NetocraticBling

Quora Answer : Is there a term for the social psychology phenomenon of the desire to "like something before it is cool" or "know about something before it is popular"?

Jan 31, 2012

Following on from Seb Paquet

Hipsterism == Netocractic Bling

Under Feudalism, gold and ostentatious treasures are an essential advert for your capacity to get and hold resources.

In NetoCracy wealth is about being adept at discovering new ideas before other people, and cultivating a portfolio of useful social relationships that helps you exploit those ideas.

Cultural hipsterism is basically the ostentatious display of that ability.

When I say I was into a band before you and the rest of the world had heard of it, I'm not just playing a rather tedious game. I'm signalling that I'm the kind of person who can gain access to new things, and recognise their value, long before other people have accessed or recognised them. (And if I can do that with music, perhaps I can do it with technologies, or markets or business models too.)

When I say that a band is boring because they've gone mainstream what I really mean is that they are so well known that my knowledge of them indicates no special capacity of discovery. Worse, if I'm too enthusiastic, it may indicate that I've come to the party only recently (ie. late) and therefore am badly connected or a slow judge of value.

tl;dr It's not (merely) a psychological phenomenon, it's an economic signalling behaviour.