The speech of
modern youth is full of various obscure words that have already become a kind of slang. One of the most popular words today is “mainstream”. What's this? - you will be surprised. But surely it is already in your ears and often caught my eye. The whole Internet is teeming with it, they are talking about it, and it is fashionable. Today, among young people,
it’s even embarrassing not to know
what the mainstream is. Therefore, if you want to keep up with the times, let's figure it out.
What is the mainstream?
To begin with, this term is absolutely not new. It appeared quite a long time ago and initially was directly related to art, or rather, to literature. The mainstream originated sometime in the 1940s in the United States of America. The author of this term is not reliably known. There are versions that it was an American writer and literary critic William Dean Howells (1837-1920), who preferred his works exclusively in a realistic manner.
So what does the mainstream mean? In the literal translation from English it is “the main direction”, “main lines”. Speaking in scientific language, the following definition can be given: it is the prevailing trend in any kind of activity (literature, art, music, science, politics, etc.) for a certain period of time.
What is modern mainstream?
Today, the mainstream is called mass trends that are popular in society. Trends relate mainly to culture and art. The word "mainstream" is used to show the contrast of
mass culture with alternative, underground and other non-mass trends. In other words, the mainstream is designed for a large number of consumers.
In the modern world, the mainstream is a fashion for certain things, behavior. For example, lately it has become relevant to read books or cook exotic dishes, or work "remotely", or take pictures and upload pictures to social networks.
The musical mainstream in Russian music is undoubtedly Bi-2, Zemfira, Mumiy Troll and Chayf.
The mainstream on the Internet is Vkontakte, Instagram and cats. Recently, the world has become obsessed with these furry animals! Their photos filled almost the entire Internet.
The mainstream in cars is Ford Focus, in tourism - Turkey and Egypt, in business - tax evasion, etc.
What is the negative mainstream?
In addition to the above, the mainstream has negative values. This is a kind of fashion for mass stupid behavior. For example, a very common strange behavior of girls who photograph themselves in the restrooms and at the same time make their lips a duck. Negativity manifests itself mainly in Internet communication. In this vein, the concept of "mainstream" is seen as a fashion for the aggressive and herd majority, which cannot understand and accept any other views. Sometimes this concept is also called bruising and banality, which have a negative connotation and mean something dull and boring.
Thus, the mainstream is what is considered the most common and popular in its field.