Friday, November 20, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Fiber - Yarn - Fabric
Apparel
- With the current economic conditions, consumers want the easiest, most time effective clothing to take care of.
- ExOfficio and many other brands have created stretchable “moisture-wicking” apparel, comprised of blends of 94 percent nylon and 6 percent spandex that are meant not only to lighten the load for packing (compression in suitcases), but are also easy to wash and fast-drying.
- US consumers have become more label-conscious in terms of their clothing and footwear during recent years. Although more consumers are seeking out bargains, they still want to remain fashionable, and the popularity of “cheap-chic” clothing lines continues to grow.
- To increase customer amounts, retailers are seeking to partner with prominent people to create exclusive lines of clothing products, enticing customers into specific stores in order to purchase those items. The popularity of some of these lines is linked to the growth in sales for certain stores, particularly within the department stores.
- Several factors may be motivating a new breed of consumer eager to support domestic manufacturing, There' is a sense that buying domestic helps our economy during the recession. There is also the idea of buying “heirloom-quality goods,” things that are durable and that one will own for a long time, made by people who were paid a decent wage.
- Declining prices in the clothing and footwear market is beneficial for consumers. But it is a problem for many manufacturers and retailers. In order to combat the deflationary trend, manufacturers and retailers will seek new, more innovative products that are more insulated from price deflation.
- Microfiber finishes allow for a crushed and/or wrinkled appearance that is thermochromic, antibacterial, anti-UV, light sensitive and deodorant.
- Microfiber blends are used in both “prêt-a-porter and haute couture” fashion, since these fabrics have a unique appearance and excellent physical qualities.
- With quotes from Glamour magazine stating, “Finally! Money advise just for young women” we can see that cheap and inexpensive fabrics are popular with the downturn of our economy.
- Ladies’ Home Journal also features many articles on saving money and holding on to what we currently possess. Lines such as, “Darling, I love it when you talk money to me” and “Beauty Bargains: Save big (and still look great)” are featured as main titles where we know that recyclable and reusable fibers such as 100% cotton are going to be a common trend. Any materials that are easy to remake, reuse, and reproduce are what is in style.
- Even in current and popular-culture magazines that usually focus on celebrities and glam, we see articles claiming, “Living the recession: Broken Dreams”. This common trend of the recession and the downward-spiraling economy is the most reoccurring topic among all current magazine and media announcements. This will be the basis of all of our future trends, including apparel’s style and materials.
- Style shifts from the current, idolizing celebrities and powerful women of the 40’s, to a later on inspiration. Business-chic, yet long-lasting materials. Leather and fur, as well as thick tweed and suede are used in creating these functional and fashionable items. We still see inspirations from powerful women, but they style’s are a little more modern; taken from a mix of the 50’s and the 80’s glam.
Sportswear
- Reflecting on the current technological boom is an increase in technologically advanced fabric, fiber, and yarn in sportswear.
- Microfiber fabrics will continue to gain popularity due to their easy care, that they are machine-washable and will not lose their shapes. Fabrics constructed from microbers can also be made windproof and breathable. These two qualities together imply that the fabrics prevent the smallest drops of water from entering while allowing the water vapor from perspiration to pass through. These properties result in these fabrics maintaining an even body temperature in all types of weather conditions.
- New garments including a Heart Sensing Sports Bra, Cardio Shirt for Men, and Racer Tank offer seamless comfort combined with superior monitoring performance. They sense heart rate through stretchy “fabric electrodes” that are knit directly into the fabric, and send that data to a compatible wrist watch or cardio machine via a tiny transmitter that is snapped into a pocket in the garment.
- ExOfficio and many other brands are pioneering the technology to fully integrate insect-repellant technology into apparel lines, including shirts, hats, bandanas and socks. These insect-repellant clothing items are also UV resistant.
- Stretchy and expandable fabrics are great for long-time use in sportswear as well. The stronger the material, the less the consumer will need to replace their purchases in the midst of this rough economy.
Interior
- Just like in sportswear, and everyday apparel, product-enhancing finishes are going to be the basis of our interior decorating. Anything to make the consumer’s purchase as worthy and long lasting as possible will be key. Finishes on furniture that are stain and wear resisting will be very popular in a money-saving environment.
