so what do you guys think is the reason we don't have subcultures anymore? my pre-1970s history is not amazing but it seems to me that subcultures existed from at least the 1920s up until the 2010s, and then disappeared. that's a question that seems as interesting and inexplicable as the Fermi Paradox and i feel like we should be collecting potential answers to it in the same way
some things i think are possible:
-this well known article about the life cycle of a subculture is accurate, and the problem is that "sociopaths" are not interested in subcultures anymore, because scams that can fool a lower common denominator of people (such as web3.0) are more potentially profitable, and the money that is needed for a subculture as we remember them never shows up
-it's not the sociopaths, it's the people one step above them: shareholders, who have become more risk-averse and also hungry for infinite growth than ever before, and would be furious with anyone investing in a niche product
-as social media has become a more central part of people's lives and identities, simply sharing an aesthetic post or two is providing people with enough of a sense that they have adequately expressed themselves that they feel no need to commit to non-conformity any harder than that
-we're just literally all too tired. as the late-capitalistic noose tightens around us, things like nonconforming self expression become idle fantasies that most people have no energy for
-art disposability culture, and FOMO. because the average amount of time a geek of any stripe spends with a piece of media has been reduced to like, a week, before they move on to the next thing, no one fixates on anything long enough to build culture upon it (i've seen the phrase "this late in the game's life cycle" applied to a game that was still in early access, for instance)
-music is strictly necessary for subculture to form, and the music industry is in shambles, music literacy is at an all time low, and fewer people can afford to even be musicians because there isn't even part-time job money in it anymore, at a time where people need 1.5x or more jobs to pay rent
would love to hear any thoughts about those or other ideas!
