"It's not Cool if Paul Ryan Knows"

As I was listening to the weekly NPR politics podcast, one line stood out in my head. "You know a meme is no longer cool when Paul Ryan acknowledges it." As soon as I heard this line during a discussion in the "can't let it go" portion of the podcast, I immediately thought of the documentary that we watched in class this week, "Frontline: Merchants of Cool."

One of the constant struggles faced by the advertising industry in their quest to market to teens is the constant shifting of what it means to be "cool." They have found ways to control what will become cool and what stays cool, creating a feedback loop, but there will always be somewhat of a disconnect. This disconnect is in part due to the quickening pace that trends cycle in and out. Unless you are constantly connected, one week of no technology can leave you far behind in the world of fashion, music, trending topics, and the latest memes. I have definitely noticed how quickly cool jumps from one thing to another, and how that poses a challenge to those attempting to market to cool.

On the podcast, they were discussing the yanny and laurel debate, and how quickly it came and went. On Tuesday, it was all anyone was talking about, but by Thursday, when Paul Ryan got up in front of the house and announced his opinion, it was over. The lifespan of this debate, in relation to the similar blue/black and white/gold dress debate (which lasted for at least a week), shows the decreasing lifespan of "cool" trends. I think that this trend can be explained by the phenomenon of the yodelling Walmart boy. He was cool, a new thing all over social media. He was just a normal regular person that became famous in Walmart. He did not exist to advertise or sell a product, he was just fascinating. However, once Walmart organized a concert for him, he went to Coachella, and made his own album, he lost the "cool" that made him an internet sensation in the first place. No longer was the yodelling Walmart boy performing for the few people in the aisle, he was performing Walmart-- he lost his uniqueness and "coolness."  The population and especially teenagers find the actual event cool, not the publicization of it, and therefore once we've seen what we want and experienced it, its time to move on before the media rehashes it to try and sell a product. 

As a general rule, something is no longer cool when corporations use it or Pual Ryan acknowledges it.


Update: President Trump says he hears "Covfefe"