- With the current economic conditions, consumers want the easiest, most time effective clothing to take care of.
- ExOfficio and many other brands have created stretchable “moisture-wicking” apparel, comprised of blends of 94 percent nylon and 6 percent spandex that are meant not only to lighten the load for packing (compression in suitcases), but are also easy to wash and fast-drying.
- US consumers have become more label-conscious in terms of their clothing and footwear during recent years. Although more consumers are seeking out bargains, they still want to remain fashionable, and the popularity of “cheap-chic” clothing lines continues to grow.
- To increase customer amounts, retailers are seeking to partner with prominent people to create exclusive lines of clothing products, enticing customers into specific stores in order to purchase those items. The popularity of some of these lines is linked to the growth in sales for certain stores, particularly within the department stores.
- Several factors may be motivating a new breed of consumer eager to support domestic manufacturing, There' is a sense that buying domestic helps our economy during the recession. There is also the idea of buying “heirloom-quality goods,” things that are durable and that one will own for a long time, made by people who were paid a decent wage.
- Declining prices in the clothing and footwear market is beneficial for consumers. But it is a problem for many manufacturers and retailers. In order to combat the deflationary trend, manufacturers and retailers will seek new, more innovative products that are more insulated from price deflation.- Microfiber finishes allow for a crushed and/or wrinkled appearance that is thermochromic, antibacterial, anti-UV, light sensitive and deodorant.
- Microfiber blends are used in both “prêt-a-porter and haute couture” fashion, since these fabrics have a unique appearance and excellent physical qualities.
- With quotes from Glamour magazine stating, “Finally! Money advise just for young women” we can see that cheap and inexpensive fabrics are popular with the downturn of our economy.
- Ladies’ Home Journal also features many articles on saving money and holding on to what we currently possess. Lines such as, “Darling, I love it when you talk money to me” and “Beauty Bargains: Save big (and still look great)” are featured as main titles where we know that recyclable and reusable fibers such as 100% cotton are going to be a common trend. Any materials that are easy to remake, reuse, and reproduce are what is in style.
- Even in current and popular-culture magazines that usually focus on celebrities and glam, we see articles claiming, “Living the recession: Broken Dreams”. This common trend of the recession and the downward-spiraling economy is the most reoccurring topic among all current magazine and media announcements. This will be the basis of all of our future trends, including apparel’s style and materials.
- Style shifts from the current, idolizing celebrities and powerful women of the 40’s, to a later on inspiration. Business-chic, yet long-lasting materials. Leather and fur, as well as thick tweed and suede are used in creating these functional and fashionable items. We still see inspirations from powerful women, but they style’s are a little more modern; taken from a mix of the 50’s and the 80’s glam.
Sportswear
- Reflecting on the current technological boom is an increase in technologically advanced fabric, fiber, and yarn in sportswear.
- Microfiber fabrics will continue to gain popularity due to their easy care, that they are machine-washable and will not lose their shapes. Fabrics constructed from microbers can also be made windproof and breathable. These two qualities together imply that the fabrics prevent the smallest drops of water from entering while allowing the water vapor from perspiration to pass through. These properties result in these fabrics maintaining an even body temperature in all types of weather conditions.
- New garments including a Heart Sensing Sports Bra, Cardio Shirt for Men, and Racer Tank offer seamless comfort combined with superior monitoring performance. They sense heart rate through stretchy “fabric electrodes” that are knit directly into the fabric, and send that data to a compatible wrist watch or cardio machine via a tiny transmitter that is snapped into a pocket in the garment.
- ExOfficio and many other brands are pioneering the technology to fully integrate insect-repellant technology into apparel lines, including shirts, hats, bandanas and socks. These insect-repellant clothing items are also UV resistant.- Stretchy and expandable fabrics are great for long-time use in sportswear as well. The stronger the material, the less the consumer will need to replace their purchases in the midst of this rough economy.
Interior
- Just like in sportswear, and everyday apparel, product-enhancing finishes are going to be the basis of our interior decorating. Anything to make the consumer’s purchase as worthy and long lasting as possible will be key. Finishes on furniture that are stain and wear resisting will be very popular in a money-saving environment.
