In Reality Understanding The Stories That Divide Us with Harmony Labs' Brian Waniewski
Oct 3, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Brian Waniewski, Executive Director of Harmony Labs, shares insights into how narratives shape our understanding of the world. He explains the importance of stories in creating community identities and emphasizes the need for nonprofits to address polarization through data. Brian reveals fascinating findings on audience engagement with ultra-nationalist narratives on platforms like YouTube and suggests strategies for interrupting harmful narratives. He also discusses the role of media in fostering democratic values and advocates for public education to combat misinformation.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Stories Are The Unit Of Meaning
- People make sense of the world through stories, and stories are the primary unit of meaning that shape values and media choices.
- Harmony Labs infers people's beliefs by observing the stories they choose to engage with rather than relying only on survey answers.
Values Beat Demographics For Audiences
- Harmony Labs segments audiences by values on two axes: community vs individual and preserve vs explore, creating four audience types.
- This values-based segmentation predicts media choices better than demographics like age or geography.
Linking Behavior To Content
- The Narrative Observatory links behavioral media data (clicks, views) with content transcripts to map what people actually consume.
- Combining exposure and content lets Harmony Labs form hypotheses about how media shapes beliefs and narratives.
