5 Takeaways from Vice’s Guide to Culture 2023 and What They Mean for Our Culture
Vice recently released “The Vice Guide to Culture 2023.” This is the second year of the guide, with 2022 being the inaugural guide that “kept brands tapped into the cultural zeitgeist and immediately shifted the conversation around youth culture.” This year’s guide examines key trends, cultural movements, and consumer data to help readers understand the forces of change in young people’s lives. In this case, “young people” is Gen Z.
Each year, the guide covers 10 “culture codes” that brands can use to cement relevancy. Here are the five that will impact Gen Z culture and culture across generations.
In pursuit of pause
What is it?
Simply put, this culture code emphasizes slowing down and embracing simplicity. But, according to the guide, “Gen Z knows there’s a difference between just taking a pause and actually savoring it.” Arguably, the pandemic was the inciting event for this cultural movement — it made us rethink how we spend our time. Before 2020, we lived for hustle culture and busyness, so when we didn’t have that anymore, we forced ourselves to slow down and embrace the white space.
How we’re currently seeing it
This trend has two major movements: the “slow” movement and the yearning for nostalgia. Gen Z is opting for slower lifestyles, from slow exercise to slow traveling to slow gardening. The whole idea is to stop and smell the roses — literally.
A second way we’re seeing this trend is in the yearning for nostalgia. From old fashion trends to old technology, to even old movies and TV, we want to relive a time when life was just simpler. We also see this in the rise of reboots and sequels. From “Top Gun: Maverick” to “How I Met Your Father,” we’re looking for comfort in these familiar favorites.
The impact of this trend
This trend has given us clarity on the parts of our lives that matter the most, the parts that we took for granted at one point. The “quiet quitting” and “great resignation” movements have given way to better work-life balance, four-day work weeks, and a focus on well-being in the workplace. As a result, many employees are rethinking their employers and how they work. They’re opting for more remote roles, flexible working options, and starting their own businesses.
We’re encouraged to build more breaks in our day, set more boundaries to protect our time, and put ourselves first. Gone are the days of being “booked and busy” and instead, favoring being “balanced and blessed.”
Sovereignty of self
What is it?
The guide defines “sovereignty of self” as individual identity and the expression of that identity. This trend focuses on decentralizing identity markers as Gen Z want to avoid being known or labeled for one aspect of their identity. Only 22 percent of Gen Z use labels to express their identity. Instead, this generation views identity as a culmination of values and moral code, personality, family, hobbies and passions, gender and sexuality, and age. Additionally, Gen Z favors “pluralized personalities,” meaning they don’t limit themselves to being defined by just one aspect of their personality but rather embrace many.
How we’re currently seeing it
We’re seeing this trend in several different ways. One is in the media, especially in Gen Z-centric TV shows like HBO Max’s “Gossip Girl” and “The Sex Lives of College Girls.” The characters in these shows are not letting others label them for one aspect of their personality, such as sexuality. In season two of “Gossip Girl,” three of the characters were in a throuple for most of season two, which the show and the rest of the characters normalized and viewed as no big deal. In “The Sex Lives of College Girls” season one, Reneé Rapp’s character, Leighton, struggles with coming out and tells her roommate that she doesn’t want to be labeled or only be known for being gay.
This trend is also prevalent on TikTok in challenges like the “Part of Me Wants To Be Her,” where creators create different personas for themselves based on what they wear. It’s all about hopping in and out of different personalities and unapologetically embracing the different sides of our personalities.
The impact of this trend
The expression of our personalities will continue to become borderless and untethered. We’ll no longer feel we have to limit who we are to just one thing or aspect of our personality but rather express them multi-dimensionally. We can have multiple interests and sides to our personalities, and we shouldn’t be afraid to embrace them proudly. We’ll continue to experiment and explore them both in the physical world and the metaverse. No longer will we be defined by places, people, or definitions — we’ll be able to create new constructs of self and continue to evolve the ones we already have.
Rise of the anti-hero
What is it?
This culture code questions the narratives about heroic versus villainous behaviors. The anti-hero is the imperfect character who morphs and evolves before our eyes, which makes us challenge idealized notions of heroism and what isn’t morally acceptable, enabling us to recognize new struggles. Essentially, we’re examining the motivations behind the behavior once thought to be “villainous,” but in reality, it isn’t that villainous at all.
Additionally, this trend questions societal norms and expectations, as Gen Z has lost faith in traditional institutions like government and religion.
