By Shin Min-kyung
Last spring people were busy watching ``Boys Over Flowers'' and the drama had a big impact on the economic and cultural arena. Many boys curled their hair during vacation time in order to look like the main character. Girls bought the clothes and accessories that were worn by characters in the drama. This is known as the bandwagon effect, meaning people follow something because of its association with famous people.
The bandwagon effect originated from a story in America in 1848. The famous American clown Dan Rice used a bandwagon ― used to carry a band in a parade or a small circus ― to gather people's attention for his show. He shouted ``jump on the wagon.'' As he called out loud, people were curious about the wagon and began to follow the parade without knowing what it was. As a result, this show was completed successfully, and politicians started to use this idea to win elections. The act of following others because a crowd of people are interested is the start of the bandwagon effect.
These days, people can see the bandwagon effect in a lot of different circumstances.
The phenomenon can be seen in fashion trends. Many people wear skinny jeans because of singers. Also, the preppy look is now a trend because of dramas and movies. The reason is that people want to look like some celebrities and want to imitate their style.
We can see the phenomenon when we find ourselves buying movie tickets because a particular film has good box office records. Furthermore, people buy products that most people tend to buy. This is also why most companies use top stars to advertise in order that a good impression of their product is made. For example, every product that Kim Yu-na has advertised has ended up a great success and brought a huge amount of profits.
We can also find the effect in the political field. For instance, if a straw poll is open to the public before an election, many people are prone to vote for the reserved winner to have their vote validated.
Besides the bandwagon effect, there are others that show bad consuming habits. People often buy products depending on commercials without considering the qualifications of the products themselves. A continuous flood of advertisements has made it difficult for consumers to make the right choice when purchasing goods. This is called the dependence effect.
Another one is the snob effect, the opposite of the bandwagon effect. It refers to the desire to own exclusive or unique goods that other people don't have. Crown J's expensive shoes and jewelry are good examples of this effect.
Despite drastic inflation, the upper class still buys things for vanity. This kind of phenomenon is called the Veblen effect. Since this happens generally in our society, businesses use VIP marketing systems for the upper class.
In conclusion, companies can use the bandwagon effect as a means to increase their production profits, while consumers may have difficulties buying the goods they really need. Therefore, consumers need to think objectively and try not to follow the flow of the crowd.
Shin Min-kyung is a freshman attending Sookmyung Girls' High School in Seoul.