It’s trendy to be the same
Posted by Nathan Hubbard on February 28th, 2007 at 5:49pm
Trends are people, social contexts, economies and companies in movement. They are hard to get, tricky to understand, and a challenge to share. But trends mean business. The earlier and [more importantly] the better you get it, the smartest and the safest your move. But the world has changed and continues to change. No longer are we living in the relatively isolated social or cultural communities which once existed before the Internet, cable television and mobile phones with built in computers and cameras took over our lives.
All of this technology has increased the speed and improved the ease at which we can access new and emerging information. Information is more easily shared, so while it can be argued that the mainstreaming of trends is happening far more quickly, it’s also changed our ability to isolate trends within a culture or audience.
But are we really that different from others anyway? Is there anything to isolate? Are Adelaide trends really different when compared with other States around Australia, and are Australian trends really that different compared with other countries? With websites like Trend Hunter Magazine dedicated to identifying the ‘next big thing’ and broadcasting it to the world, maybe not.
Most of us like to be thought of as being individuals, who dress our own distinctive way, choose to eat a certain type of food and listen to our own style of music. It’s what makes us unique. We are one in a million, or so we think. With Australia’s population of 20 million, it’s more like one in 20. Maybe we aren’t so unique after all.
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Posted in Insight