Prints - Patterns - Graphics
Apparel- As a trend on the runways for spring 2010 ready-to-wear collections, vogue has pointed out (and we agree) that neutral tones and patterns will gain popularity and be a full blown trend by 2012. Neutral tones were features in such collections as: Calvin Klein, Donna Karen, Carolina Herrera, Chanel, and Michael Kors.
- As we move into the digital age, developments in digital printing of paper are being adapted more and more for the textile market. Inkjet textile printing is growing while growth in analog textile printing remains inactive. As digital print technologies improve offering faster production and larger cost-effective print runs, digital printing will grow to become the technology that provides the majority of the world’s printed textiles.
- In jewelry, small, dainty, and classy are popular trends. Earthy and natural tones are reoccurring, especially blues and ocean-inspired colors. Gold paired with a solid blue is special, and pretty, yet not too flashy or overwhelming. “Simple, subtle jewelry never goes out of style.”- Durable and long lasting materials such as hard leather or industrial accessories add to bags, tops, and jeans to leave a lasting impression. The color blue, again, extremely popular and eye-catching, brings an interesting element.
- We saw many patterns of leather appearing in popularity, such as snakeskin and chevron-shaped prints; all in neutral color schemes and tones. Different gradients of naturals and nature inspired patterns are very reoccurring in both apparel and accessories. Browns, creams, and rusts are the most commonly colored patterns and prints.
Interior- Screen prints are becoming popular for home décor in lamps, pillows, and even pieces of furniture adding a new and interesting touch to everyday items. Inspirations from things in nature, such as animals and plants, are seen literally screen-printed on to pieces of interior decoration.
- In home interior fabric patterns, our research showed us many varieties of (again) nature-inspired, earthy, and neutral graphics. Prints of dandelions, mimosa vines, and simple shaped patterns are compiled to create simplicity and class.
- This same idea of taking something you already have and making it new again, is reoccurring in interior as well as apparel. Ads from Houebeautiful show us popularity in patchwork prints. Patterns out of a combination of several different printed fabrics make a refreshed new look in any home interior.
- Another common interior trend includes printed rugs. Paisley inspired patterns in tonal colors, still neutral and not flashy, are popular. Adding warmth and focus pieces to your home interior is important.
- One new and cool idea seen in home trends is wallpaper inspired by sky-themed photos. This interesting idea makes an everyday thing unique and unusual; a cool new way to spice up your walls.
- Also in popular pattern forecasting, there is an abundance of small printed fabrics. Yes, items with prints will still be popular, but their graphics will be of a smaller scale.
- Bringing the outside environment inside to your home is important in these earth-based trends. Turquoise, blue, and green-patterned walls, rugs, and furniture pieces are popular. Blue is also a calming color, which will be popular in a financially stressful time.
Resources
http://www.apparelmag.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=MultiPublishing&mod=PublishingTitles&mid=CD746117C0BB4828857A1831CE707DBE&tier=4&id=CC179BFE7A2C400BA8FE72B1F391D4BC
http://apparelmag.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=MultiPublishing&mod=PublishingTitles&mid=CD746117C0BB4828857A1831CE707DBE&tier=4&id=5E476C10183543FE90BED86A5BB5BFC0
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/fashion/article-23755803-digital-prints-have-the-wow-factor.do
http://www.apparelsearch.com/technology_innovation_clothing.htm
http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2684/PORTAL/Magazines/Consumers.aspx
http://www.elle.com/Fashion/Trend-Reports/Trend-Report-Shades-of-Blue
http://www.style.com/vogue/guide/S2010RTW/
http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/trends/2009-spring-summer/090428-optical-prints.aspx#
http://apparelmag.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=MultiPublishing&mod=PublishingTitles&mid=CD746117C0BB4828857A1831CE707DBE&tier=4&id=5E476C10183543FE90BED86A5BB5BFC0
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/fashion/article-23755803-digital-prints-have-the-wow-factor.do
http://www.apparelsearch.com/technology_innovation_clothing.htm
http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2684/PORTAL/Magazines/Consumers.aspx
http://www.elle.com/Fashion/Trend-Reports/Trend-Report-Shades-of-Blue
http://www.style.com/vogue/guide/S2010RTW/
http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/trends/2009-spring-summer/090428-optical-prints.aspx#
http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2684/PORTAL/Magazines/Consumers.aspxTuesday, October 20, 2009
The Future
Strong Opinions & The PlayersCurrently our nation is in a slight state of depression, not only economically, but socially, culturally, and politically as well. Due to the recession, social moods are pessimistic and cautious and our popular culture is a reflection of these moods. Also as a result is general skepticism towards our governments ability to help our nation recover. Slowly, as the population gains faith in the government coupled with our climbing economy, general social mood will become positive once again and popular culture will reflect this change.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Social
Dominating Factors: Dominating our research was the idea that our society is progressively becoming more and more technological. Along with this idea, is the concept that consumers will always be able to get what they want when they want. With the increased simplification of American lives, will our society ultimately become irreversibly lazy?
