Souzan Michael, a graduate of York University's Professional Writing program and a former summer intern at Trend Hunter, likes to tap her toes to some musical social media satire. Since her graduation from the Trend Hunter academy, Michael has continued her quest to break into the world of beauty and fashion journalism. She is now a Junior Lifestyle Editor for Food Network, Slice and Home and Garden Television. Outside of those interests, she also once managed to hula-hoop for 45 minutes straight, which is definitely a Trend Hunter record.
How do you define cool?
This is probably going to be the lamest possible answer, but cool is staying true to yourself. Just being who you are and not trying to be someone else to impress other people. Cool is whatever you are at the end of the day.
What is your favorite trend and why?
My favorite trend is social media satire. It's this video called 'I Like You Better on Facebook.' It's a group of girls who wrote a song and made a video about how they will creep a guy that they're interested in on Facebook. When they meet him, he's obviously nothing like his profile and he's just totally disappointing. I think it's really funny because it's such an issue these days where people will front and hide behind their computer screens.
What's your secret to uncovering trends?
My secret to uncovering the best trends is that I'm a huge people watcher and eavesdropper. So whenever I'm just walking around the city, I just keep my eyes and ears open, as creepy as that sounds. What people are talking about is what's up and coming and what's cool.
Make an awesome prediction for the future?
A trend that I see coming up in the future is Lindsay Lohan making her comeback. I'm so excited! It's going to happen, so all you haters, don't even...
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
When I was little, this is going to be really corny, but I wanted to be a writer. I've always wanted to be a writer since I could remember. I used to write little short stories after watching cartoons, and come up with alternate endings and write my own little book. In a way, I'm doing what I wanted to do when I was little.
In what ways do you see the business world changing?
The most remarkable way I see business changing is through their use of social media. It's such a huge part of every business now, and it will continue to grow. It's a great thing and it's a fantastic way for customers to engage with a company.
What's your favorite part of working at Trend Hunter?
My favorite thing about working at Trend Hunter is definitely the people. The environment is so unique and so unlike any other work place I've ever been a part of. Everyone is just so supportive and encouraging that you can't help but get a ton of work done every single day.
Souzan Michael, Trend Hunter (INTERVIEW)
Michael Discusses the Hilarity of Social Media Satire
Trend Themes
1. Social Media Satire - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create innovative and humorous social media satire content that resonates with the younger generation.
2. People Watching - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop technology or platforms that leverage people watching and eavesdropping to uncover emerging trends and consumer behavior.
3. Businesses Embracing Social Media - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create digital marketing solutions that help businesses effectively utilize social media to engage with customers and drive growth.
Industry Implications
1. Entertainment - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integrate social media satire into television shows, movies, and online content to attract and entertain audiences.
2. Market Research - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop advanced data analytics tools that analyze people watching and eavesdropping data to identify emerging trends and consumer insights.
3. Digital Marketing - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Build innovative social media marketing platforms and strategies to help businesses effectively connect with and engage their target audience.