20 Dec 11 Who really gets to decide what is cool in today’s society?

With ever changing trends, it's harder than ever to keep up with what's cool. But who actually decides what is cool in today's society? It all comes down to popularity, so we take a look at modern-day's biggest influencing factors.

The Media

It doesn't matter what our individual tastes are, everywhere around us we are confronted by images of what is and is not cool. Television, movies, magazines, the Internet; they are all in it together (through clever marketing) to convince us about how we should look, what we should buy and essentially what's cool right now. Not just focusing on the mainstream, they are also able to sell the unique and new by persuading us that being different is also cool.

Celebrities

All day, everyday, children and adults are bombarded by images of celebrities by the media who tell us that what they are wearing or doing is cool. We can't deny that most of us (especially women) turn to celebrities for the latest fashion trends, but a singer, actor, presenter, sports person or even a politician only has to start wearing, going to or doing something new for it to automatically become cool.

Retail and advertising

Ultimately it comes down to the shops as they are the one's that offer the latest 'cool' clothes, gadgets etc. It's a bit of a conundrum like what came first, the chicken or the egg. Do things become 'cool 'before they hit the shops (hence why shops decide to stock these 'cool' items), or do the shops heavily stock a certain item so that it is portrayed as 'cool'? Either way, shops and their adverts play the largest part in dictating to today's society what is and is not hot.

Different people are influenced by these factors in different measures. But whilst not everybody is completely affected by celebrities or the media, most are still influenced when it comes to actually shopping for the latest trends. But as soon as the public reject what is cool, the shops are quick enough to remove the products from their store to ensure their stock reflects what the nation considers cool.

For the best cool t shirts around, look no further.

Tags: advertising, celebrities, cool, media, Psychology, Society