What's so new about Indie?

There's a recent post on my favorite blog, Art of Manliness, that calls into question the Indie movement and what it all means.

What began as a rebellion against record and movie labels, has grown into a movement. The ironic part, as the article points out, is that "the indie culture, while seeking to be unique and independent, has developed a somewhat uniform and readily identifiable aesthetic."

While attempting to debunk mainstream culture, the Indie-ans have based their identity around consumption which is the central component of the very thing they wish to discredit. Instead of Abercrombie they shop at Urban Outfitters. Instead of Dell, they belong to the Cult of Mac. And to fill their iPods, they use Last.fm to find bands that wouldn't be caught dead on the Top 40.

I know, because I dabble in this community. I love discovering new, often unsigned bands. Instead of seeing the latest blockbuster, I regularly opt for an indie flick. I drank the Apple koolaid just over a year ago. And I even like to shop at Urban Outfitters once in awhile.

But what's so new about teens and young adults acting rebellious to pop culture? Before Indie, there was Emo. Before that, there was Grunge. Before them were Hippies which were preceded by Greasers.

If anything has changed, it's the internet. The series of connected webs that weave our lives together powerfully influences each of us. Rather than only knowing what your closest ten friends are up to, you can now keep up with the latest tastes and trends among a wider circle of several hundred "friends."

So while teens/young adults being rebellious is nothing new, Rebellion 2.0 is different. Technology is not only bringing this "sub-culture" to light, but spreading it as well.

Thanks to various social media like FriendFeed, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, blogs, user reviews, etc we are entering an era of hyper-influence. Though a fad might start in a remote corner of the world, it has the potential to spread like wildfire if the online community deems it worthy.

Here's to thinking independently but acting collectively.