Popular culture is by far the most compelling trend-setter, the dictator of social relevance and the ultimate creator of propaganda. It's easy to say you don't subscribe to its rules, but hard to ignore when it seeps into every crevice of your life - into your decision making, and even into the dialogues you have.
If it weren't popular, there wouldn't be ten different (but the same) TV shows showing them, manufacturers wouldn't be producing them in bulk, and it wouldn't be so readily available for us to say yes or no to. Picture the infamous "cerulean blue" scene in The Devil Wears Prada when Meryl Streep delivered one of the most eye-opening monologues about the fashion industry - it applies to popular culture too. Even if we think our decisions are of our own governance, the choices available to us are limited by the basic laws of economics. Manufacturers are going to mass-produce the popular choice, expect a fall in price and thus democratizing the good/service for the average person to get their hands on.
Cultural trends have a massive impact on industries and the socio-economic climate, but its ephemeral nature can cause colossal disruptions in society - aka think fast fashion. It's not to say we, consumers of digital culture, are not to blame. With our dampening imaginations, shorter attention spans, and constant need for 'new' and more', we are driving up consumption to a precipice where, frankly, it can't sustain.
This made me think of three (and then some) distinct questions I needed answers to, starting with the first - why do we follow trends? I understand it's human behaviour to go on the road most trodden, we are social animals with herd mentality and all that jazz, but what was the real determining point for intellectual and advanced beings to succumb to the new shiny toy? It makes sense that 'new' may signify progress, but what kind of progress do we want when it costs us our individuality? I know I am listing down more questions than answers, but the truth is I don’t have them. Psychologists can give you the most probable answers, but in reality, everyone's truths are far more complex to expose in one sentence.
While I have trouble accepting the fact that I won’t get enough quantifiable data to answer these questions soon, my next question is - does popularity power our motivation to accomplish anything? If not power, encourage? Short answer, yes to an extent, I believe it. If companies want us to buy their products, they have to stay ahead of the market through innovative means and be the first ones to give us the trends in our hands. If people didn't demand better cameras or better screen quality in their phones, companies wouldn't probably be working so hard to birth phenomenal technology.
Popular culture has the ability to skyrocket information, propagate it to every individual with a smart device or access to media of any kind, and influence the public. Even if a trend's epicentre is based on positive impact, there requires a lot of momentum to keep it alive long enough for people to start incorporating it into their everyday. It's not just about sustainability, but also conversations of discrimination based on race and gender. It is unfortunate how a lot of those conversations have faded out, but at least they had the chance to be in the spotlight. Exposure, i.e. fifteen minutes of fame, became the most coveted prize of all, but also the most scrutinised.
Now my third question, which was more of a personal epiphany, is - will this influx of information help us make better-informed decisions, or scramble our brains? Is knowing too much, too much? If pop culture is feeding our thirst to know more, when do we know enough is enough, and how do you sort the relevant from the sea of unremarkable specifics. We like to think the more we know, the better we can choose better and be able to justify our choices. However, with pop culture's mind-numbing aftereffects, distinguishing them apart becomes an ordeal.
I watch Netflix, have an Instagram account (or three), and own various Apple products - I clearly partake in pop culture. These questions are just ways for me to get conversations started about the why's and what's surrounding the topic, not to scrutinize certain groups of people. We can't blindly follow the majority and let trends do our bidding; there has to be a sense of conscious decision-making to counter our need for the next big thing.
Being mindful is not an escapist tendency we're talking about, where we ignore reality and pretend to shut the world out. Being mindful encourages us to be aware and see through our facades, unhealthy obsessions and habits, and focus on responding to them sans bullshit.
Whether it is to question if you really want to buy trendy sock boots or stay in your miserable job, it is about evaluating the decision mindfully. Our decision-making does not exist in a vacuum, influenced by trends and our environment (and for good reason) - what is "popular" is what people are discussing about, and the more widespread our opinions are in the conversation, it becomes that much easier to practice our choices and lifestyles. Trends are all vehicles to circulate information about topics, and it isn't necessary per se to follow them, but with due diligence, research more and find those that fit into our lifestyles, and not vice versa.
A radical shift in thought has to happen for the culture of two-minute trends to start becoming meaningful ways of sharing experiences. The end goal is simple; to unify and not divide the masses based on what they believe in. Instead of filling our voids with media and junk, let's try to believe there isn't a void in the first place. And maybe, everything starts falling into place when we can assign value to our time and efforts, and not waste them in futile efforts to be someone we're not, acquire something we don't need, and simply just be in the now.
Peace out, literally.
Disclaimer! Cover image and post images are from Unsplash.