A New Trend, Revival Comes to Us

 A New Trend, Revival Comes to Us

By Ryu Seung-hyi, Student Editor
 

If you enjoy watching TV, you can see a scene involving cultural “revival concept” on fashion or entertainment channels every so often. And you can see a television advertisement featuring images of a celebrity entertainer who dances with mimicking hairstyle and costume of 1970s and 1980s. This movement also appears in movies and popular music fields to evoke elderly people’s nostalgia for their younger days. This trend is increasingly prevalent in the fields of popular culture and industry. Do you feel that the revival tendency has prevailed in many parts of our lives?

Why the Advent of Revival Culture in Our Society?
The revival culture that has appeared in recent years means a new trend of reviving popular cultural components of the past and combining them with present ones into something new, especially of old customs, fashions, music, life-style, etc. Styles and trends are constantly recycled through popular culture, even though its type is slightly different each time. When did the reactionary tendency start? According to an article of Herald Media, “It is assumed that revival fashion has started in 1998, directly after the IMF crisis. People wanted to escape from difficult reality with financial troubles and look back on the past when people had been comfortable.”

It was time for many companies to start producing their commodities using revival moods to divert public attention, and those goods became popular with consumers. Then, restoration tendency was spread over contemporary cultural contents. What makes us go back to the past and like old things? What is the attraction of the culture of revival?
 

First, as an emotionally related aspect, a revival of the past stimulates nostalgia of past generation to feel comfortable. Park Hae-kwang (Professor, Dept. of Sociology), said, "The past generation has occupied a high position in our society and now they live a comfortable life. It means that they are rich enough to afford to do something and it makes them desire to share their past culture again. What they want is to feel a strong nostalgia." Because revival tendency is related to general human nostalgia, it seems to be used as a great marketing strategy and has become a new trend.
 

Second, this retro phenomenon is related to our present social situation. Recently, many people are in narrow circumstances due to increasing irregular work and the rising prices of staple commodities and oil. Therefore, it is natural for many people to want to be pleased to enjoy the revival culture. When people face up to difficulty and pain from the present, they usually try to find comfort in the past. And in comparison with present, bygone days means a sense of stability and future implies fear. After considering these two factors, we can reach the conclusion that many people pursue retro culture because they feel uneasy due to the rapid change of our society.
 

Finally, in the absence of creative power or a new idea is to be a good reason that revival culture is in favor in our society. People think that this trend is temporary and it should be always new to us. To meet this requirement, many marketers are worried about it and try to produce a novel thing. Revival can solve this problem. Kim Mi-jin (Sophomore, Dept. of Psychology) said that recreated revival can satisfy many people who want unique and fresh fashion.

What is Your Opinion of Retro Culture?
Retro culture influences popular culture in Korea. Teenagers and 20 somethings have usually been the main consumers of popular culture. The older generation could not enjoy popular culture and even they had no interest in the culture. However, revival allows us to break down a boundary of sharing pop culture between teenagers and the older generation.

It can be possible for the elders to enjoy popular culture in a similar way as younger people. For example, they create UCC by copying and transforming the contents of contemporary pop culture. They enjoy popular culture by recording their children who mimic and copy retro dances such as tecktonic and disco. Both older and younger generations seem to be satisfied with retro culture. However, some people say that revival culture is very commercial and the result of a lack of creative power.

Jung Ju-ra (Sophomore, Dept. of Communication) said that the popularity of retro culture came from the commercial profits. We can find many films that are focused on elders who have the ability to consume as a main target segment. In regard to this, professor Park Hae-kwang said, "This is not a matter only related to imitation and originality. For example, when a play of Shakespeare was adapted for a movie, it is not considered as lack of originality. We can derive inspiration from pre-existence and get a novelty. It should be considered whether an object of revival is proper.”

In conclusion, you can know that revival is found everywhere in our daily life. However, it is not to simply represent past things again. We should look under the surface of revival recreated with views of the present in popular culture than external appearances of revival phenomenon. Revival is genuine when reproducing the past culture is harmonized with the present. So, rediscovering modern values from older things should be constantly made up whether they used to be famous or not. If this situation progressed constantly, everyone can enjoy popular culture and our culture would be more harmonious.

 

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What Is Meant by “Revival” ?

By Jeong Ha-na, Tribune Reporter
 

The revival of past ages has greatly prevailed in a wide variety of fields such as popular culture, politics, and business in recent years. In a dictionary, ‘revival’ is defined as a renewed interest, especially in old customs, fashion, styles, etc. However, it can be re-defined and transformed to have a new meaning created by people in accordance with their experience, thoughts, and majors. Chonnam Tribune asks CNUians to explain revival means to them in their own words. Let’s see their definitions for the term revival. 

 “Organism”

By Park Youn-seoung (Sophomore, School of Biological Science and Technology)

An organism is a life that evolves its own nature to adapt to changed environments and develops into different forms and keeps its species for a long time. As inorganic matter is not alive, it cannot change its nature by itself. Like this, the way that a revival of something is popular across the society would be slightly different as time goes by. 

 “Reference Book”

By Jang Jin-hwa (Junior, Dept. of Chemistry)

Whenever seeking a solution to difficult problems or looking for better alternatives, we usually use a reference book. With it, we can easily solve problems or make new ideas. In revival, we can obtain some good advice and prepare for the future. Therefore, a reference book gives us a chance to think about present situations. 

 “Paradox”

By Park Eun-sun (Freshman, Dept. of Business Administration)

I think a revival is an old and new thing. I know my definition is contradictory, but it is true. Through the revival of culture, we can bring something old from the past and change it into a whole new style by adding fresh and modern elements. We make something truly new by combining past and present.
 

저작권자 © Chonnam Tribune 무단전재 및 재배포 금지