Pop culture is dead

[paredler]

The music and fashion we had in the 90's and 2000's was a big thing and great artists made iconic songs, outfits, tv serieses, films etc. Everything looked good and sounded good. Everything was...wow!

Things started to die in the 2010's, it was the end of pop culture as we knew it and was the beginning of music without sound, all too noisy, all to cheesy, corny. There were these songs "Like a G-6" and "Starships" that just made my ears bleed. The melodies were...meh, nothing too special. Outfits started to be more "attention seeking" and tv and films were too cliche.

Now, in the mid 2020's, I can;'t tell a single song that came out this year. I don't even know who the leading artists are now. There's Dua Lipa, I don't like her music. It's meh. I will never listen to her voluntarily. Arianah Grande disappeared, but even when she was more popular, I hated her. I used to love fashion but now I hate it because everything they make is ugly and prententious and too attention seeking. TV and films...I'm just tired of it all. I can't find a genre I like, it simply doesn't exist.
We need to brainstorm and calculate where our aesthetic, music, fashion, entertainment culture is heading. We need to have a culture that is pleasing and appriciateable.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I think you're right but I wonder if it's something we all feel about our childhood's. I'm guessing you don't remember the 80's? I was born in 1980 and there's something kind of special about the music and film from then for me too. Yeah, it was cheesy but, good. Now, I'm even starting to look back further to the 70's and appreciate the writing that went into the programes from back then.

I wonder if we all think our youth was the good ol' days in terms of culture. I liked the fashion in the 70's. We're all so scruffy now. Me included. Plus, most people seemed to be slim and fit. Again, not like me. I wonder when it all started to go wrong! But- true. I like the music from the 90's too. I think that's partly how you know you're getting old though- sorry- no offence! But- when you start to say- 'It's not like it was in my day...'

 

[BrainShower]

I felt like it died in the late 90s, but we all experience these things differently.
I'm sure some people are saying it died during the pandemic. So imo it's all in your perspective

 

[EvisceratedJester]

Yeah, everything was great back in my day. Survivorship bias isn't a thing and there is no way that my evaluation of current pop culture trends could in any way be impacted by my own biases and nostalgia. Pop culture is most definitely dead and totally isn't still around and is just different from how it used to be. Everything was great back when I was young and everything is trash today!/s

Lol, you sound like my mom (no offence).

 

[EvisceratedJester]

"i dIsAgReE wItH sOmEoNe So InStEaD oF eXpLaInInG In A pOlItE mAnNeR, i'lL jUsT AnSweR SaRcAstIcAlLy To InsUlT ThE Op BeCaUsE I'M SuCh An IdIoT AsSHoLe wHo DeSeRVeS To GeT KiDnApPed AnD HaVe His SkUlL SmAsHeD."

Damn, I really offended you, huh? Lol

Also, I'm a her, btw.

 

[psp3000]

We need to have a culture that is pleasing

I think this is the problem / reason why pop culture died in multiple ways and not just in the terms of media everything must be aesthetically pleasing to the point where everything is sterile and absolutely perfect

I think this is to distract from current issues in the world but it isn't really helping which is why I miss the media of the 80s to 2010s

in order to have something pleasing I feel like there must be something that is equally displeasing, disgusting, disturbing, ugly, or explicit

rather than completly pushing those things in society down and not including them or referencing them in popular culture I think it ruins creativity

along with everyone making a very specific aesthetic for everything and have curated aesthetics for everything with the goal to be different or seen as an individual only to blend in with the rest with still no sense of identity or who they really are because the focus and goal is to be perfect and never have awkward, weird, or uncomfortable years

this really ruins art for me as well no one's willing to take actual risks or be actually different anymore it always different or weird but within a certain box/parameter that is acceptable

there's a lot one could say

 

[paredler]

I think this is the problem / reason why pop culture died in multiple ways and not just in the terms of media everything must be aesthetically pleasing to the point where everything is sterile and absolutely perfect

