Trend-spreaders: Asian youth in the USA

Traditionally, London interprets global youth trends before they spread into Europe. Tokyo is the interpreter for Asia. Now Asian-American kids are stepping into the role of interpreters for the US...

according to Cynthia turner's Cynopsis:

Asian American young people see themselves as trendsetters in three cultural categories: technology/gadgetry, anime/manga and video-gaming. Nearly 80% of respondents believed the first two are areas where Asian Americans are influencing trends, while 72% of respondents cite video gaming as the third major area. Other areas included food/culinary arts and the visual arts.
Asian American youth are more likely to identify and seek out trends through word-of-mouth messaging, in particular with second-generation Asian Americans. Among the first-generation, TV holds the greatest influence in helping them learn about new trends.
While first-generation respondents preferred Pop/Top 40 music, second-generation Asian Americans strongly preferred Hip Hop and Alternative music. Among the latter, 62% liked Hip Hop/Rap the most, followed by 51% favoring Alternative/Indie music.

from Intertrend Communications, July 27, 2006