Cocooning

Cocooning is the name given to the trend that sees individuals socializing less and retreating into their home more. The term was coined in the 1990s by Faith Popcorn, a trend forecaster and marketing consultant:

Popcorn identified cocooning as a commercially significant trend that would lead to, among other things, stay-at-home electronic shopping. Since Popcorn coined the term, the trend has continued. The creation of the internet, home entertainment technology, advances in communication technology (cellphones, PDAs, and smartphones) which allow "work-at-home" options, and demographic changes have made cocooning an increasingly attractive option. If a reasonable amount of progress has been made when one is cocooning, one may expect the subject to have a breakthrough and emerge like a butterfly to enjoy life.

Critiques

William A. Sherden in The Fortune Sellers: The Big Business of Buying and Selling Predictions (ISBN 0-471-35844-4) takes a skeptical view of Popcorn's ideas about cocooning, among other things, and concludes she was simply wrong on several key issues. Columnist Joe Soucheray was critical of the term as early as 1994; the first incarnation of the web site for his Garage Logic radio show noted that although some insects engaged in cocooning, it was "not practiced by humans." A chapter in the book Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk has a character named Lady Baglady, who produces a short story called "Slumming", in which cocooning is mentioned as an ill of modern society.

Cocooning (immunization)

Cocooning, also known as the Cocoon Strategy, is a vaccination strategy that has been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States since 2006. It aims to protect newborn infants from becoming infected with pertussis by administering DTaP/Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis) booster vaccine to mothers, family members and any individuals who would come into regular contact with the newborn infant. By vaccinating these individuals with a pertussis booster a pool of persons is established around the newborn who are themselves protected from getting pertussis and passing it on to the infant, thereby creating a "cocoon" of protection around the newborn. Young infants have the highest rate of pertussis; in 87-100% of all deaths caused by pertussis, the victim is an infant of less than 6 months of age.

ACIP recommendations

Cocooning is defined as the strategy of protecting infants from infectious diseases, especially pertussis, by vaccinating those in close contact with them. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended cocooning with Tdap vaccine since 2005 and has continued to recommend this strategy for all those with expected close contact with infants. ACIP states that cocooning provides maximum protection to the infant beyond what is provided by maternal vaccination. ACIP is recommending that all relatives and caregivers get vaccinated against pertussis at least two weeks before coming into contact with infants.

Cocooning (aircraft)

Cocooning is the practice of coating stored equipment or machinery (typically aircrafts) for protection.

See also

References