When talking with some co-workers the other day, I made a statement about myself that I found revealing. I said that I really like fads.
This isn’t to say that I indulge in every fad that I find. I didn’t go to the midnight showing of New Moon last night due to its immense popularity. I haven’t gone out and bought this year’s Furby (that’d be the Zhu Zhu Pet, for anybody over the age of 8). I don’t get caught up in fads in that way.
What I do find intriguing is simply what becomes part of the national zeitgeist. I love chasing down the latest fad and trying to understand the audience and reasoning behind its usually unlikely and sudden rise in the social consciousness.
It fascinates me to no end that topics, products, useless and impractical inventions can be picked up by a wave of popularity and suddenly be a household word. What was the turning point in our current interest in vampires? At what point did Snuggie become a word that anyone reading this could instantly picture in their minds?
What part of the trend captures me? I think it’s the complete package – the combination of a well-run marketing campaign to the accidental candid celebrity endorsement to the appearances on blogs and Twitter to the unpredictable way word of mouth spreads.
On the flip side, it’s also interesting to examine not only how a fad became so popular but also the effect it can have on people. With our entire history laid out before us, we can see how previous fads have come and gone; their ephemeral nature is plain to anyone who thinks back on slap bracelets and Tamagochis.
And yet…with every new fad, we find ourselves excited anew by the possibility of being a part of something bigger than just ourselves, if only for a little while.