Hidden Currents: With the growing divorce rate, our research also shows that there is growing equality among men and women in both the work place and the home. Does this point to a more gender neutral future?
Bad Ideas: Some of our research pointed towards the idea that the "Green Movement" is no longer effecting our society. However, due to the current state of the economy, we believe that once the economy recovers, the future of our environment will become a priority again.
Today’s Millennial Generation by Martin Nikirk
- The millennial generation is the first generation to grow up with technology integrated into their lives – cell phones, i-pods, computer, the internet, instant messaging, texting, MySpace, and Facebook accounts
- Because technology is so integrated into our society there is a growing need for “computerized clothing”
- The millennial generation will have technology to manage their homes and maintain their lives through sensors in homes and clothing that can regulate the lights, temperature, audio, video, and security
- In the future, teachers and students will no longer face a digital disconnect because teachers will be a part of the millennial generation
Nikirk, M. (2009). Today's Millennial Generation: A Look Ahead To the Future They Create. Techniques: Connecting Education & Careers, 84(5), 20-23. http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2077
Deflating a Myth by Mark Dolliver
- Companies will have to get greener, all right, whether they want to or not. But for their labors to resonate profitably with consumers, they'll have to deal with an admixture of skepticism and indifference, while also figuring out which audiences are most receptive to their efforts.
- There is more aspirational commitment, as opposed to real commitment, by consumers at this point to the green movement
- When it asks about specifics of green behavior, polling tends to confirm that mainstream consumers have learned to talk the talk but are still in the baby-steps phase of walking the walk.
- Consumers care more if a corporation is not going green than if they are making large efforts to go green and are more likely to punish the former than reward the latter
- people become more concerned about the environment when they have children and thus feel a long-term stake in the fate of the planet. But we also know that having kids can channel people's attention more intensely on their immediate household. The confluence of these factors makes mothers a promising audience for green-marketing efforts
- Consumers are skeptical of the reasons behind corporations going green
Dolliver, M. (2008). Deflating a Myth. Brandweek, 49(19), 30-32. http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2077
Globalization in Retreat by Roger C. Altman
- Globalization itself is reversing. The long-standing wisdom that everyone wins in a single world market has been undermined. Global trade, capital flows, and immigration are declining. It also has not gone unnoticed that nations with insulated financial systems, such as China and India, have suffered the least economic damage.
- The United States will now be focused inward and constrained by unemployment and fiscal pressures. Much of the world also blames U.S. financial excesses for the global recession. This has put the U.S. model of free-market capitalism out of favor. The deserved global goodwill toward President Barack Obama mitigates some of this, but not all of it.
- The world's three largest economies, the United States, the EU, and Japan, will not be able to generate a normal cyclical recovery. The pervasive financial damage will prevent it. As a result, nations dependent on those markets for growth, such as those in eastern Europe, will also face a long recovery. And many of the developing economies, which depend on foreign capital, have been hardest hit.
- That debt surged because Americans spent beyond their means. This reflected the wealth effect--households feeling wealthier on account of rising asset values and thus spending more. But consumers are now shell-shocked, and so that effect has been reversed. Household outflows are down, producing the unusual surge in personal savings rates that is now evident.
Altman, R. (2009). Globalization in Retreat. Foreign Affairs, 88(4), 2-7. http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2077
- Julie Clark
Hidden Currents: With the growing divorce rate, our research also shows that there is growing equality among men and women in both the work place and the home. Does this point to a more gender neutral future?
