificial intelligence (AI), their phones and the roles that the companies producing these devices are playing.   UJWAL [00:11:30] “What's interesting to me again, is the consumer’s making a distinction. The consumer does not want to fake creativity. The consumer wants the technology to help them become more creative. Let me rephrase that. Help me learn to be more creative.”   UJWAL [00:12:58] “And of course there's an entire industry of human centric design that is built around these design principles. How do you design to teach people things? And, so this has already been done in a zillion industries. I think it's just a renewed focus. It's a different way to approach the use of the technology itself.”   In the next episode, our hosts wrap up season two with a conversation about menstrual health and hygiene. Stay tuned for episode twelve, season two finale of Why Meaning Matters.   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

In today’s episode of Why Meaning Matters, Erin, Jason and Ujwal continue the conversation on the myths and meaning of cannabis use in today’s Western culture including the newly prominent work from home lifestyle, perception and consumer buying power.   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   In season one, our hosts discussed how ideas start as myths in culture which eventually become truths when enough people agree or build consensus on that myth. Cannabis culture is no exception.   UJWAL [00:03:06] “I think there's something very interesting there because the myths around it are especially exacerbated by the fact that now we are going into a culture where we're saying it's okay to work from home.”   For cannabis companies, not only does this mean legitimizing and selling cannabis products, it also means tackling the threat of newly developing myths such as work-life balance and productivity when working from home.   JASON [00:04:40] “You know, now it's this idea of killing productivity, which while at the same time is a little bit less dramatic potentially of some of the embellishments that happened in the past. But in some ways it's more dangerous because you know, what is really interesting is that the more a myth is easy to understand and the more a myth is easy to identify as something you can relate to, the more sticky it can be”   How cannabis use continues to be represented and perceived in media and pop culture is that of unproductivity and a disconnect from science.   UJWAL [00:07:55] “So if you're a cannabis company, you have gotta be freaking out right now, because on one hand, everybody started to throw money at cannabis and it's not yielding the way it was supposed to yield. And on the other hand, I have not seen a single example of a cannabis company, a cannabis brand that has found a way to build a proper legitimate brand out of this. It's a mess.”   Comparing the subcultures built around the role of alcohol and smoking as facilitating productivity while cannabis continues to be linked to a notion of laziness.   JASON [00:10:05] “Again, alcohol has the aperitif. It's sophisticated, right? Like what is cannabis’s aperitif?”   There remains large groups of consumers who don’t believe in what “Big Cannabis” is doing and prefer to stick with underground sources where legitimacy has been built over time.   JASON [00:11:27] “If cannabis wants to make inroads with those groups of consumers, they also have to figure out what authenticity means with those consumers. Otherwise, they're going to constantly be at odds with each other.”   UJWAL [00:12:15] “The definition of authenticity is different in the context of cannabis for recreation and it's different in the context of cannabis for medical purposes, let's say for pain relief and all that sort of stuff.”   Next week on Why Meaning Matters, the myths and meaning of cell phones in a world craving authenticity.   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!    

In today’s episode of Why Meaning Matters, Erin, Jason and Ujwal bridge the connections between sleep and pain to cannabis. They explore the use of cannabis for managing inflammation, how it interacts with other supplements, and how it’s being used on a daily basis for general health and wellbeing. There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s dig in…   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   As alluded to in the last episode, consumers are looking for a solution for their sleepless nights and for pain relief.   UJWAL [00:03:19] “It's seen as a solution for pain and in particular as a holistic solution for pain, because the consumer is becoming more and more aware of the, not just of the opioid crisis in America, but also of the general over-prescription of painkiller crisis in the US.”   There is still a cultural hurdle or stigma for cannabis users to overcome however cannabis use for chronic pain and inflammation has become more acceptable in recent years.   JASON [00:06:41] “So it's exciting because it really does start to present a really interesting place where something that has been so associated with, again, Matthew McConaughey, ‘All right. All right. All right’, now is basically being associated with, you know, my mother's friend who is really kind of figuring out a way to deal with her arthritis.”   Cannabis use now intersects with food, nutrition and supplement culture more than ever before. And consumers are asking smarter questions that may not have been considered in the past. For example, ‘Are my supplements and cannabis doses interacting with one another?’ Or,  ‘Could one have a negative impact on the other?’   UJWAL [00:09:09] “So if you're a cannabis company, you may have to think about how to get into the supplement business because those Venn diagrams are getting more and more intertwined with each other. And then on the other hand, if you're a supplement company, you have to think about how to get into the world of cannabis, because those Venn diagrams are getting more and more intertwined.”   Consumers are accustomed to the question, “How many drinks do you have per week?” The alcohol industry is also impacted as consumers gravitate towards substances they believe they have more control over.   JASON [00:11:59] “I can start to science my dosage. I can think of it more as a medicinal element that helps me basically kind of maintain less stress, as opposed to these other things that I feel are kind of a little bit harder to control.”   Next week on Why Meaning Matters, from storefronts being high while working from home, we dive deeper into the conversation and myths around cannabis culture.   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

