The demand for fads has never been greater, and social media is the perfect breeding ground. You may be sick of Gangnam Style, but there's still plenty to learn from it about what makes a craze (and why we need them in the first place).

Sex sells – and so does controversy. But with a new focus on audience involvement, musicians and film-makers alike are handing their incendiary wares over to a participatory online culture for dissection and regurgitation.

Cumbia is becoming the most popular music in Latin America, whether traditional ballad or cutting edge electro remix. Ed Stocker unpicks the music’s multifarious social and cultural layers and examines its increasing popularity in Europe.

Spreading ideas beyond early adopters to a risk-averse majority is a key challenge for innovators. An unlikely love story between the conservative Spanish and an English cocktail shows how brands can help ideas travel from the sidelines to the mainstream.