The post-icon age

How micro trends transform culture

I·con /ˈīˌkän/: a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration.

Welcome to the post-icon age.

The 1980s had Benetton and A Nightmare on Elm Street. 1990s had grunge and Pretty Woman and Britney Spears.

We have Y2K, “re-editions,” “inspired by,” “brought back” and “in collaboration with.” We also have anti-icons, like Ye or Musk or Adam Neumann, who are as known for their anti-social antics as for their creativity.

The problem is not the crisis of originality. Iconic products or ideas or personalities are always outcomes of their context. The mood has to be right for everyone to like chunky sneakers or shoulder pads. When the media, culture, or retail were mass, so were the social symbols. These days, we’d be pressed hard to find symbols that mean the same thing terybody. The geography of influence, taste, and communities shifted to micro. The big, sweeping planes of culture that asked for big, sweeping products and personalities are replaced with many micro cultures, each with their own niche products and personalities. Our concepts of “cool” and “iconic” are forged in the intimacy of our own taste communities.

At the same time, the taste space has never been flatter. Burning Man outfits, family…