How we’re currently seeing it
We see this trend play out with various characters in TV and movies. Cassie Howard from HBO Max’s “Euphoria,” Wanda Maximoff from Disney+’s “Wandavision,” and even Meredith Blake from “The Parent Trap” can all be considered anti-heroes. Our old way of thinking had us rooting against these characters, but after a more careful examination of why they are acting the way they are, you want to empathize with them.
Impact of this trend
The rise of the anti-hero is about authenticity and breaking social scripts. It’s why Gen Z flocks to apps like BeReal and Dispo and posts a random assortment of “photo dumps” on Instagram. For this generation, the more authentic, the better. And with authenticity comes imperfection. It’s rebelling against societal norms and embracing our inner anti-hero. “Goblin mode” was Oxford’s word of the year for 2022, which by definition is “a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects societal norms and expectations.” Other trends, like being in one’s “villain era,” are taking shape; the movement is less about being dark and ominous and more about shifting priorities to put themselves first by setting boundaries and refusing to people please. Essentially, it’s a “no f*cks given” attitude.
Turning away from tone-deaf excess
What is it?
Young people are re-evaluating the meaning of wealth and luxury and instead focusing more on function and utility. Anti-capitalistic sentiment is rising, and with it, the devaluing of luxury, exclusivity, and extravagance. That said, Gen Z is questioning the companies they support and want to align themselves with the company’s values. They won’t support companies with questionable business practices or outright don’t support the same initiatives they do.
How we’re currently seeing it
We love seeing the downfall of scumbag capitalists, which has given way to a new genre of media: eat the rich. Films like “Glass Onion” and “The Menu” and shows like “The White Lotus” depict this narrative; instead of fixating on the lifestyles of the rich and famous, we’re rooting for their demise and for them to get their “just desserts.”
The recent “deinfluencing” movement on TikTok is another example. Instead of influencers telling their viewers what they need to buy, they’re telling them what not to buy. It’s shifting the consumerism narrative to focus on buying less, or at the very least, functional versus aesthetic items.
Lastly, Gen Z rejects labels and logos in favor of secondhand shopping, so they’re not adding any more fuel to the capitalism fire. Not only is it more sustainable and better for the environment to shop secondhand, but it fosters individuality, which is one of the critical pillars of the Gen Z generation. Where fashion played a vital role in the original “Gossip Girl” series, HBO Max’s reboot couldn’t be further from emphasizing designers and labels. While the characters dressed in designer labels definitely didn’t flaunt it like the “Gossip Girl” of old did.
Impact of this trend
This culture code is changing the way we evaluate products. Now, we’re striving for products that offer comfort, functionality, sustainability, innovation, and purpose over exclusivity, prestige, and extravagance. Goodbye, Restoration Hardware, and hello, Ikea. Additionally, we’re seeing this in the content we’re consuming. The content is entertaining yet educational. We’re consuming content that teaches us tips, tricks, and hacks to better our lives. We don’t want aspirational content; we want helpful content that inspires us to take action.
Open beta
What is it?
In a world run by algorithms, trends, and pre-determined trajectories, Gen Z is pushing back and becoming comfortable living in “beta” — the points between A and B where exploration can happen. It’s all about curiosity and creativity, leading to more experimentation and innovation. Gen Z is engaged in planned and serendipitous experiments across all aspects of their lives, embarking on new forms of expression, fostering cultures of imagination, and embracing technology to bring innovation.
How we’re seeing it
We see this in various ways, from food pairings to genre-bending music and fashion mashups. Great examples are the composition of Beyonce’s “Renaissance” album, TikTok’s watermelon/mustard combo, and even Portia’s eclectic style from season two of “The White Lotus.” The bottom line, this generation loves to experiment and showcase their creativity.
Impact of this trend
The most significant impact of this trend is around working. Gen Z wants to build businesses or be a part of must provide spaces and places for collaboration, brainstorming, and new ideas to take shape. Additionally, this generation isn’t afraid to pursue what we traditionally thought of as “unconventional” jobs. They are thinking outside the box, filling unique gaps, and finding a way to pursue their passions. This generation isn’t afraid to ask, “What if?” and inspires us all to do the same.
Gen Z is already proven to be one of the most influential generations of our culture. This generation is changing the way we think and act. They’ve inspired us to question what we’ve always accepted as societal norms and not be afraid to break the mold and shake things up. I am excited to see how all these trends will play out this year and our culture will shift due to it.
