Key Takeaways

• Dictionary.com defines a tastemaker as "a person or thing that establishes or strongly influences what is considered to be stylish, acceptable, or worthwhile in a given sphere of interest, as the arts."
• Zoe Rogers was a teenage tastemaker at 14 years. She was a podcaster and the host of Zoeradio - an internet radio show, a podcast, an associated blog.
• Tavi Gevinson was a teenage tastemaker at 13 years. She was a blogger and founded the Style Rookie blog - a fashion blog in 2008, and Rookie magazine - an online magazine for teenage girls in 2011.
• Tastemakers generally influence people by sharing hand-picked, personal recommendations of things they love. They had information or access to the best events in the city, including sports, parties, music concerts, and more, as well as new items such as cloth.

Introduction

Overview of Teen Tastemaker

• Dictionary.com defines a tastemaker as "a person or thing that establishes or strongly influences what is considered to be stylish, acceptable, or worthwhile in a given sphere of interest, as the arts."

Examples of Teen Tastemakers

1. Zoe Rogers

• Zoe Rogers was a teenage tastemaker at 14 years. 
• She was a podcaster and the host of Zoeradio - an internet radio show, a podcast, an associated blog.
• The show focused on standard accessories for musically-inclined high school freshman. It "interweaves music ranging from Stevie Wonder to indie band Deerhoof with commentary on topics from music to homework."
• Determining her official social media profiles was not possible and her website, Zoeradio.com, could not be accessed to get the exact links of her social media profiles.

2. Tavi Gevinson

• Tavi Gevinson was a teenage tastemaker at 13 years.
• She was a blogger and founded the Style Rookie blog - a fashion blog in 2008, and Rookie magazine - an online magazine for teenage girls in 2011.
•  Tavi Gevinson has verified profiles on Instagram and Twitter with 495KT and 338K followers, respectively.
• Her blog posts have now expanded to include topics on rookies, press, movies and TV, writing, and theater.

How They Influence Groups of Social Circles

• Tastemakers generally influence people by sharing hand-picked, personal recommendations of things they love. They had information or access to the best events in the city, including sports, parties, music concerts, and more, as well as new items such as cloth.
• In doing so, they gain a cult of following from a specific marketing demographics that love their curations. 
• They shape the lifestyle of these followers by introducing new ideas, music, programs, or products

How Teen Tastemakers Have Evolved

• The era of tastemakers has gradually transitioned to what is known today as 'influencers'. To a large extent, this shift is driven by the proliferation of the internet. A publication by Libre Text noted that "the digital age, with its proliferation of accessible media, has undermined the traditional role of the tastemaker. In contrast to the traditional media, Internet-based mass media is not limited by time or space and allows bloggers, critics, or wannabe stars to potentially reach millions without the backing of the traditional media industry. "
• Both influencers of today and tastemakers of before share similar characteristic. They are both associated with having an audience group.

• Before, traditional offline media outlets such as radio, TV, print media, and others were the arena of tastemakers. This has evolved in recent times as online is the arena for influencers.
• Furthermore, current influencers are savvy. They understand the importance of knowing when to make a post, the best suited messaging to use, and more. On the other hand, tastemakers were more adept to communicating the same message to a different audience, in different ways. This allows them to build a deeper connection with the community.
• Influencers appeal to a specific following that share similar interest, basically through social media online.

Case Study of a Teen Tastemaker

Tavi Gevinson

 

Source

 

• Tavi Gevinson became a teenage tastemaker after she launched her Style Rookie blog in March 2008.
• In 2009, Rodarte looked beyond popular glossy magazines such as Vogue for the launch of its collection for Target to settle with a 13-year-old blogger from Chicago, Tavi Gevinson. 
• In the same year, she was featured in the cover of Pop magazine and in the pages of Love magazine. She was also interviewed by Pixie Geldof and "sat with the Mulleavys, designer Hedi Slimane and Pop editor Dasha Zhukova at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s 25th anniversary gala in Los Angeles."
• Her blog posts include topics on rookies, press, movies and TV, writing, and theater.
• Her popularity in the fashion space continued to blossom to the point of landing a starring role in the Gossip Girl reboot in 2021.
• Tavi has not been active on social media enough to analysis how the theme she uses has changed. However, the hashtag she has used the most on Instagram is #AssassinsCSC.

Research Strategy