A careful examination of the current cultural trend towards the relentless pursuit of the obscure chronicles one social group’s rise to prominence. Enter the hipsters, so cool you have never heard of half of their favorite bands—all of which sound better on vinyl. Nor have you seen any of their favorite indie films, unless you are willing to endure subtitles and probable themes including, but not limited to, incest, rape, intravenous drug use and a very noir protagonist tortured by psychological conflict. It goes without saying—you have certainly never read most of their favorite authors.
In addition to their devotion to the arts, the hipsters also adhere to a basic dress code. They are largely responsible for the popularity of the fedora, dark-framed eyeglasses, plaid shirts and skinny jeans. Above all, the hipsters worship their perceived individuality and originality: a fact supported by their enthusiasm for tattoos and piercing.
I would like to propose an explanation for some of the tenets of the hipster movement that separate it from prior youth movements. Society did not just spontaneously produce an entire generation of the most creative, most open-minded, free-thinking anti-conformists the world has ever seen. More accurately, this was an incremental process, aided largely by the social media boom. Having a vehicle to communicate or advertise these various expressions of individuality created the actual demand for a versatile digital presence. At one point, people’s interests and quirks were secrets shared and discovered only with those closest to them. However, after the social media explosion, they were placed under a digital microscope and became deformed artificial contrivances. The existence of a medium to publicize these interests, forced people to manufacture colorful extensions of their personality that otherwise would not exist.
In effect, the establishment of the “online-reputation,” helped perpetuate this celebration of obscurity and uniqueness. Therefore, the need to have a list of favorite movies, bands or authors, coupled with the knowledge that it will be subject to public scrutiny, has led the hipsters toward their unending quests to create personas bursting with originality. As a result, they have become extensions of their online Frankensteins, and the interdependence between themselves and their digital projections has created an insatiable hunger to feed these all-consuming “Profiles.”
What further separates the hipsters from previous counterculture groups is they have the ability to construct and dwell within self-contained cyber realities. Because they lack the social cohesion usually associated with youth movements, they are free to live completely in service of themselves and indulge in the hyper pursuit of being hip. This self-obsession, fueled by technology and combined with fashion forward, anti-conformist values, has produced our contemporary version of a youth movement: the hipster. Despite my lengthy discourse, this is a group so cool and complex you could never fully understand them. Your best hope for true insight into the mind of a hipster would be to check out their profiles or read their blogs. Meanwhile, slide over to the nearest coffee shop serving freshly ground Guatemalan beans, force your way into your favorite pair of skinny jeans, then watch and learn.
