At the moment that I am typing this blog, maybe a hundred, or even a thousand people are trying to start new trends. But what starts trends? Individuals. People who are at the peak or the edge of the tipping point. People who are responsible of carrying the first strain of a viral effect that may take over the globe.

That being said, can everything or anything be popularized and made trendy? Perhaps.

So what makes and individual unique and able as a trend-setter? Some people think that they stand out of the crowd, because they do not follow the crowd. But merely that is not enough to be someone responsible for a global tipping point.

Nowadays, it's hard to find truly unique individuals. Because most people now are influenced by something or someone, and perhaps that thing or person who influenced them was influenced by something and someone else before, etc. It's a never ending chain of influence. The music you listen to, the clothes you wear, the way you put your hair up in the morning, all these have been carried along by other people and passed on to you, whether you realize it or not.

So what's unique? I suppose you can say a person who takes something that is already made, changes it and makes it his or her own thing can be considered unique. People who create evolution are at the leaders of a revolution. I suppose these people are trend setters.

But of course despite people being like people, everyone is susceptible to peer pressure. Most humans are weak willed, lacking discipline or self control. You will succumb to trying /buying/achieving what your peers claim to be 'freaking awesome and dope'. But then again of course this doesn't apply to everyone. I'll assume at this point that 80% of the world are people who merely following trends not realizing that there's another 20% of the world who start these trends. A trend, regardless of good or bad, is still a trend. For instance how most kids these days are more promiscuous because someone gave the 'OK' to have sex in their circle of friends. If a 13 year old kid walks up to you and told you he 'totally got laid last night', and if you're 13 as well, most like the scenario will go as follows:

Your ego sets in and tells you its wrong to have sex because you don't know what love is and you don't wanna hurt someone.

Your id tells you to screw your ideals and just do it anyways because you can have mind blowing orgasms and tell your 'war stories' to someone later and it's gonna be cool, so you begin contemplating.

And then your superego kicks in last and puts some imaginative scenarios in your head, giving you a good reason to go get laid. Maybe make up a sob story about having cancer or something like that.

Lastly, you either do it, or don't. I'm guessing most people will go do it at this point, or waste time contemplating and then going ahead with it anyways in the end. Best case scenario would be sticking to your ideals, but lets think reality, who does that nowadays? You can fight for individuality, trying to be special, but truth is, there is truly nothing really unique in the world anymore.

Unless of course, we're talking about something out of this world.

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So what about us designers? Where do we stand? As creators of something new? Or people who make use of what's given to us and merely giving it a new identity? Or are we just people who follow the trends and try to ride the wave while its high? I don't know. I'm lost there...why don't you tell me 5 years from now?