Hipsters and the cool: A game theoretic analysis of identity expression, trends, and fads.

Cultural trends and popularity cycles can be observed all around us, yet our theories of social influence and identity expression do not explain what perpetuates these complex, often unpredictable social dynamics. We propose a theory of social identity expression based on the opposing, but not mutually exclusive, motives to conform and to be unique among one's neighbors in a social network. We find empirical evidence for both conformity and uniqueness motives in an analysis of the popularity of given names.