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.

Anthropology & YouTube

Earlier this week Mike Wesch posted a video of his presentation at the Library of Congress in June. For those of you that may not know him, Wesch is Professor of Anthropology at Kansas State University. He is a recognized expert on Web 2.0 and particularly how it's changing the way we think about the world around us.

His presentation entitled "An anthropological introduction to YouTube" is highly insightful as both an overview on the influence of social media on global culture and communities. For any of you that are interested in social media, online communities, or just anthropology in general, I highly recommend watching the presentation below.

WARNING: Only click on the video if you're a dedicated viewer as it clocks in at about 50 minutes. Again, well worth your time. I promise.

Let's Talk About Sex

I came across an interesting post the other day on sex, called "The Virtuous Life: Chastity." Between that article, a great book I'm reading right now, and a particular VH1 series, I have sex on the brain (not to mention a certain Salt n' Pepa song thanks to my title.)

Ah yes, sex. That dirty little three letter word that stands for so many things. It's your gender, activities associated with sexual intercourse, all of the feelings resulting from the urge to gratify sexual impulses, etc. Regardless of the definition, we're constantly reminded of it's presence all around us. From the movies we watch to the clothes we buy, it's everywhere.

If you ask your four closest friends what they think about sex, you'll get four uniquely different answers. In some circles, it's still considered taboo to even discuss the topic. Our view towards sex is heavily influenced by our religion, culture, gender, peer group, mass media, parents, and so on.

But when you get right down to it, it's a very personal thing. Or should I say, it's a very interpersonal thing shared between two people (perhaps more than that for some.) In general, I think our culture has come to treat sex entirely too casual. It's not. If sexual activity is a sliding scale from chastity (1) to promiscuity (10), and you score a perfect 10, I would argue that sex is still something of importance to you.

The article that prompted this post makes several valid points along those lines. Regardless what you might say when bragging or gossiping amongst friends, the truth is you agree that sex is something of incredible value. If you're treating it as such, great. If not, then why not?