Bad Ideas: Some of our research pointed towards the idea that the "Green Movement" is no longer effecting our society. However, due to the current state of the economy, we believe that once the economy recovers, the future of our environment will become a priority again.
Today’s Millennial Generation by Martin Nikirk
- The millennial generation is the first generation to grow up with technology integrated into their lives – cell phones, i-pods, computer, the internet, instant messaging, texting, MySpace, and Facebook accounts
- Because technology is so integrated into our society there is a growing need for “computerized clothing”
- The millennial generation will have technology to manage their homes and maintain their lives through sensors in homes and clothing that can regulate the lights, temperature, audio, video, and security
- In the future, teachers and students will no longer face a digital disconnect because teachers will be a part of the millennial generation
Nikirk, M. (2009). Today's Millennial Generation: A Look Ahead To the Future They Create. Techniques: Connecting Education & Careers, 84(5), 20-23. http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2077
Deflating a Myth by Mark Dolliver
- Companies will have to get greener, all right, whether they want to or not. But for their labors to resonate profitably with consumers, they'll have to deal with an admixture of skepticism and indifference, while also figuring out which audiences are most receptive to their efforts.
- There is more aspirational commitment, as opposed to real commitment, by consumers at this point to the green movement
- When it asks about specifics of green behavior, polling tends to confirm that mainstream consumers have learned to talk the talk but are still in the baby-steps phase of walking the walk.
- Consumers care more if a corporation is not going green than if they are making large efforts to go green and are more likely to punish the former than reward the latter
- people become more concerned about the environment when they have children and thus feel a long-term stake in the fate of the planet. But we also know that having kids can channel people's attention more intensely on their immediate household. The confluence of these factors makes mothers a promising audience for green-marketing efforts
- Consumers are skeptical of the reasons behind corporations going green
Dolliver, M. (2008). Deflating a Myth. Brandweek, 49(19), 30-32. http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2077
Globalization in Retreat by Roger C. Altman
- Globalization itself is reversing. The long-standing wisdom that everyone wins in a single world market has been undermined. Global trade, capital flows, and immigration are declining. It also has not gone unnoticed that nations with insulated financial systems, such as China and India, have suffered the least economic damage.
- The United States will now be focused inward and constrained by unemployment and fiscal pressures. Much of the world also blames U.S. financial excesses for the global recession. This has put the U.S. model of free-market capitalism out of favor. The deserved global goodwill toward President Barack Obama mitigates some of this, but not all of it.
- The world's three largest economies, the United States, the EU, and Japan, will not be able to generate a normal cyclical recovery. The pervasive financial damage will prevent it. As a result, nations dependent on those markets for growth, such as those in eastern Europe, will also face a long recovery. And many of the developing economies, which depend on foreign capital, have been hardest hit.
- That debt surged because Americans spent beyond their means. This reflected the wealth effect--households feeling wealthier on account of rising asset values and thus spending more. But consumers are now shell-shocked, and so that effect has been reversed. Household outflows are down, producing the unusual surge in personal savings rates that is now evident.
Altman, R. (2009). Globalization in Retreat. Foreign Affairs, 88(4), 2-7. http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2077
- Julie Clark
World Future Society: Research for Tomorrow
- Evolution and future direction of marriage:
- Marriage systems since second half of 20th century have not been encouraging
- Divorce rates are at an all time high
- A need for exploration of preferable future marriage possibilities
- Long-term evolutionary trends, gender roles, and social negotiation
- "Superlongevity Revolution"
- Radical extension of human lifespan brought by breakthroughs in biotechnology, calorie restriction, genetic engineering, and stem cell science- could all substantially reduce the death rate
- Opportunities and challenges that rapid population growth brings
- Phenomenon of people power: Hope
- Currently 40 regional and ethnic conflicts taking place worldwide
- Singlehandedly since 1990 people have been raising the thought of Democracy
- Said to be a huge jump in "People Power" throughout the next five years
"World Future Society: Research for Tomorrow." World Future Society (2007) 1-12. Web.03 Oct 2009. http://www.wfs.org.
