Dissertation topic thoughts..

As with every essay (well, both of them), i always start by just brainstorming the main things that i find interesting or that i think would be researchable enough to make into an essay. These brainstorms are always feature the same, FEW subjects but i never seem to be able to end up actually writing about any of them. I realise as i've got to churn out at least 6000 words this time so i really need to be choosing something that holds my interest for the long haul. That in itself is a massive mission, as it appears there's very little that i'm interested in that could form any sort of academic paper. Not to say they're not interesting, maybe just too niche and weird. This is already a struggle and i haven't even nearly started anything yet.

The traditional mind map with the usual suspects, namely;

Films of the 80's, Fashion of the 80's, Music of the 80's....The 80's. My needs are simple.

These interests have somewhat branched out a bit this time around, but i'm still non the wiser to where i could take it as a research project. These mindmaps sprang from the following list of initial subjects;

• Sub-genre fashion resurgence

• Retro / Re-cycling the past 

• Post Modernism in trends 

• Nostalgia >> How the digital age has effected or effectively killed the ideals of genuine nostalgia

(thanks to facebook, digital cameras, 'selfies', scanners, printers, video tape converters, games console emulators etc)  Merely replicating the past. 

• Romanticism

• Memorabilia

• Collecting/ Hoarding / Obsessions / Addictions / 'Nerd' Culture

• History of Masks >>Meanings >> Anonymity/Reclusiveness/Isolation in creative types

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Books slightly related to retro/vintage/collecting themes, for starters - but not altogether that useful.

"The Cultures of Collecting" J.Elsner, R.Cardinal (069)

"Pretty Ugly"  (745.2) 

"Packaging source book" (745.2)

"Digital Retro"  (745.2)

"Collectors edition" (745.2)

"Collections of Nothing" - W.Davies King

..and of course, vintage WWF wrestling >> The changes to what it has become now >>> Peoples changing views on masculinity, which took me off in quite a different tangent ?!

Big Fat 80's Wrestlers, global prime time TV

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Popularity waining 

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                                                 Emergence of UFC/MMA and                                                    subsequent rise in popularity 

God knows how, but from an initial starting point of the popularity of Pro Wrestling of the 70's/80'S/90's i've ended up asking the question why, what is the behind humans desire/interest in watching violent bloodsports or the actual deaths of other humans,or animals? (roman gladiators,public executions, bullfighting,youtube videos of car/plane crashes etc)