Santa Monica, CA 7/17/2008 11:49:26 AM
New Media and the Men's Lifestyle Movement
A decade ago, men's lifestyle media was reflected by periodicals like Maxim Magazine, Playboy, Stuff and by TV shows like The Man Show on Comedy Central. On a national scale, this media was widely successful. It captured a sense of pride in men for what they had been told to be ashamed of-- the kinds of characteristics which came natural, but were to be curtailed. Ten years later, men's lifestyle media has gone online, and is led by websites like GearCrave.com, GearPatrol.com. and Acquiremag.com. These mens lifestyle and buying guide magazines are blazing a new media trail that traditional magazines can hardly begin to approach...
The format has changed quite a bit. What was originally built upon bikini models, frat humor and the college lifestyle has matured into the late 20s, 2nd career move, considering-a-home-purchase demographic. Where mens media used to concern itself with sex tips and hangover treatments, it has matured into something serious and valuable to the developing man.
Mike Payne, editor of GearCrave.com, has been waiting for this trend to mature since mens media had its analog rennaisance a decade ago. "Personally, I think the trends in mens media in the early part of this century set us back a bit," explained Mike Payne. "Men have a lot to be proud of, and our interests in gadgets, gear, design, clothing and the aspirational lifestyle needs to be expressed. It might seem silly to some, but men express themselves in terms of consumer ownership-- and in a very different way, women do the same."
What might sound a little coarse is a reason to celebrate for Mr. Payne. "I don't mean to take this into philosophical terrority, but men can express themselves via intellectual, informed consumerism. For example, you might buy an SUV, I'll buy a plug-in hybrid. This is still consumerism, but amongts many other things, it is an educated connection to progressive products that make us the men we're proud to be."
For more about smart, proud and progressive consumerism for men, we suggest you visit Payne's website, GearCrave.com. GearCrave is the ultimate buyers guide for men, a lifestyle website which scans the web for your daily dose of cool. Visit 5 days a week, and don't forget GearCrave's giveaways with the webs latest and hottest new products...
