The Hipster Effect: When Anticonformists All Look The Same
Hipters avoid labels and being labeled
Hipsters avoid labels and being labeled. However, they all dress the same and act the same and conform in their non-conformity. Doesn’t the fact that there is a hip- ster look go against all hipster beliefs? This perspica- cious observation of the blogger Julia Plevin [1] in 2008 proves true along the years, and 2014 hipsters all look alike, although their look progressively evolves. The hip- ster effect is this non-concerted emergent collective phe- nomenon of looking alike trying to look different. Uncov- ering the structures behind this apparent paradox goes beyond finding the best suit to wear this winter. They can have implications in deciphering collective phenom- ena in economics and finance, where individuals may find an interest in taking positions in opposition to the major- ity (for instance, selling stocks when others want to buy). Applications also extend to the case of neuronal networks with inhibition, where neurons tend to fire when others and silent, and reciprocally.