I think this is to distract from current issues in the world but it isn't really helping which is why I miss the media of the 80s to 2010s

in order to have something pleasing I feel like there must be something that is equally displeasing, disgusting, disturbing, ugly, or explicit

rather than completly pushing those things in society down and not including them or referencing them in popular culture I think it ruins creativity

along with everyone making a very specific aesthetic for everything and have curated aesthetics for everything with the goal to be different or seen as an individual only to blend in with the rest with still no sense of identity or who they really are because the focus and goal is to be perfect and never have awkward, weird, or uncomfortable years

this really ruins art for me as well no one's willing to take actual risks or be actually different anymore it always different or weird but within a certain box/parameter that is acceptable

there's a lot one could say

You think perfectionism destroys creativity? But all artists throughout history strived for perfection, didn't they? I don't think this is what makes our current situation unique.

 

[psp3000]

You think perfectionism destroys creativity? But all artists throughout history strived for perfection, didn't they? I don't think this is what makes our current situation unique.

perfecting someone's artistic skills or improving them or even being good at ones craft
is much different from censorship, ignorance, blandness and a lack of individuality or intellectualism

in summary I was attempting to explain that creativity could be ruined by having every piece of media be aesthetically pleasing and perfect to the point where it's soulless (this is very common now especially if someone wants to be successful financially but I don't have much expertise on this point)

or that creativity can ruined by the molds and parameters that being aesthetically pleasing and unproblematic can create

I hope this makes sense

 

[ColorlessTrees]

There's for sure still great stuff being made, but everything moves lightning fast due to the internet, and it's no longer a monoculture (what I think is the main issue here), so the average person won't be able to bond with you about it—in love or hate—and it likely won't break into the mainstream unless the creator is already known. Everything interesting seems to have been broken off into "cores" or trends, then dissolves to the next thing or a niche subculture at best.

Personally though, I do think mainstream pop has gotten worse (from the mid-late 2010s on especially)
I'm also tired of shitty reboots, remakes, and nostalgia cash grabs.

 

[chicanocompost]

you have to dig deep to find good art nowadays tbh
consumerism and the fetishization of algorithms and meaningless content has really driven most mainstream art to shit

 

[Blurry_Buildings]

Aren't there articles about how the greatest/ silent generations used to make fun of the boomers for liking rock music as well? To someone who lived through the great depression and world war 2 I'm sure "sex drugs and rock and roll" seemed like absolute moral degeneracy compared to church beer and intrumental jazz. It's too bad they are all either dead or too old to insult today's middle aged- people's choice in music.

 

[pilotviolin]

i agree with colorlesstree's idea about having no monoculture due to the internet, and general atomisation. i cant really pin down my generation (gen z) for any big trends because all the trends go by so fast, are shallow (i dont say this in a condescending way, what i mean is participating in emo culture is different to "office siren" or most "cores"), are instantly marketed on even manufactured in advance, and end up emulating something else. i dont know what our big musical artists are (well i could name some people but again i dont think of it as "our" thing because everyone has different tastes), theres no big subculture of our times. i feel so disconnected from people my age and its not just a me thing, im pretty sure many if not most feel the same. i guess you could fish some movies out from childhood and some releases today and some depressing/bad events and stats or as another user said dua lipa or something but its either shit the world threw or things that just feel so insignificant. i feel like im being dramatic, so i apologise, but besides humour, despair and media, i dont feel like theres much to "participate" in thats exclusive for people my age.

i do have a question though, back then were people as individual and scattered but it was less noticable? or does having everyone either consume what everyone else does or have to actively deviate or participate elsewhere actually make it different from today?

 

[Saturn_]

i cant really pin down my generation (gen z) for any big trends because all the trends go by so fast, are shallow (i dont say this in a condescending way, what i mean is participating in emo culture is different to "office siren" or most "cores"), are instantly marketed on even manufactured in advance, and end up emulating something else.

