The zeitgeist of our times is indeed paradoxical and full of disruptive cultures. The existential crisis of a seething roaring mass of millions and millions is flooding the internet. As a league of 'psychopath' world leaders quibble and quarrel over resources needed for the survival of industrial civilisation which is clearly in chaos and jeopardy, youth sentiment and public out-rage soars. Visible and felt allover mainstream internet, taking on forms unseen before, reflected via memes, text, video, underground music, propaganda and sensationalism. The ethos of locally concocted digital disruption. Opposing sides of the political spectrum seem equally weaponised with resources, band-width, music, cloned avatars and oodles of childish line-art. Deleuze and Gauttari, post-modern philosophers, had predicted the advent of these self-serving identities, of late-capitalism, at least 30 years prior to global manifestation.
“Doomer - Zoomer - Bloomer and Boomer” are meant to capture a spectrum of mindsets regardless of race or nationality. Each of the archetype character is trying to represent a personality type, albeit mostly in a derogatory or over-simplified way. All the 'oomers' are supposed to be outlines depicting the various generations which exist in current 21st century society. The Doomer prototype being the most popular, is a typical white male in his mid-20s. Although on instances the persona can be female. The Doomer persona projects a sense of being aimless, often grappling with loneliness. Wrapped in existential crisis that is set for life. A Doomer's outlook speaks of a humanity which is doomed as a consequence of it's own greed, ignorance and futility. They feel 'World Pain'? Doomer music, merchandise, videos and playlists quickly follow suite. However there is hardly any original music made by Doomers to be heard yet. Yet market pessimism and nihilism too requires sound-tracks. Russian underground rock, Hollywood OSTs, shoe-gazer pop, haunted hits from the past, 8-bit and Synth-wave left-overs, ambient muzak, easy classical and lo-fi pop makes up for Doomer's daily carousel. Doomer vendors on Youtube and Spotify are just about 'Haunted' as the next producer dreaming of 80's neon-coloured success. There are no copyright violations in this world, as Doomers pick and choose whatever music fits their oversimplified taste and persona. Headphones, gadget addiction, isolation, nihilism and a vague directionless gaze makes the typical Doomer.
Counter to the Doomer is a Boomer. An individual typically born between late 1950s and early 70s. Remember the post-war era of 'Baby Boomers'? Not so much about the age, however the out-look of a Boomer's life is made of a "positive can-do attitude" and the need to 'make it big' and acquire material wealth. A Boomer remains blissfully unaware (and disinterested) about the down-side of humanity and it's problems and history. For the Boomer, life is a perpetual sunny tropical resort. A Zoomer is an archetype millennial go-getter, who is very adept at navigating the internet, loves social media, porn, video-games and recreational drugs. Zoomers often have a keen interest in crypto-currency, anarchy and race politics (Mostly likely hosts a Youtube channel). However a Zoomer can steadily transform into a Doomer given the toxicity and instability of mass media, trapped between contradicting opinions and forces.
The Bloomer category is loosely defined by a sense of overall positivity and rather simplified blissful outlook to life, often embracing the spiritual, pagan, holistic and vegan. Wellness being the keyword for a Bloomer. Never-mind the ongoing 6th mass extinction, we must chant for peace, hug pigs and cows and embrace a 'notion of justice'. The Bloomer's playlist is close to a Doomer's likeness. In essence all these icons, in-spite of the contrasting ideologies, are in agreement about one thing - The abdication of responsibility for oneself. Rings the bell of a half-baked Nietzsche. A predicament unfolding a hundred years later?
Witness the last two years, thousands of anonymous users have rapidly adhered to these generational archetypes. Their social media sirens often sound-alike, look-alike and at times copy-alike. Gradually spilling over into the mainstream internet as a legitimate disruption, which is able to quickly gather millions of hits and subscribers. Waves of memes out to mock out-of-touch, politically regressive, web-illiterate old folks (or younger people with that same energy). Not culture which would want to address grief nor hope. Regardless of the Doomer, Boomer, Zoomer and Bloomer differences and varying ideologies, all seem to fall back on music which actually bears little relationship to the current zeitgeist of society.
