Concept statement, relevant questions, process and reflection?
How are we as individuals reflected in the media?
Does the media have the power to homogenize people and how does this affect kids who have had access to it their whole lives?
Are we as a society fascinated with sameness?
My project is meant to question how kids interact with brands and status symbols. I used my brother Mitchell to experiment. My brother spends a good deal of his money on streetwear. This is something that is incredibly interesting because it is clothing created simply around a brand. For example, I used Supreme as one of the brands in my book: this clothing is only distinctive because of the symbol it has on it. I wondered why this phenomenon is so viral? I asked my brother many questions about the streetwear to learn that it is not just about the clothing but the community. There is a whole network of people buying and reselling this kind of exclusive clothing online. I asked whether he knew any of these people and he actually told me that all of his friends participate is this as well. This was a pivotal learning from my research because it made me wonder if the symbols on the clothing were what tied them all together. Where they friends at first simply because they like the same clothing? Is this kind of symbol-culture applicable in other areas? I also found it crazy that this market has the power to lure my brother in as a customer. I asked him why he feels comfortable spending so much money on these otherwise simple items and his answer was as complex as that of any teenage boy: “because it’s cool”. I think the number one reason why my brother thinks this is so cool is that he is seeing it over and over again online, though the actual items can be rare and exclusive, creating a network whose the sole focus is to exchange these “collectible” items.
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