I've noticed that gen Z seems to have a lot of struggles with identity. They halfheartedly adopt different fashion "aesthetics", and these changes in appearance are born not out of passion, but from a particular image of a person that they'd want to be, that suits their ego at that moment. They dress in "cottagecore" because they like the image of being this beautiful nymph frolicking in meadows without a care in the world. They dress in "dark academia" because they like the idea of being an intelligent, mysterious scholar with stacks of leather-bound novels and a sharp tongue. But when you strip most of these aesthetics away, you are left with the same vapid, tech-addicted young people obsessed with self-image. They don't actually care about these subcultures, they just want to look the part for a little while, to carry a specific impression with them wherever they go, without the passion and the dedication. A bunch of dispassionate shapeshifters perpetually distracted by the pretty colors on their phone screens, who will, at any moment, immediately get up and make a run towards the next butterfly that passes their desk.

 

[paredler]

I've noticed that gen Z seems to have a lot of struggles with identity. They halfheartedly adopt different fashion "aesthetics", and these changes in appearance are born not out of passion, but from a particular image of a person that they'd want to be, that suits their ego at that moment. They dress in "cottagecore" because they like the image of being this beautiful nymph frolicking in meadows without a care in the world. They dress in "dark academia" because they like the idea of being an intelligent, mysterious scholar with stacks of leather-bound novels and a sharp tongue. But when you strip most of these aesthetics away, you are left with the same vapid, tech-addicted young people obsessed with self-image. They don't actually care about these subcultures, they just want to look the part for a little while, to carry a specific impression with them wherever they go, without the passion and the dedication. A bunch of dispassionate shapeshifters perpetually distracted by the pretty colors on their phone screens, who will, at any moment, immediately get up and make a run towards the next butterfly that passes their desk.

It's really sad to see a whole generation of people not knowing what to do with themselves or who they actually are. These looks that you described are exactly this, some thin veneer that covers their emptiness and lack of reallness. You know, after WW2, every decade had its own thing, but we've now entered a decade that doesn't have a thing and it drives all of us crazy, not only Gen Z'ers, but wven millenials, Gen X'ers and even boomers, who don't know how to percieve Z'ers. Z'ers don't know how to percieve themselves.

 

[1MiserableGuy]

The music and fashion we had in the 90's and 2000's was a big thing and great artists made iconic songs, outfits, tv serieses, films etc. Everything looked good and sounded good. Everything was...wow!

Things started to die in the 2010's, it was the end of pop culture as we knew it and was the beginning of music without sound, all too noisy, all to cheesy, corny. There were these songs "Like a G-6" and "Starships" that just made my ears bleed. The melodies were...meh, nothing too special. Outfits started to be more "attention seeking" and tv and films were too cliche.

Now, in the mid 2020's, I can;'t tell a single song that came out this year. I don't even know who the leading artists are now. There's Dua Lipa, I don't like her music. It's meh. I will never listen to her voluntarily. Arianah Grande disappeared, but even when she was more popular, I hated her. I used to love fashion but now I hate it because everything they make is ugly and prententious and too attention seeking. TV and films...I'm just tired of it all. I can't find a genre I like, it simply doesn't exist.
We need to brainstorm and calculate where our aesthetic, music, fashion, entertainment culture is heading. We need to have a culture that is pleasing and appriciateable.

I wish I still had that archive of some assclown from the 1540s saying this same asinine bullshit about the music of his day. Here's a news flash, whatever is big is never good, regardless of what time you're in. If anything, we are privileged to live when we do because internet access gives us the ability to hear and see things we previously never could. Just stop putting weight into what normies think and learn how to find stuff that's decent, plenty still made, two minutes of effort.