Products and personas of the dominant culture, in ways seen and unseen. This future map of society is already coloured with retro-active nostalgia, melancholy made of long forgotten albums, bands, mixes, remixes and archives. The heightened alienation from the near and real world being the unspoken facet, omnipresent in all these archetypes. "Future has been cancelled" a deeply prophetic comment made by the late Mark Fisher in 2012.
"Cultural or political directions are mostly arbitrary, regardless of being mass or lead by a small group. Today it does not matter whether you like Joy Division or Cure or Tears For Fears or U2 or Radiohead or x... all such subtle differences redeem their presence always within a singular market based narrative, often parallel to a sort of branded nihilism." states Tomas Weber, PHD Cologne University. The pressure to concede or reject can both be immense, to an individual lost in the cyber universe. The Doomer archetype appears to be the existential icon for millions of disenfranchised youth of the world, as a temporal hook. Yet for how long will a line sketch suffice?
The Doomers, Zoomers, Boomers and Bloomer indeed appear different, and more so in ideologies, however still defined within the late 20th century limits of the dominant culture. As Jacques Derrida stood firm, through his lifelong insisting on the need for "deconstruction" - the four archetypes we are talking about are but "always present within hierarchies, between the invisible or intelligible and the incoherent or
sensible; between the being and appearance". What lies beyond the appearance is perhaps the real being.
The extreme side of such models as seen recently - "Here and there inject far-right extremism - loads of drug-reference - the "Black Pill" versus the "Red Pill" - harbouring anti-black, anti-semitic tropes - who often fear at the incipient collapse of 'the West' - sulking over birth rates coupled with interest in domestic terrorism." Melmagazine.com - Critics of Doomer culture conclude that the very socio-cultural ingredients that fuels violent white supremacy is often linked to Doomer, Boomer and Zoomer content. Excepting the Bloomer who are relegated to post-modern neo-hippy status. The repeating circle of “humor” as a front for bigotry and racism. The adoption of “Honkler” (Pepe the Frog in a clown outfit) as a new mascot of hate. The nihilism and alienation expressed via nostalgic music and silly memes is ok, but the gradual alienation and mass addiction to technology is certainly not. Popular culture, nostalgia and music is directly connected with various forms of propaganda, racism, chauvinism, domestic terror and violence. This globally disturbing trend is not about good versus evil. Nor is it about conservative versus liberal. The "Simulacrum" of image, roles and a map of the future. Or so they want us to believe... Billions of cloned 'Ready Player One' (duh!mer)
The extreme side of such models as seen recently - "Here and there inject far-right extremism - loads of drug-reference - the "Black Pill" versus the "Red Pill" - harbouring anti-black, anti-semitic tropes - who often fear at the incipient collapse of 'the West' - sulking over birth rates coupled with interest in domestic terrorism." Melmagazine.com - Critics of Doomer culture conclude that the very socio-cultural ingredients that fuels violent white supremacy is often linked to Doomer, Boomer and Zoomer content. Excepting the Bloomer who are relegated to post-modern neo-hippy status. The repeating circle of “humor” as a front for bigotry and racism. The adoption of “Honkler” (Pepe the Frog in a clown outfit) as a new mascot of hate. The nihilism and alienation expressed via nostalgic music and silly memes is ok, but the gradual alienation and mass addiction to technology is certainly not. Popular culture, nostalgia and music is directly connected with various forms of propaganda, racism, chauvinism, domestic terror and violence. This globally disturbing trend is not about good versus evil. Nor is it about conservative versus liberal. The "Simulacrum" of image, roles and a map of the future. Or so they want us to believe... Billions of cloned 'Ready Player One' (duh!mer)
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