Individuality is killing us.
Modern version of death by a thousand cuts.
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Okay, first off, I don’t mean for the titles to sound so morbid, but you can’t help it if everything is out to get you; it’s like we’re in the worst timeline or something. But also, a little clickbait never hurt anyone. 😝 But I promise this newsletter isn’t as scary as I’m making it sound. Individuality isn’t bad; it’s how it’s being handled that’s slightly concerning. Let’s talk about it.
Individualism vs collectivism
You know why I’m a trend reporter? Because I already talked about this in high school for a visual arts essay. They loved it. I’m practically an oracle; an auracle if you will (this makes more sense when you realise I go by Aura instead of my government name).
But what actually triggered me to write this wasn’t because I wanted to toot my own horn (it’s part of the reason, though). It’s because I noticed the stan community. It’s crumbling. Back in my day, the fan/stan wars existed, but it was more fandom vs. fandom. The Directioners had a pretty deep disdain for the fans of The Wanted (not me, though; I was all over Siva and Niall).
Now? We’re lost as a society. 💔 Tell me why the stans are fighting EACH OTHER? Fighting about who’s known an artist longer, who was an OG, who knows more. Fandoms and fangirls are one of the biggest indicators of the global society, and to see people ignore them under the garb of “oh, it’s juvenile” is diabolical. THAT is the upcoming generation that should tell you where we’re headed. Those are warning signs we’re intentionally ignoring.
Okay, now listen, this is going to sound farfetched, but sit and think about it. Let it simmer. Let it marinate. But the strong sense of justice that Gen-Z is known to have? It was always there. Ask any Directioner about the kind of wreak they were havocking at the peak of One Direction’s fame—the sleuthing, the defending. We didn’t know what was going on in the world, we also weren’t going through as many global events and injustices simultaneously. All that strong fan behaviour just alchemised into fighting for what’s right and passionately so. So when I say fan behaviour today is concerning, heed that warning.
What’s causing the shift to individuality?
That’s a good question, class. A+ to whoever asked that. The answer is simple: self-preservation and wanting to stand out. So maybe the answer isn’t so simple and is, in fact, paradoxical. Why self-preservation? In a world run by weeklong trend cycles, you need to preserve not just who you are but who you TRULY are.
In the 2010s, if you were called ‘basic’, it was considered downright demeaning and degrading, which is such a valid thing. It was mostly only targeted at women also, specifically at white women who liked anything popular. For years, women were taunted for liking things. If you like something popular? God, you’re so basic. If you like something not in the zeitgeist? God, you try so hard.
When we’ve constantly put down a section of society to a point where anything they do is scrutinised, what do you expect? How do you think ‘pick-me’ came to be? That’s an entirely different tangent, but are you picking up what I’m throwing down? That was also self-preservation. Was it done wrong? Yes, but it was a necessary step women felt compelled to take. So, we really need to evaluate the landscape and ask ourselves very different questions.
At that point, self-preservation becomes critical to surviving online—not thriving, not living, but surviving. Self-preservation in the context of personal growth is healing. It leads to overcoming fear, becoming more self-compassionate, and nurturing self-acceptance. And when you feel safe like that, it leads to stronger expressions of individuality.
Listen, I’m sorry to be running this back to COVID times, but let’s face it, it changed the global landscape, so it’s only fair for it to change the online landscape, too. We were all stuck inside, explored new things, and did a lot of soul searching sans the pretentious travelling; we started losing community in isolation, and that isolation, that preservation of ourselves, became a lot more permanent.
And that wasn’t a bad thing, not really. But when hyper-individualism took over, we all wanted to be different. It’s like when a tech bro goes to the Himalayas, does shrooms, thinks he found himself and NEVER stops talking about it. We became that, all of us. We wanted people to know how much we explored, how much we learned, how we’re better. It became a competition.
The paradoxes of individualism
Oh, come on. You know I love to talk about a good paradox. With individualism sweeping the internet, we've somehow become even more pretentious and insufferable now because people want to be niche so bad that they're skipping (and somehow ignoring) the classics for niche references. I've seen this mainly in younger creatives (literally younger creatives, like, in age). Don't get me wrong, it's amazing to see new references, but they're going as far as to DISPARAGE the classics. It's more hilarious than paradoxical because people who don't want to reference the classics have to dig so deep that they end up borrowing from eras considered paramount. It's like a film bro trying to not reference Hitchcock but ends up referencing something Hitchcock-adjacent. It's just… Hilarious.
And then, don't even get me started on the influencer paradox? We want them to be relatable, but as soon as they show even a sliver of relatability, they're labelled 'cringe' or 'trying too hard.' It's foolish to expect an individual in a different tax bracket to be relatable. What you REALLY want is for them to be humble about it. Let's not get relatability and humility conflated. It's so evident in the way filthy rich celebrities are usually given slight grace because they're either humble, "worked hard for it," or both (although they do still get criticised). Influencers, on the other hand, can't seem to keep hush about their money.
Individuality mostly plagues influencers due to the fact that they're forced to find a niche, or they won't grow at all. Gross displays of wealth, even though they're all 'lifestyle' influencers, are one way they set themselves apart. It all ties back to consumerism and the ultra-fast-paced nature of trends now. Capitalism really is the root of all evil.
The effects of individuality: we were never meant to be alone
Standing out to fit in. We went so far into the individualistic ideology that we ended up back where we belonged, with community. With people. The effects have been incredibly dire, to say the least. While we’re slowly finding communities again, I raise the point that we shouldn’t have ever gotten to a point where the communities were disappearing. Because you know what it did? It made people turn to ChatGPT as a friend. We felt so cold we started seeking warmth in machines. The only way we should be doing that is if you still use a 2019 MacBook and run Photoshop on it like God intended.
But I think the biggest downside AND paradox of it all is that a community (lol) wanting to stand out and “live in their truth” isn’t really doing that. It’s all performative. If you post yourself enjoying your life the way YOU want, you’re considered cringe because you’re not living your truth in the cool, nonchalant way. Not only is it completely against their ideology, but people have started hating on things that get popular, even if they liked them before. It’s mainly with TikTok sounds, so for a second, I understand their argument. But it’s also happening with perfectly fine pieces of media. Like, hello? Have we lost the plot that badly?
So, the point?
The point I’m trying to make is that community is essential, but so is individuality. Too independent? You start turning to ChatGPT because you have no friends or community left. Too communal? You might not have an identity of your own left. Or you might be in a cult.
What we really need to move towards is a balance between the individual and the community. It’s perfectly doable to have your own personality and interests and retain your sense of self within a diverse community. If India, a country with a billion people and thousands of cultures and languages, celebrates its individual cultures while having a shared identity, I think trying to do that on smaller scales should be even easier. But you know why that’s not happening? Because we’re so scared of opening up and being vulnerable. We want individuality but refuse to accept people’s truths. So maybe, just maybe, this isn’t some big government conspiracy but the consequences of our stunted emotional growth.
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the next issue covering latest marketing campaigns and strategies winning over Gen Z. Any questions/suggestions as to what we should cover next? Reach out to us and we’re always here to chat!
— Brought to you by Shaurya, Trends Reporter at The Z Link