East/West
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS? HUMAN FLESH SEARCH ENGINES COMMUNITY LIVING BARBIE STORE SHANGHAI SOLO YOUTH IN KOREA
WHAT IS IT?
THE RISE OF COSPLAY IN THE WEST
The Easternisation of Western culture, and vice versa, caused by shifting community dynamics on and offline. The traditionally Eastern focus on community and Western focus on individual are merging, driven largely by social networking and online behaviour.
WHO IS IT IMPACTING? Web users participating in online social activity
K-POP IN THE US BRITNEY’S MANGA POP COVER
WHERE IS THE TREND IN ITS LIFECYCLE?
376
EARLY GROWTH
Time
RELATED TRENDS
The UK holds the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for the biggest number of video game character cosplayers in one place
Phase
China, home to the ‘human flesh search engine’, also spent $5bn on virtual goods in 2009 (customising avatars and tweaking Brand Me). In the West, online group interactions, such as crowdsourcing, and a renewed emphasis on local and community projects, have seen awareness of the collective trickle into mainstream consciousness. On a micro scale, the ‘Otaku’ mindset continues to grow as cosplay and anime culture gain more of a mainstream foothold outside of Asia: the BBC’s documentary on Manx schoolgirl Beckii Cruel aired in the UK in August 2010.
Asia, North America, Europe
BECKII CRUEL
Dr. Alex Gordon, Semiotician, Founder of Sign Salad and Canvas8 Thought Leader
HOW HAS IT BEEN DEVELOPING?
WHERE IS IT HAPPENING?
ANDROGYNOUS AESTHETICS
There is every indication that the divisions between the two worlds are eroding and that there is a borrowing of the benefits and dangers of both, which is increasingly a part of the younger generation’s identity. It’s still embryonic, managed largely by the connection to online and offline communities, or through international networking sites.
Beckii Cruel’s CHANNEL
Brand Me
has had
Neo-tribalism
Collaborative Living and Working
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views to date
CONTENTS
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