Culture used to be a generations common denominator. People drifting towards certain media, fashion or consumer products that allowed to express themselves as individuals and as part of a larger group at the same time. That concept got grabbed by marketeers, who now monetize every fledgling new trend before it gets a chance to be organically adopted. It's likely through ads and product placement that new trends will reach you first. And they will tell you what value to assign to object X or style Y before you ever get a chance to make up your mind yourself.

People older than 30 will remember a time when their generation got to shock the previous ones with their electronic music and indie movies. Newer generations never had an equal opportunity to find their own 'vibe'. It was sold to them.