I think the technology of today makes the teenage "cool" commercialization possible. Without TV and billboards and signs on passing buses, the word of coolness wouldn't get out to the world. The coolness would remain localized, at whatever level. Fashion styles, music, stars, and of course language would have no chance of making it big without technology. Say somebody used the word "fail" in a particular way in Moorestown. The usage of that word would probably stay localized in Moorestown, or maybe within New Jersey, or even the US, without Facebook and email and other technology.
The advanced marketing is also an important factor. We are able to see family members and friends who live a given distance away because of cars and planes. Then when we Moorestownians (?) happen to let slip a couple "fails," our cousin or whoever will develop a usage of the word and then it will spread that way.
Another example is through the spreading of products. If raw materials weren't able to be transported to other countries, or across a given country, it wouldn't be possible to make some products in some areas because of the lack or resources. The daily transportation of goods and products everywhere in the world allows clothes to reach the US and Apple products to reach Europe. Furthermore, the components of certain products come from everywhere, which wouldn't be possible without advanced transportation.
That documentary was probably made because PBS realized that around 2001, technology and modernalization truly impacted teenagers. Before those advancements, the trends didn't move as quickly. Coolness didn't get killed and get reborn in another form so fast. The documentary accurately marked the new evolution of coolness.
I think that the creator of something cool, a trendsetter, comes before the marketing of that cool thing. Other people may have different opinions, like the chicken came before the egg/no the egg came before the chicken, but in my opinion companies pick up on coolness after the fact. Like in today's documentary, Sprite and MTV were trying to catch up with teens and their ever-changing trends. MTV had to research teens to learn what they think was cool. If MTV were the one that makes up the cool stuff, it wouldn't have to research in the first place. We, the public, have the creative power.
-- tori
P.S. One last thing on coolness, concerning slang. I thought it was interesting how the word "cool" has lasted so long. It's spread across the world. Other words that meant the same thing like "groovy," "gnarly," "neato", were ephemeral. Some commercialization recently tried replacing cool with "hot" but by now that verbiage has simmered down (no pun intended) while "cool" still remains cool.
Darn, it looks like I missed an interesting day.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you Tori, but when you said coolness happens after the fact, I couldn't help being a little skeptical. A lot of advertisements for things get shown to the public well before they are available for use or purchase, and I think the success or failure of the advertising has a lot to do with how many people will go out and buy it once it is on the market. If barely anyone owns a product, how can it be considered "cool"?
Then again, some things are very well advertised but just never blow up. For example, the Segway (I don't know how to spell it) was made out to be the biggest invention of the decade. People thought it was going to completely change the way we traveled (especially in cities), and obviously it hasn't. Ultimately, like Tori said, the public has the last word on what is cool, popular, and effective for the masses.
-Alexa
I see what you mean! But I thought that even if something isn't widely spread and barely anybody owns the product, it can still be cool. Cool isn't the product that the most people have. Cool can be esoteric. That's how cool probably starts out. For example, taking inspiration from Colin's indie post, indie started out with the few who dared to be mavericks. Then other people copied (today's film said 20% of the population are trend-setters, 80% are the followers). I think that something can be cool even if it's little known.
ReplyDelete-- tori
Something can be cool if it's little known, but only for a short while. If it's really cool, it will hit the mainstream fast. Soon after that, it won't be cool anymore, but that's besides the point. If something stays little known for a while, then it's not cool and probably never was. All truly cool things begin with one person, and quickly spread to the mainstream where they reach their maximum cool potential and begin the hike down so they can be replaced by the next cool thing.
ReplyDelete~Becca
I actually disagree. I think that if something's cool and little known, it lasts longer (indie music is cool as long as it's actually indie). If something's cool and well known, it hits the mainstream faster and will run its coolness out faster, because people realize how hard it's trying to be cool (Twilight).
ReplyDelete-- tori