The Future of TV
- One of the new largest television developments is On Demand, making the viewer a much more vital piece of the entertainment
- As technologies change over, the new most important quality of trends will be interactivity
- Television will begin to be much more focused on the viewer rather than the broadcaster
- As technologies progress, less and less people will be watching their selected programming at the time of air
- The idea of making a show available online at a certain release date for everyone to view from then on is going to become a much more popular theme
- Reality television and sporting events will still require a live audience or timely broadcast to keep their viewers enthralled, but it seems to be a much different situation for series television
Warman, M. (2009, September 24). The future of tv. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/reviews/6226172/The-future-of-TV.html
The Future Is Cheese
- Serialized format of television, meaning stories that stretch over the span of an entire season, rather that each individual episode, are having a rough time with ratings
- Because of DVR and online streaming this type of show has seen a decline
- The serialized way of television was much more popular when you could, or had to, watch it at the time of it's airing
- "Amid an economic downturn that’s calling into question most old-school business strategies, the underpinnings of much of the mainstream television business are coming unstuck—and the first casualty may be the profusion of triple-decker, lavishly produced, scripted television that we’ve all taken for granted."
- This brings an interesting shift to the television that has remained popular for years and what it's new outcome will be
- Television networks are no longer making as much as they used to
- A decrease in watched television and ratings of common shows will most likely create a spike in the marketing of their corresponding products such as name branded paraphernalia and DVD sales
- Shows such as American Idol and Dancing With the Stars can still captivate culture for a moment due to the fact that their shows remain watched live, and are then voted on by the public in a set time frame
- Sitcom shows that feature commercials and would be preferable to watch at one's own pace are much more likely to become victims of an online streaming only trend
Hirschorn, M. (2009, March). The future is cheese. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200903/television
Future Social Trends and Expectations of the Next Generation of Older Users of Domotics
- Societal and social trends: demographic shift (increasing proportion of older people, particularly strong growth among the very old, trend towards living alone, reduction in the size of households, shrinking family networks, families diminishing potential to care for older individuals), changes in health (improved health status among younger cohorts, increased period of life free from serious chronic illness or impairments), and changes in biographical experiences (increased prosperity, increased poverty at the same time, fragile family relationships, changes in working life with fragile careers, technological developments affecting private and public life)
- Changes in attitudes and expectations of the next generation: extended periods of living alone, improved standards of living, increased experience with new technologies, more active and mobile lifestyles, increased awareness of one's body and health, new meanings of technology
Mollenkopf, H., & Wahl, H.W. (2002). Future societal trends and expectations of the next generation of older users of domotics. Retrieved from http://www.sentha.tu-berlin.de/paper/mollenkopf_miami.pdf
- Jen Peterson
Cultural
Dominating Factors: In the current state of the economy, our culture is literally in a state of depression. Current television, film, and music indicates either a direct reflection of this mood or an escape from the current state. Will this mood continue and have a lasting affect on our culture?
Hidden Currents: As population and immigration continue to rapidly increase, our society will indeed be affected, but how? Perhaps our culture will continue to diversify even more as the "melting pot" of America becomes less unified. On the other hand, our culture could go in the direction of complete unification with a society completely different than the rest of the world.
Bad Ideas: With the popularization of vampires, is this a reflection of our culture? Most likely, our future does not entail a great increase in cannibalism, however, the attitudes of vampires, such as low morality and sexual promiscuity, could be more prevalent in future generations.
Popular Culture and the Economy by Don Cusic and Greogory K. Faulk
- Consumers vote for the most ‘‘popular’’ cultural items with their pocketbooks
- Trends in popular culture spending reflect shifting tastes.
- Consumers spend more money on entertainment that they can see and hear than they do on print-based media or sound recordings.
- media-based companies produce about two-thirds of the output of popular culture industries.
- Cultural products are identified as those that directly express attitudes, opinions, ideas, values, and artistic creativity.
Cusic D., & Faulk, G. (2009). Popular Culture and the Economy. Journal of Popular Culture, 42(3), 458-479. http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2077, doi:10.1111/j.1540-5931.2009.00690.x
Facing the Music by Morris Dickstein
- This article links the compares the effects of the Depression with the likely impact of the current recession, especially on young adults. One way to give substance to that comparison is to consider the role played by the lively arts in hard times
- In times of stagnation, rampant fears, and blighted hopes, the arts become a force in bolstering morale and getting people moving again.