In today’s episode of Why Meaning Matters, Erin, Jason and Ujwal discuss the shifting meaning of sleep. From consumer concern for tolerance to sleep aids and drugs to holistic sleep support and how living with chronic pain impacts sleep.

  Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   It seems consumers are desperate for a good night’s sleep and are prepared to try anything to make it happen. But, researchers at MotiveBase are seeing a growing concern for tolerance and long-term effects of sleep aids.   UJWAL [00:03:20] “So now suddenly people are realizing, ‘Hang on a second, this is not sustainable for me long-term. I can't be popping certain pills just to help me sleep. I need more natural solutions’.”   Exercise, eating habits, screen time, recovery. Consumers have become more aware of the holistic impact of their daily choices that can lead to a better or worse night's sleep.   JASON [00:06:19] “So as consumers are thinking more about the holistic choices they're making it's just natural that sleep has risen in the conversation and the narrative because it is so important to how we live our lives, but also how we basically recover from all these aspects of life that happen when we’re awake.”   UJWAL [00:07:57] “And the problem is that you will struggle to find a company that demonstrates that today, a holistic approach to sleep in the future, sleep in general, and the impact of sleep on our overall health and wellbeing, … because all the solutions are targeted solutions.”   And with this shift in understanding the interconnectedness comes the developing connection of sleep and pain particularly for those living with chronic pain.   UJWAL [00:10:40] “The consumer realizes that, ‘Hang on a second. If I'm living with pain, that too bears a connection to sleep.’ And again, it's a chicken and an egg, right? I don't know what comes first but the point is that it bears a connection.”   This presents a tension of sorts amongst consumers.   JASON [00:11:16] “Where on one side of the equation, we've got a group of consumers that is realizing that we can't just be reactionary. Right? We can't. Take a pill to solve a problem.”   JASON [00:12:03] “Now the tension on the other side is there is a group of consumers that are reacting because they are trying to overcome this notion of pain and they're exploring, and they're looking for new types of solutions.”   Next week on Why Meaning Matters, we take a closer look at one of the solutions that is creating a huge wave in the area of holistic health application. Cannabis.   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

In today’s episode of Why Meaning Matters, Erin, Jason and Ujwal discuss the meaning of premium oral health. There are three areas that consumers and companies in the oral care industry are concerned with: sustainability, formulation or ingredients, and ease of use.   Consumers are overwhelmed by the options in the toothpaste aisle. Major companies have struggled to improve their margins. It goes to show that there is a cultural gap somewhere and MotivBase is exploring what it all means.   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   To the consumer, sustainability in the context of oral health means zero waste. And not just zero plastic waste.   UJWAL [00:04:19] “So zero waste is not just reducing waste, which is the obvious but in the consumer's mind it means being minimalistic. Yes, I know that's not technically zero waste, but that's why we study meaning.”   JASON [00:05:15] “[W]hat you're kind of alluding to right now is that, even as people are thinking about the role of, you know, caring for oneself or taking care of one's teeth, they're looking for better solutions, but less solutions with less to clutter the environment, because at the end of the day that says something about how they're choosing to live their lives.”   From outer packaging and presentation to product formulation, we’re starting to see all the do's and don'ts of the food industry show up in oral health and the oral care aisle. It’s simply par for the course now for a product to be considered premium in oral health.   UJWAL [00:07:38] “...not only is it innovative, it also does not have all the don'ts right? Whether it's preservatives, sugars, harm to animals, all of that stuff. It has to be a combination. You can't just do one of them and go, ‘yep, this is premium’.   Toothpaste. Tooth brush. Floss. Mouthwash. Teeth whitening. The list goes on. One thing is crystal clear, there's a complex set of considerations that are going into place every time we walk down the oral care aisle. And it has to be as simple and as easy as possible.   JASON [00:12:45] “All of these things are kind of a toolkit that we're building and we're assessing each and every one of these components as we put together our Batman utility belt of oral care for each of the members of our family.”   Next week on Why Meaning Matters, we move from the bathroom to the bedroom to dissect the cultural meaning (and challenges) of getting a quality night’s sleep.   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!