The New Trend in Trends: Trends in the Internet-age

Trends guide us. They let us know what is cool, chic, hot-topic. They show us how to act and what to say and how to dress if we want to be "in." Trends exist because we follow them. And we follow them because they're convenient. It's easier to do what everyone else is doing rather than to beat a new path. We want to make safe choices. And if someone, somewhere, says suede is chic this season, we'd rather wear suede than print, simply because we know there's a guaranteed fan-base for suede. Humans want to fit in and be accepted. It's a method of survival, ingrained into our DNA.

But is fitting in all we want? We also want to be unique and interesting, right? Right. And that's why trends are not as great as we thought. Trends confine us to a set of "norms". They restrict us form thinking creatively and on our own. In a world of choices and limitless possibilities, trends are an outdated——and potentially dangerous——part of the past. They inhibit freedom. The only reason reason wins is because people have the power to exercise it. If we allow media and fashion trends to influence us, what's next? Trends that determine what cars we drive? The houses we live in? Our family values? Our rights?

If it weren't for the Internet, I'd still be worried about trends influencing us in the wrong way and prodding us to follow the leader, even if we don't or shouldn't agree with that leader. But trends, as we've known them for the past couple of centuries, don't really exist anymore. We're not in the 60s, where every woman wore a mini skirt. Nor are we in the 90s, where every kid wore huge T-shirts and played the same games on the same model of GameBoy. We have learned to express and embrace our differences. There are games, clothes, cars and furniture to satisfy anyone's taste. Ghosts of trends still appear, though, on runways twice a year, in fads at schools and in popular apps and social media posts. But they're not exactly trends. They're things made popular because a lot of people are liking them. We've evolved beyond trends, as a society. The Internet has given birth to niches, countless many, creating a world where everyone——no matter what their interests or tastes——can find a place to fit in. Every hobby has thousands of websites and YouTube channels dedicated to it. Every artist has a place to showcase his or her art. Practically every fact known to humankind is out there, Online, waiting to be found.

Even though the word "trend" is on the way to loosing its meaning, the fact that humans want to "fit in" remains. Nor is it likely to go away in many, many decades. If ever. Kids will always want what their friends have. Fashionistas will continue to follow the lead of the runway. And adults across the country will plunk down their money every two years for that new phone. But today, more than ever, trends are kicked-off not by the creator or distributor but by the audience. We choose what to like and share, simply because there's more to choose from. When there are more than one type of skirt to wear, or phone to buy, or game to play, we decide based on our preferences and not the preferences of others. Trends are here to stay. But what they are and who fuels them will never be the same again. At least, not until the Internet gets destroyed by deranged hackers or space aliens——whichever gets to it first.

source - The Post-Trend Universe / Cathy Horyn / The New York Times Magazine, Fedruary 15, 2015

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