- Besides conveying the joy and superlative grace of movement, dance in films and television became a metaphor for the need of beleaguered people to link up and hang together. (most recently the film “Fame” and the television series “Glee”)
- Novelists are beginning to employ details and the ability to portray contracted, wayward lives, which would hold them in a good mood if they turned their attention to the effects of the recession, especially the loss of jobs and enforced idleness.
- For tomorrow's television viewers we can safely predict a glut of upholstered period and costume dramas, as well as game shows, talent competitions, and reality shows, which are cheap to produce and which satisfy the audience's hunger for sudden changes in fame and fortune.
Dickstein, M. (2009). Facing the Music. American Scholar, 78(4), 91-95. http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2077
Necks Overflowing With Rivers of Metaphor by Gina Bellafante
- HBO’s series “True Blood” has become an allegory for nearly every strain of tension in American life
- the show seemed predicated on an interest in the retail addict’s belief that we’re made of what we buy.
- Despite the progress they’ve made, vampires, like women bent on avoiding Botox, still can’t subject themselves to the murderous effects of sunlight.
- “True Blood” isn’t interested in what we buy; it cares whether we really are who we sleep with.
- In the show, vampires are discriminated against much like gays and lesbians are discriminated against in our society
Bellafante, G. (2009, August 28). Necks Overflowing With Rivers of Metaphor. New York Times, p. 1. http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2077
Is 2009 the Most Depressing Year Ever at the Movies by Ramin Setoodeh
- This years movie themes include incest, murder, AIDS, cancer, abuse, layoffs, and lots of unexpected, tragic deaths.
- This fall's slate was written at the end of the Bush administration, when most of Hollywood—at least the predominantly liberal part—was under a cloud of gloom. Now, we're all feeling gloomy; the economy is in tatters, and the unemployment rate continues to soar.
- Makes comparison to movies released following The Great Depression and movies following the current recession
- While more depressive movies are being released as a relfection of writer and director moods, top box office hits are escapist movies such as “Harry Potter” and “Transformers” that allow us to forget about the current reality
Setoodeh, R. (2009). Is 2009 the Most Depressing Year Ever at the Movies. Newsweek. http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/popvox/archive/2009/10/09/is-2009-the-most-depressing-year-ever-at-the-movies.aspx
- Julie Clark
Hidden Currents: As population and immigration continue to rapidly increase, our society will indeed be affected, but how? Perhaps our culture will continue to diversify even more as the "melting pot" of America becomes less unified. On the other hand, our culture could go in the direction of complete unification with a society completely different than the rest of the world.
Bad Ideas: With the popularization of vampires, is this a reflection of our culture? Most likely, our future does not entail a great increase in cannibalism, however, the attitudes of vampires, such as low morality and sexual promiscuity, could be more prevalent in future generations.
Popular Culture and the Economy by Don Cusic and Greogory K. Faulk
- Consumers vote for the most ‘‘popular’’ cultural items with their pocketbooks
- Trends in popular culture spending reflect shifting tastes.
- Consumers spend more money on entertainment that they can see and hear than they do on print-based media or sound recordings.
- media-based companies produce about two-thirds of the output of popular culture industries.
- Cultural products are identified as those that directly express attitudes, opinions, ideas, values, and artistic creativity.
Cusic D., & Faulk, G. (2009). Popular Culture and the Economy. Journal of Popular Culture, 42(3), 458-479. http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2077, doi:10.1111/j.1540-5931.2009.00690.x
Facing the Music by Morris Dickstein
- This article links the compares the effects of the Depression with the likely impact of the current recession, especially on young adults. One way to give substance to that comparison is to consider the role played by the lively arts in hard times
- In times of stagnation, rampant fears, and blighted hopes, the arts become a force in bolstering morale and getting people moving again.
