UK Tribes // Self Representation

Group(s) I Believe I Belong To

 MAINSTREAM

• Fan Girls

"Fan Girls and Tumblr Kids have merged – 24/7 access to celebs means this Tribe are getting younger and moving faster than ever.

It’s strange to think that in 2012 Fan Girls were a new Tribe – today they are one of the most noticeable and well known facets of UK Youth culture! United by their love for musicians, vloggers, bloggers, models, books, TV series, TV personalities (and anyone in between) the Fan Girls start at 13 years upwards and are a powerful force on social media – and big spenders on merchandise and experiences."

I feel like I belong to this group, because I spend a majority of my time on social media websites, where I have a strong, passionate love for celebrities (mainly musicians). I would say I have been a fangirl since the age of 12/13 (so for around 4/5 years now), and I spend a lot of my money on merchandise like CD's, posters and clothes, and also on concert tickets to see these musicians when they come to my local area.

My main influences for being within this group are Fifth Harmony, Lana Del Rey, Melanie Martinez, Halsey and Taylor Swift. I also feel like sometimes, I will try to dress similar to these musicians (particularly Lauren Jauregui from Fifth Harmony and Lana Del Rey), and my music taste/interests are also incredibly similar, because I try to see what they like and enjoy, and then try to enjoy it myself (and 99% of the time I do enjoy it myself).

(Melanie Martinez)

• Makers

"Being creative is firmly in the Mainstream today. From photography to art, craft, music, film and blogging – everyone is curating online!

Everyone is a creator now, and Makers are the new Tumblr Kids as everyone is creating original content online and sharing it on social media; while many are also getting hands-on creative at home. So from DIY furniture and art to animation, there’s an explosion of creativity across the Mainstream – just don’t confuse it with Leading Edge career Creatives, these guys are doing it for themselves!"

I feel like I belong to this group, because I have a passion for creating music (which in a sense can also be seen as creating an art within the lyrics and the instruments). I spend a lot of my personal time either creating song covers, or my own original songs in my room, sometimes posting them online for others to listen to. I promote these pieces on platforms like Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube and Facebook, and I post my pieces at least once a week. Occasionally, I also enjoy making fan art/edits for particular musicians that I like, just for the fun of it and also to improve my photoshop skills. My ideal future career is to be a musician/music producer, so these particular elements of life fit my style perfectly.

My main influences for being within this group are Fifth Harmony, Justin Bieber and Austin Mahone. This is because I believe they all have incredible backstories, which got them to the place that they are today. Fifth Harmony being five random girls that all auditioned for the X Factor USA as solo artists, were then put together, coming 3rd place in the entire competition, and are now multi-platinum selling artists that are adored worldwide. Justin Bieber and Austin Mahone both being discovered by incredible record labels, just by simply posting song covers on YouTube every so often, that ended up appealing to a massive public audience, who stayed loyal with their support for both of the musicians daily. Both now have successful music out, which is released by very professional labels, and are currently touring all over the world with fans that adore them.

(Fifth Harmony)

LEADING EDGE

• Creatives

Creatives are still top of the Tribal map and care constantly creating new content

DIYers are creative, tech savvy self-starters that bring culture to life for Tribes today – they produce music, promote club nights, start indie brands and create festival stages. Many are also Creatives, but DIYers are set apart by their aspirations to ‘make it’, create events and actively influence culture in their area. DIYers used to be focused more in London, but in 2015 all major cities have a strong DIY scene.

I feel like I belong to this group, because like I previously stated in the other groups, I have a passion for creating music. I am self taught when it comes to all of the technical stuff that's involved, but I do have a rough idea on how to use things, and so I create covers and original songs, with special editing that I do by myself on my computer at home in my room. I have a dream to become a professional singer and have my own album and hopefully tour the world. I realise that many other people have the exact same dreams and aspirations as me, but I don't give up, as other people's motivation to reach the same goal as me only inspires me to try and be 10x better. They push me to be a better musician, because I feel like to make it into the music industry, you have to stand out. You have to produce something that people are going to notice, and won't want to ignore.

My main influences for being within this group are Lana Del Rey, Melanie Martinez and Paramore. They all have a major passion for music, and actually write their own material, which they want the public to hear. They don't stick back with what their labels want them to do, they have control and write lyrics that suits them, and they do this because that is how they want the public to recognise them. They want to be known for their actual personalities, not something that the media has created for them. This is what I aim to be like, hence why I always write my own lyrics when it comes to creating my own song.

 (Lana Del Rey)