OPINION
Is Social Media Erasing Alternative Subcultures?
How has social media changed alternative subcultures from vibrant lifestyles to the cheap aesthetic based styles we see today?
Goth, punk, grunge, hip-hop, metal, scene, emo, and everything in between are alternative subcultures. They are movements that changed the world's views on fashion and music by showing what was wrong in our society and helping open many people's minds to it.
No matter the differences, alternative subcultures all follow the same unwritten rules. You need to listen to the music, follow the ideologies, and be active in the community. They have truly earned the culture in their name.
Most alternative communities were close and family-like groups of people who were all related to each other in more ways than one. They could share the same hobbies or they could relate to each other's struggles. They had unbreakable bonds.
Knowing this strikes one big question–what caused these subcultures to minimize into the soulless aesthetics we know today?
There are many ways that alternative subcultures were able to be watered down but the biggest culprit is social media.
Early social media was practically made for alternative people.
One of the most popular early social medias, Myspace, was full of metal heads, goths, emos, and scene kids sharing their coolest outfits and favorite underground band. They could customize their whole page with songs and effects that showed just how alternative they were.
In the early days of social media there was a proper balance between alternative people using social media and being active in communities. Social media had yet to become as popular as it is today. Not as many people felt the need to make an account on Myspace and they definitely didn’t think about posting anything.
As social media got more advanced there was no longer a reason for social gatherings. They became less common. It was simpler to use social media to communicate with other alternative people. They could get to know people from all over the world who shared their interests from the comfort of their homes.
It was seen as a revolutionary way for people to reach others. It was especially good for alternative people who oftentimes struggled with some kind of anxiety that prevented them from interacting with others in person. Some alternative people also lived in areas where being alternative was uncommon which left them feeling isolated.
Social media was a good thing for some alternative people but it was not a good thing for alternative people as a whole. Community is a big part of many alternative subcultures.
Alternative people once relied on their own communities to teach them everything. Young people could learn things from older more experienced alternative people that they could not learn anywhere else. This system made sure that every alternative person was properly educated on the style, ideologies, and music. It kept alternative subcultures strong.
The more alternative people used social media the less they needed to go out and hang out with other alternative people. To them social media had no downsides. It was a much easier way to do everything they could do in person and more.
Over time technology got more advanced. People were using their cellphones to post on social media now. Apps had to adapt to the small screen. They were no longer as customizable as myspace had been.
Because it was harder to really show how alternative you were on newer social media platforms, alternative people had to adapt as well. They had to make sure they posted the best outfits with perfect hair and flawless makeup that had the most alternative filter possible.
Looks became the biggest part of social media as time went on. Instagram and Tumblr were literally just for taking pictures of yourself and hoping that other people would think you're cool. You had to be perfectly alternative or else no one would know how awesome you were.
This was when the idea of aesthetics started to emerge. People weren’t able to express themselves like that before so they had to find other ways. Having good clothes and music taste just wasn’t enough anymore. People had to prove that they were worthy of the alternative title.
Making sure that your walls were covered in posters, writing song lyrics on your hands, and videotaping concerts to make sure that everyone knew they had a great music taste.
Having photoshoots in the places that best fit their style like graffitied trains or wooded areas so that everyone could see how different they were.
Buying action figures, hats, plushies, cups, pillows, blankets, and so much more with their favorite fictional characters or band members on them to prove that they had unique interests.
Social media was full of people trying to prove that they were alternative in every possible way even if they weren’t.
This idea that everything in your life has to fit with your style became so popular. Now it seems normal.
This in itself is not the worst thing in the world. People surrounding themselves with things they love; how could that be bad? It can’t, as long as that is what happens.
In recent years there has been a concerning amount of fashion trends on social media. People have followed the same expectations of surrounding themselves with whatever trend they choose to be a part of.
Trends that used to last a few months at the least have started to last a few weeks. People are buying so many things to fit as many aesthetics as possible and throwing anything else away.
Thrift stores are overflowing with fast fashion clothes that got worn for two social media posts and then thrown away. Landfills are littered with old trends that have become completely obsolete. Stores have had to make their clothes faster to keep up with the trends leading to cheap and inhuman labor practices and cheaper materials.
Sweatshops pushing hundreds of dollars of trendy outfits are becoming more common and the only people who care to notice are called sensitive because “everywhere is fast fashion now”.
The terrible work conditions of the people forced to produce trendy clothes, the amount of items that are bought every month just to be thrown out, the people claiming alternative subcultures and watering them down to nothing but clothes are all things that alternative people should be fighting against–so why aren’t they?
The only answer is that they are not alternatives at all. People like this don't even understand what being alternative is. Social media has let the strong willed fighters that used to be a part of alternative subcultures be erased and turned into trend following zombies.
Social media has destroyed what alternative subcultures used to be all about. They have not only made them unpopular but also taken them and turned them into easy to consume pinterest boards completely about appearances.
The amount of people claiming alternative as just another aesthetic has actually led to a rise in alternative subcultures. People are starting to notice just how terribly destroyed alternative subcultures have become. They take to social media in an effort to educate people on alternative subcultures.
This has started to become more and more effective. People who would usually never know that what they are doing is unethical and not alternative are changing their ways and starting to do more research on alternative subcultures.
Alternative subcultures are not completely gone and may be able to make some kind of recovery but not until people see that what they are claiming as alternative is not. People need to hold the influencers that claim to be a part of alternative subcultures accountable and spread correct information. They need to avoid shopping at fast fashion stores and go back to DIYing just like early punk and goth people had to do.
Being alternative was never meant to be an easy to consume style that anyone could just claim. It was a lifestyle made for people who couldn’t fit in with anyone else. The more people who try to educate themselves and participate in alternative lifestyles the more likely it is that alternative subcultures will be able to make a real comeback.