Well as I understand it Raedwulf, from your and everyone else's explanations,it's basically supply and demand. I'm interested from a personal point of view to see where I stand among the general trends and 'in' stuff. Do I have tastes that deviate from the latest norm, or am I fairly typical of today's consumers?

We've noticed that the supermarkets we frequent (mostly Morrisons, Asda and Tesco) have quite a different emphasis on what they stock, and it appears to be linked to the social environment in which they're situated. (City, touristy town and The Sticks)

I'm completely sure I'm way off the bottom of the graph regarding the latest technology items on offer in, say, PC World. or the latest fashions (!) I haven't a clue about these things.

I just wonder what actually drives these trends and gets them to rise in popularity causing the shops to stock the items. I suppose it must be the Meedja innit?