Why are we surprised when someone has not seen, listened, or read something? Have you ever heard someone say, “You’ve never watched X!?!” or “Haven’t you read Y about the Z conflict? Don’t you care?” It’s no longer a matter of being culturally aware or not. Instead, it is a matter of being bombarded by media at a relentless pace and not having enough time to digest everything.
There are so many masterworks out there that you and I will never have the time to enjoy, and that’s okay. I would guess that the goal of staying relevant today is to work through media that you and your friends enjoy, as a way to bond with people in your tribe and to learn more about a subject you are personally interested in. Media has always been used as a way of bringing people together, and as we have access to more and more information we must be even more intentional about what we invest our valuable time with. What do you think is the point of staying relevant today? Would want to be able to consume everything, and if you could is that a good thing?