"You're cringe. This is cringe. That's cringe. wow, what millennial. Generation Z is pushing the limits.” You have been following the discussion between millenials (generation Y) and generation Z that has appeared on social networks in recent days? Have you read or heard the word cringe and have no idea what it is? Do you even know what is Generation Y, Generation Z, millennial?
Calm down, we'll talk about it in this text, so get out your notebook and yellow pencil with the eraser on the end and read it. That sentence was very cringe.
Read too: Zygmunt Bauman – thinker who theorized about the liquid relations of Modernity
Summary of what is cringe
Cringe is a slang for estrangement adapted to our context as something that causes others shame.
There is a dispute on social networks between Generation Z and Generation Y.
Generation Y is made up of those born between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s.
Generation Z is made up of those born between the late 1990s and the first decade of the 2000s.
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What is cringe?
Well, to be well explained, we need to understand that there are some meanings for the term cringe., prior to the adaptation that Brazilian Internet users have made in recent years. In the Oxford School Dictionary for Brazilian Students of English, cringe means:
1) cringe (in fear);
2) die of shame (figurative sense).
In both cases, it is a verb: I'm cringe. The second meaning is very reminiscent of what we call shame of others, embarrassing situation.
That is why, there is a comedy subgenre called cringe in the countries of English language, which links the comic action to a situation that, if it happened to you, might not be so funny. It is usually a very acidic, sarcastic type of humor that loves to laugh at the shame of others. It is often presented in series that adopt the format sitcom or even movies.
A combination that often appears in cringe comedies is the mocumentary technique, which is a fake documentary recorded with actors and actresses who play as if they were living their real lives and exhibiting real situations. In the case of a cringe mocumentary, embarrassing situations are presented as if they were real.
On here in Brazil, in the fertile virtual environment, our Internet users have adapted the word in its second sense, turning it into a adjective. This is not new, the word has been on our internet for a few years. Also bringing the meaning of shame of others for something vexatious or embarrassing, the term cringe came to designate, at the beginning, people somewhat clueless. With the transformation of the term in the course of the language, cringe came to designate something (and someone) tacky, clueless, outdated and even forced.
The cringe and the recent "bullshit" between millenials and generation Z
Social networks don't forgive anything, don't forgive anyone. In fake news the bullshit between Internet users, we see everything in them. Well, the latest social media bullshit was between millenials and Generation Z. turns out that the millenials (the one who writes to you is a millennium who will try to be impartial in this text) began to wonder if they are cringe. And… to the surprise of millenials, a lot of the things they do (and think they're cool for doing) are considered cringe by Generation Z.
the millenials reacted to the speeches of the youngsters who are between 12 and 24 years old, so-so. Basically, the generation Z he's calling the millenials a cringe for almost everything millenials say and do. Habits, actions, speeches, the way they use the internet, clothes, music they listen to, what they read, what they watch, it's all cringe:
Pants skinny? Cringe.
Like coffee? Cringe.
Say you pay billet? Cringe.
Listen to rock music? Cringe.
Listen to a '90s pagoda that played on one of those talk shows (those two that dominated Sunday afternoons)? Very cringe.
Being nostalgic with the 90s? Quite cringe.
Use Facebook? Criticizes that he is possibly in his 40s.
Referring to younger people as “this youth of today”? He cringes that he is over 50 years old.
Referring to younger people as “this youth”? Cringe that he already attends the geriatrician.
turns out that social networks evidenced an intense generational conflict, because for the first time we have several generations living together in this space. Until a few years ago, it was the millenials that dominated social media, as Generation Z was still a child. Generation Z has grown up, many are already young adults, they are massively present and active on social networks, especially in short video networks that are booming at the moment, such as Tik Tok and Kwai.
Another recent phenomenon is the entry of people of increasing age groups on social networks. We have people in their 40s to 50s who have been experiencing the networks with greater presence since 2010, and we have, in recent years, a growing frequency of elderly people in these virtual spaces. This last group increased significantly after the pandemic and the need for social isolation.
The result? Bullshit. But calm down, it's not dangerous bullshit. It's healthy bullshit, coming from the generational conflict. A lot of what Generation X did was to break away from the baby boomers, who were his parents. A lot of what Generation Y (the millenials) did was to break the bond with their parents' generation, X. What Generation Z is doing today is trying to detach from the previous generation, after all, this is what is considered cool, slang that betrays my age (as well as the bullshit slang, which I've written several times), because Generation Z prefers the word hype.
See too: Cyberbullying – aggressive practice of intimidation and harassment in a virtual environment
Generation Z video lesson
Generations X, Y, Z, millenials… what is this?
THE sociology it tried to classify the various generations that lived/live between the 20th century and today, to facilitate the understanding of each period. We can divide them as follows:
baby boomers: born between the end of Second World War and the mid-1960s, they came from the boom of births of babies from that period, who no longer wanted the difficulties of such great military conflicts. This generation had the tough task of rebuilding the war-torn world, whether physically or economically. They value hard work and stability.
Generation X: children of boomers, they are those born between 1965 and 1980. Although they challenged their parents and tended towards paths of structural change (in Latin America, for example, lived in dictatorial regimes and strongly contested authoritarianism), ended up entering, in part, the lines dashed by the boomers. They value the study, training, work, and still maintain that structure already started by the boomers.
Y generation: understands who was born between the 1980s and the mid-1990s. Also called millenials for being the generation that crossed the millennium, had a lot of contact with technology in their adolescence and adulthood. It is a generation with a very peculiar way of seeing the world. They don't care so much about stability, they don't want to maintain a distant relationship with companies, at least not if they're not satisfied, and they have a greater interest in entrepreneurship. This generation initiated a change that will be enjoyed and intensified by the next generation. They are highly challenging.
Generation Z: are already digital natives. They find it easier than any other generation with technology. They want to make an impact on the world, they want to shake up structures, even if it's just in the digital world. These are people who stand up even more against injustice, but they are also more sensitive and sentimental. They deepen what millenials started: change and contestation, and still build their identity in the world.
by Francisco Porfirio
Sociology Professor