Why Trends Are Destroying Innovation
Regardless of the inspiration that trends may elicit, the common goal has not changed: trends depend on the notion that in order to create or to stay relevant one must adhere to the rules of the media and one way of thinking. Trends require us to stay in tune with something outside of us, rather than creating from within. This is why micro trends have become so enraged and popular: they are consumable, and easily ready for mass production. (Micro trends have also made us more accepting of poor quality and poorer ways of living, something for another conversation.) We are constantly pushed into a way of thinking that only permits an external source of creativity, instead of one that relies on our own likes and dislikes. We are being trained to take note of images that strike a common mass appeal, rather than a personal approach to creativity. Thus, trends are destroying innovation.
I must note the common discrepancy between innovation and inspiration. Inspiration is driven by an external source, while innovation strives to create the external source. Inspiration is not timeless, rather it is short term and inspires no movement, rather it carries the movement through the mass. However, innovation drives curiosity and improvement, something we must take more care and attention of. Trends have been around for a long time, as they were pushed by the Monarchy, or royalty in history, but we have since given the torch to common individuals that have even more influence than the hierarchy of royalty or power. The torch has been given to influencers who have been deemed consumable by the public, thus the power now has full monetary and political pull, as the media controls social platforms: thus it controls all we visually accept in today’s climate. By the dominant force (the media) giving small points of power to more common individuals or people, the power becomes invisible but ever so stronger. Social media influence has convinced us to forget that it's all a scheme, and a larger ecosystem: one of extreme efficiency and power. When we forget that the smaller common people are influenced by a larger source, we can no longer blame one person or give credit to one person; thus the influence is stronger and less refutable. Such an ecosystem allows for a scattered perspective and assumed division of power, but the reality is, the external source has become all we know and an omniscient source of power. Many are no longer able to think for themselves, as even universities or institutions push one way of thinking. Succinctly put, we are being trained to be workers. We are becoming pawns of a larger game, one that will become automated through AI.
The media controls what we know, and don't know. It no longer relies on censoring, as it has algorithms that tell us what we would like censored, unless we engage with these platforms. Even so, being aware of the ideology, makes it even harder to escape it.
In order to escape it, we must start to fully believe in our own practices. We must stop looking for validation, or external inspiration. Rather, we must innovate from an internal way of being and making. Take every opportunity to create something that drives innovation and future curiosity. From a school project, or conversation with someone, give less care to the outcome and more to the moment or project. We must forget about the institutionalized repercussions. Forget about the grade, as if you learn how to think for yourself you won’t need the validation or external support, you will become resilient and independent on your own innovation and making practices. Let’s create a free generation, one independent of trends and mass inspiration.