 

[godawfulbuttmunch]

you have to dig deep to find good art nowadays tbh
consumerism and the fetishization of algorithms and meaningless content has really driven most mainstream art to shit

I don't really mind having to dig a little to find the good shit, but it must've been nice to be able to talk about mainstream stuff with fellow normies and actually enjoy it instead of complaining about how much it sucks :(

It's really sad to see a whole generation of people not knowing what to do with themselves or who they actually are. These looks that you described are exactly this, some thin veneer that covers their emptiness and lack of reallness. You know, after WW2, every decade had its own thing, but we've now entered a decade that doesn't have a thing and it drives all of us crazy, not only Gen Z'ers, but wven millenials, Gen X'ers and even boomers, who don't know how to percieve Z'ers. Z'ers don't know how to percieve themselves.

I think that might be part of it. As a zoomer myself, I feel like my peers and I don't really have a well-defined identity. What we do have tends to be depressing and grey, like social media addictions for instance.

 

[paredler]

learn how to find stuff that's decent, plenty still made, two minutes of effort.

You know how hard it is to find a fashion style or a music style that was produced in the late 2010's - early 2020's and I actually like? I do the work. I go on Discogs.com and look for different styles of music that were produced this year, I go one by one listening to them on Youtube and nothing compares to 90's electronic music. Everything sounds so weird and non-creative it's so fricking boring. Same with fashion. I explore new collections, but they're all just too "attention seeking' that lack any sense of elegance and coolness. Everything looks like a cheap replica of a way cooler culture that no longer exists.

 

[1MiserableGuy]

You know how hard it is to find a fashion style or a music style that was produced in the late 2010's - early 2020's and I actually like? I do the work. I go on Discogs.com and look for different styles of music that were produced this year, I go one by one listening to them on Youtube and nothing compares to 90's electronic music. Everything sounds so weird and non-creative it's so fricking boring. Same with fashion. I explore new collections, but they're all just too "attention seeking' that lack any sense of elegance and coolness. Everything looks like a cheap replica of a way cooler culture that no longer exists.

You know how hard it is to find a fashion style or a music style that was produced in the late 2010's - early 2020's and I actually like? I do the work. I go on Discogs.com and look for different styles of music that were produced this year, I go one by one listening to them on Youtube and nothing compares to 90's electronic music. Everything sounds so weird and non-creative it's so fricking boring. Same with fashion. I explore new collections, but they're all just too "attention seeking' that lack any sense of elegance and coolness. Everything looks like a cheap replica of a way cooler culture that no longer exists.

That's a lot of extra words for "I've pigeon holed myself into one particular style of music and am surprised and outraged at the results of having done that"

 

[paredler]

That's a lot of extra words for "I've pigeon holed myself into one particular style of music and am surprised and outraged at the results of having done that"

It doesn't make my argument less valid.

 

[1MiserableGuy]

It doesn't make my argument less valid.

Yes it does. Before that, your argument was rendered invalid when you tried to suppose that electronic music was good.

 

[paredler]

Yes it does. Before that, your argument was rendered invalid when you tried to suppose that electronic music was good.

I didn't make myself clear. There are other music styles I like, like funk, soul, disco, hip hop and some rock songs. Today's mainstream genres are less of my kind of music. I like some indie songs, but that's pretty much the only contemporary genre I like. Back in the early 2000's I was more eclectic and there were lots of songs I liked that were considered mainstream. Today, the new songs I like are very niche.

 

[1MiserableGuy]

I didn't make myself clear. There are other music styles I like, like funk, soul, disco, hip hop and some rock songs. Today's mainstream genres are less of my kind of music. I like some indie songs, but that's pretty much the only contemporary genre I like. Back in the early 2000's I was more eclectic and there were lots of songs I liked that were considered mainstream. Today, the new songs I like are very niche.

Your age and lack of culture are the reasons you are duped into believing something that used to be considered popular was ever good, and "suddenly" isn't

 

[paredler]

Your age and lack of culture are the reasons you are duped into believing something that used to be considered popular was ever good, and "suddenly" isn't

We're done talking, obviously you're not here to talk, but to fight, I'm not going to sink into your level, find someone else.

 

[1MiserableGuy]

We're done talking, obviously you're not here to talk, but to fight, I'm not going to sink into your level, find someone else.

Scrambling for last words doesn't change reality