- Besides conveying the joy and superlative grace of movement, dance in films and television became a metaphor for the need of beleaguered people to link up and hang together. (most recently the film “Fame” and the television series “Glee”)
- Novelists are beginning to employ details and the ability to portray contracted, wayward lives, which would hold them in a good mood if they turned their attention to the effects of the recession, especially the loss of jobs and enforced idleness.
- For tomorrow's television viewers we can safely predict a glut of upholstered period and costume dramas, as well as game shows, talent competitions, and reality shows, which are cheap to produce and which satisfy the audience's hunger for sudden changes in fame and fortune.
Dickstein, M. (2009). Facing the Music. American Scholar, 78(4), 91-95. http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2077
Necks Overflowing With Rivers of Metaphor by Gina Bellafante
- HBO’s series “True Blood” has become an allegory for nearly every strain of tension in American life
- the show seemed predicated on an interest in the retail addict’s belief that we’re made of what we buy.
- Despite the progress they’ve made, vampires, like women bent on avoiding Botox, still can’t subject themselves to the murderous effects of sunlight.
- “True Blood” isn’t interested in what we buy; it cares whether we really are who we sleep with.
- In the show, vampires are discriminated against much like gays and lesbians are discriminated against in our society
Bellafante, G. (2009, August 28). Necks Overflowing With Rivers of Metaphor. New York Times, p. 1. http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2077
Is 2009 the Most Depressing Year Ever at the Movies by Ramin Setoodeh
- This years movie themes include incest, murder, AIDS, cancer, abuse, layoffs, and lots of unexpected, tragic deaths.
- This fall's slate was written at the end of the Bush administration, when most of Hollywood—at least the predominantly liberal part—was under a cloud of gloom. Now, we're all feeling gloomy; the economy is in tatters, and the unemployment rate continues to soar.
- Makes comparison to movies released following The Great Depression and movies following the current recession
- While more depressive movies are being released as a relfection of writer and director moods, top box office hits are escapist movies such as “Harry Potter” and “Transformers” that allow us to forget about the current reality
Setoodeh, R. (2009). Is 2009 the Most Depressing Year Ever at the Movies. Newsweek. http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/popvox/archive/2009/10/09/is-2009-the-most-depressing-year-ever-at-the-movies.aspx
- Julie Clark
World Future Society: Research for Tomorrow
- "Of all of the issues we face, none is more important than population growth" - National Geographic on population
- Total number of people on the planet is projected to increase to 9 billion by 2050
- We have an average net increase of population by 200,000 people every 24 hours!
- Possibilities of social tension, hunger, poverty, and disease
- Movement towards complex, whole-systems thinking for the 21st century
- Recognize both unity and diversity within systems
- Great diversity of species, cultures, and religious/spiritual traditions in an increasingly independent world
- Advance toward 400 million
- Increase in population will be unevenly distributed among nations and geographic regions
- Russia and Europe will contract
- United States and India will rapidly grow
- U.S. population reached 300 million in 2006, and is said to reach 400 million by 2050
- Future of gender roles
- Men's superior physical strength is no longer needed (nor his sperm because there is enough frozen to maintain the globe's population
- Function of Y chromosome is going downhill
- Impact of women is substantially growing
- Women's interests, values, and needs are much different than mens' in society
- Could experience male backlash- aggression against women
- Genders potentially chemically created?
- A shift in culture to either neutral genders or a huge diversity gap
- Changing face of the future
- 2043: "More black, more brown, less white, more asian"
- Nearly half of America's children under the age of 5 are of racial minorities
- Immigration
- Current problem, but growing so exponentially fast that if not handled now, it will be unmanageable in the future
"World Future Society: Research for Tomorrow." World Future Society (2007) 1-12. Web.03 Oct 2009. http://www.wfs.org.
Social Entrepreneurship: New Ways of Working, Future Trends and Opportunities?
- In the cultural field, more people are working together across sectorial disciplines and in innovative ways.
- "We need to find new actions, more sustainability, we are in a cultural crisis, not only in a financial crisis, [and] because there is a lack of trust in institutions and organisations, and the values we agree on, there is a lack of shared meaning."
(2009, October). Social entrepreneurship: new ways of working, future trends and opportunities?. Retrieved from http://ifacca.org/publications/2009/10/06/social-entrepreneurship-new-ways-working-future-tr/
- Jen Peterson
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