The Paradox of Conformity to Individuality

On the journey to individuality, a young person begins to assert their personal tastes as soon as they begin to make their own decisions. This can be at a very young age, however during adolescence, an individual undergoes changes in perspective that redefine the world around them, and themselves as a person. This can be a rocky time for a lot of people, and finding something emotionally relevant and yet external to take part in, or live with in some way, a relationship between an alternative style is formed. This bonding of self to a perception of self will become a strong influence in all decision making and feelings about everything in a general sense.


By consciously rejecting the stereotypical normals offered by society, a path of personal independence from it begins with taking positive steps in the opposite direction. This is often inspired at first by a particular look or feel offered to them from any number of varying art sources, ranging from the media to fashion itself, which is often quite far away from the high street standard that waters everything down to become the everyone's version. People are able to acquire the right look and the back catalogue of things that go with it, like the music and film that mirrors the ethos they feel the most magnetic towards, for example Asian cinema and music.


The emotional background noise within the life of people is defined by the thoughts they think, and the circumstances they find themselves in. This is amplified by the reflectivity of the media and the niche subculture society that people spend their time in, by being submerged in a philosophy that revolves around the subject matter of songs, scripts, and stories that are designed to appeal to that particular crowd. The mass commercialisation of these products and principles results in an over-kill effect, in which a generation will not identify the trend with alternative, and as long as the markets are working with a particular look, a general shift in other directions will occur within the alternative subcultures and their social prototypes.


Once a strong emotional background is created within a trend, or alternative scene, individuals become attached to it in a way that resembles a relationship. The rewards on a psychological level which stem from fitting in and having a tribe, as well as the bonding between individuals on personal levels because of a common interest, becomes a positive feedback loop which refortifies itself with every positive encounter. It makes sense then, that having a backstory to the style and subculture is a key aspect within it, and this will be told in stages as the artworks and media productions get released in real time.


This sharing of an emotional world begins to cause a conformity effect, in which those who respond or act in ways that do not match the standard on offer by the relative crowd will become removed in such a way that makes bonding difficult. When others do not know and cannot determine how an individual will behave, their response is generally to become a little more guarded. This closes up communication significantly, and creates conscious boundaries between us and them. Tying this in with the rewarding feeling of finding someone who also feels the same way about particular things as us and enjoys similar things that we do, the desire to conform becomes strong once more. The major differences between alternative and the societal norm can usually be sufficient, however some crowds often have a more precise clique to fall into.


This creates a continual pressure of in and out of the suggested archetypes in a trend or subculture, as alternative society by nature is always striving for a sense of individuality and independence from the main crowd. People themselves act as adverts for the styles and habits associated with their chosen statements, which leads to others doing similar things. This causes a push for individuality once more and new styles will be adopted to push away from the now mirrored effects of uniqueness. Much like a cycle, within subcultures and alternative trends, particular things and sensations go in and out of the line of sight of those who take part.  
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