Since I didn’t have too much free time to conduct an official “cool hunt”, I did mine on Bus 80 going to work. The bus is certainly a public place, right? Anywise, I was waiting for the bus and started to observe the people around me. There was a handful of girls wearing puffy Northfaces with Uggs, which is quite a popular trend around campus. This fashion statement is clearly considered “cool” by a large group of people. However, this look is highly criticized, especially in the Badger Herald Shoutouts. So, according to another group of people, this look is definitely very “uncool”.
I also noticed a guy wearing baggy clothes and who had a pierced ear. I remember back in the day, when I was in elementary school, when a pierced ear on a boy meant that they were “cool”, and somewhat rebellious. I still think these connotations carry over to some extent in today’s society.
Once I got on the bus, I noticed a variety of people. There were many ethnicities and well as fashions and overall appearances. Some people were wearing athletic clothes, while some wore business casual. I noticed that many people, if wearing tennis shoes, wore either Nike or Adidas. A couple of people stood out, however. They looked significantly different from the others. They were wearing different fashions and would not be classified in the same group as the other people on the bus. These “innovators”, as Barabasi and Gladwell would call them, displayed piercings, tattoos, and other distinguishing characteristics.
Piercings and tattoos nowadays symbolize rebellion and therefore a sense of “coolness”. However, this view may change with time. Gladwell says that “cool hunting” is merely a collection of random observations that keep changing as the definition of “cool” changes. So, what I viewed as “cool” now could just as easily be seen as “uncool” in a couple of years. Barabasi believes that the ability of a fad or virus to spread depends on the individual receiving the “cool” ideas. The idea that tattoos and piercings were rebellious caught on, and enough individuals were persuaded. But, there may be an innovator who decides these things aren’t “cool” anymore, and begins to spread this idea. If enough people believe this idea, an anti-fad may arise.
Gladwell states that “cool” can never truly be observed. He says that the “quicker the chase, the quicker the flight”. This statement is very applicable to my “cool hunt”. I can believe that the fads and fashions I saw were “cool”, but in reality, they were most likely just “old” fads. Newer fads are being created somewhere in secrecy. They will soon emerge and ultimately become popular and “cool”.