Young people graduating from college and entering the workforce are driving the microtrend of social division breakdowns, said Mark Penn, chief adviser to the presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., during a conference call with an AU reporter last Tuesday to discuss his latest book.
Penn's book, "Microtrends," is a commentary on the title term, which he identifies as "small, under-the-radar forces that can involve as little as 1 percent of the population, but which are powerfully shaping our society." Microtrends are present in the realms of religion, leisure, politics and family life, according to the book.
The prime drivers of microtrends are graduates and those entering the work force, Penn said. These individuals have a greater variety of choices, whether it's attributed to a wider range of careers, a variety of religions practiced or other reasons, he said.
However, the most predominant microtrend on college campuses is the high number of college dropouts, Penn said.
There is increasing pressure to attend college, so people who would not normally be inclined to enroll feel forced into going, said Brittany Field, a sophomore in the School of International Service.
Some college students may get jobs to help pay their tuition, but these jobs end up paying well and they choose to pursue them instead, said Katie Glenn, a freshman in the School of Communication.
People must look for things that are happening and developing through society to understand microtrending, Penn said.
Once these trends crystallize, people feel as though they are part of a group, he said. However, even though these people are making very similar choices, they don't realize they are part of a community of people, Penn said.
The basic concept being conveyed in microtrends is that as people become more diverse, and substantial growth and tolerance occurs, barriers are broken down and people form new choice base groups, Penn said. A lot of old divisions by class and gender are being broken down in this dramatically changing world, he added.
People are now more inclined to major in international studies, Arabic and Middle Eastern studies because having a degree in an area such as Middle Eastern studies may be helpful in this day and age, Glenn said.
"Right now the war on terror in the Middle East is affecting the types of degrees people are picking," she said.
In today's society, a lot of people are striving for individuality, Penn said.
"What we thought would be a more homogenous society, we are seeing the opposite," he said.
Penn said he classifies "Microtrends" as "an optimistic book about the future." These trends are not merely statistics, but rather have been well thought-out and creatively molded. They are not always positive, and some trends could be more problematic and destructive, he said.
Penn is primarily known for formulating campaign strategies. He identified the importance of "soccer moms" during President Bill Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign and formulated ways to target this constituency, according to his book.
