As a society, today, I have noticed a trend that will be quite obvious to most. This trend basically can be summed up by a lack of patience as well as an undying thirst for information. With social media, we are being pumped full of news, stories, images, and songs, and we love it. We feel as if it makes us smarter, rounds out our tastes, defines our personalities, and allows us to feel included.
At the same time, we have no patience. I cannot tell you how many times I have refused to watch a funny video just because it took longer than five seconds to load. That is the world we live in. Billions of pieces of information can be accessed anywhere at any time, yet I still throw a mini-tantrum when a page will not load immediately.
There are a few bits of popular culture that exemplify this trend of info-thirst and lack of patience, such as memes, but I want to focus on something a little less obvious: trailers.
People. Go. Nuts. For. Trailers.
Video games get trailers. Movies get trailers. Concerts get trailers. Hell, I even think Beyoncé’s latest baby got a trailer.
I am still not entirely sure why this is, but it definitely is a trend worth discussing. With the advent of the internet and social media, huge expos such as Comic-Con and E3 are dying, yet they are always looked forward to with giddy excitement, simply due to the fact that a trailer is rumored to be shown there.
Trailers have gotten so out of hand that nowadays, we literally have trailers for trailers. Looking forward to that new Star Wars movie? Well, be prepared to be teased about a tease that is teasing another tease yet to be teased on Jimmy Fallon.
These seem like utter nonsense, but remember, millennials want to know everything when it comes to the things they are passionate about, and they will not rest until they have sifted through every trailer for every minute detail that could possibly excite them. There are even YouTube channels dedicated to dissecting trailers. Somehow, a 90-second trailer is worth talking about for 10 minutes on YouTube, and people eat it up.
Trailers can be flashy and exciting, or they can be dramatic and mysterious. They can be outrageous and hilarious or completely minimalist. They are eye-catching and beg to be watched because they are so short and easily consumed.
This also shows the lack of patience mentioned earlier. These days, people are aware of movies, music, games, etc. long before they have even begun to be created. The space exploration game “No Man’s Sky” blew everyone away simply with the idea of the game and the possibilities its success could create. People followed the game for years and years before its eventual release late last summer. With every conference it was shown, every interview that was done, and, yes, every trailer that was released, the hype grew bigger and bigger, which leads to my next point.
Watching a trailer is almost like watching a short film these days, and the entertainment industry sure knows it, which leads to a bit of a problem: overhype.
Trailers are held so dear and are given so much attention and have so much money thrown at them that sometimes, the product being advertised could never possibly live up to what was seen in the trailer. This brings us back to “No Man’s Sky.” With promises of limitless space travel and exploration, the game seemed too good to be true. As you could expect, it was, leaving behind a legacy of only disappointment and heartbreak.
Now, I love trailers. For me, they are a constant reminder that there is something to look forward to in the future. With the way things have been both politically and socially in this country, sometimes it is nice to be reminded that something good is coming, but you must be skeptical and weary, because trailers are built to get your money no matter what.
My $200 sunk into the popular sci-fi shooter “Destiny” and its wonderfully advertised, yet essentially poo poo downloadable content, can attest to that.
