Every now and then, I like to think about where popular culture will be when I’m the same age my grandparents are now. It’s weird for me to believe that there will come a day when I educate my children and grandchildren about “old school” artists like Nicki Minaj and Drake, “classic” movies like “Space Jam” and the experience of being alive during the era when selfies were first taken.
It’s a strange way of thinking, but that’s the reality behind pop culture. Things can go out of style just as fast as they came into it, and unless we discover a way to predict the future, we’re never going to know when the newest fad is going to burst onto the scene.
Like it or not, Twitter will eventually go the way of MySpace and a new social media platform will reign supreme. Some day, people won’t try so hard to be “on fleek” and “based” and eventually, the Kardashians will realize society doesn’t really want to keep up with them anymore.
When those days do come, we can do one of three things: accept the changes and adopt the latest trends, reject the consensus and live by our own standards of cool or keep ourselves firmly planted in days of pop culture past.
There’s really no right or wrong way to deal with the twists and turns of pop culture, but the most important thing is to always respect each others likes, dislikes and ideologies, unless it’s completely detrimental, like wearing Ed Hardy or listening to Creed.
Culture is meant to promote discussion and understanding within our society, and while not all of it is great or of high quality, keep in mind that not everything stays mainstream for long. There’s no need to let repeated hearings of that “Little Einsteins” remix drive you too crazy.
It’ll be exciting to see what will become the next big thing this year, and when it does, let’s hope it gets us talking with each other instead of criticizing taste levels, no matter how “alternative” or “basic” they may be.
