Exegesis of Culture

I just started a book by David Wells called Above All Earthly Powers. I've only read the introduction so far, but I'm pushing this book forward on my reading priority based on what I read so far. This simple quote hit me like a ton of bricks tonight:

...theology, if it is true to its own nature, must be missiological in its intent. Its task is not only to understand the nature of biblical truth but also to ask how that truth addresses the issues of the day

I realized recently that I have spent a lot of time, energy and even money developing my skills at interpreting and understanding biblical truths and virtually no time/energy/money on understanding our culture. That is hyperbolic, but by comparison, I've invested nothing in exegesis of the culture.

One the challeges I face in this is knowing who speaks for the culture, specifically the culture of the college student on IU's campus. The culture seems so splintered, so fragmented that it seems impossible to find someone who speaks for the whole. Who are the poets expressing the concerns, hopes, fears and loves of the culture?