Frank Spring on the "trust gap" and how narrative can make or break a campaign
Frank Spring sat down with Cameron Cowan to talk about the power of stories in shaping people's behavior and their political choices. They also got into how rural communities are reacting to artificial intelligence, and why certain campaign slogans succeed while others falter.
The science of story
Spring emphasizes that in Altum's practice, "narrative" and "story" are not merely marketing terms, but scientific descriptors that provide a deep lens into human behavior. As he describes, the primary function of stories is to establish group identity and status.
"My own view is the most important view [regarding] the role that story plays in society is to help us understand what groups we belong to, what those groups believe, and how we relate to people who don't share those beliefs," Spring said.
The anatomy of a successful political narrative
Spring outlines a specific framework for constructing a political narrative. To be effective, a candidate must bridge the trust gap by demonstrating motivation through their personal story, while also providing a compelling narrative for the community they intend to lead. That narrative model must include and speak to the emotional reality the community is experiencing. As Spring says:
"The communicator's dilemma is that you're always at risk of talking to yourself... If you're going to tell people about a political story, you have to be able to name the feeling that they have in response to the present state of their community and why they feel that way."
What made "MAGA" work as a message?
The conversation highlights a sharp contrast between the Republican "MAGA" narrative and recent Democratic messaging. Spring suggests that "Make America Great Again" succeeded because it was a narrative that let voters openly project their own meanings onto it, increasing its social power. On the other hand, Democratic campaigns often skip the narrative-building phase and jump directly to policy promises that don't necessarily connect with what voters feel.
Rural Perspectives on AI
Spring also detailed Altum Insight's findings from a recent study on rural voters in Nebraska. Contrary to some assumptions, rural voters are not technophobic. But in this study, they express deep concerns about the social implications of AI. They view it as a threat to human connection and community cohesion, fearing it will exacerbate feelings of isolation and threaten the values they are trying to teach their kids:
"AI can't know you. It can't show you interpersonal respect... It can be trained to pretend to, but it can't actually ever know you or respect you or value you in the way that some that you can be known and respected and valued in a small community like that."
This conversation could not come at a more crucial time. As political parties are preoccupied with current conflics, there is a potential for a realignment as younger generations take over and issues like economic policy, capital, and the governance of AI become central concerns for all of us.
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