I know I may be jumping the gun but I figured I would post before I forgot my thoughts on the articles we had to read for tomorrow’s class. I was surprised that Anime, Pokémon, and Star Trek were all considered part of a subculture. I’ve always seen them as a trend for youth but nothing more. I’ve begun to see that there is a fine line between a trend and subculture. A trend can lead to a subculture and subculture can create trends but there is a difference. Overall the collection of articles we had to read introduced a new perspective on subcultures that exist but oftentimes people don’t realize it is considered a subculture. I began to also think about the individuals who join subcultures. Do you think in some cases people join a subculture without consciously knowing they are doing so? Or are you only considered part of a subculture when others identify you as being part of one?
I think in many cases people join the subculture because other people around them are all in this subculture. They usually just follow the trend and don't understand what the group is about before they join. However, after a while when it is not a major trend, and people around no longer consider it a "must" or cool thing to be a part of it, many people who don't really have a passion in what the subculture do will drop out.
ReplyDeleteMost subculture experience a life cycle: emergence, growth, popularized and die off. When the new subculture attract people's attention, and being pertain as "cool," more and more people will "try it out" and join the group. This growth leads the subculture become a trend among the area. Such as Anime, Pokémon, and Star Trek, we consider them almost mainstream now because they are widely recognized and highly popular. However, each of them has experienced being an unknown subculture and gradually earned popularity.
People, especially teens, value more of how others view themselves. Recognition is a big part for them to seek identity.
Maybe a trend is simply a trend. However, when one adopts it as a hobbie/interest/obsession/behaivor then it becomes a sub-culture. Example: I played with pokemon cards because they were awesome at the time but Im not part of that subculture because as easily as I picked it up I later dropped it. As opposed to someone whose a collector or fan who takes part in the subculture.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is absolutely possible to enter into a subculture without realizing it. People find things that interest them and they become passionate about it and don't realize that there are other people who feel the exact same way as they do. I think that these people often times become the leaders of subcultures, or at least become key participants in it because they are driven by their passion and not by a desire to be a part of a trend.
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