Subculture is dead. Hear me out! I understand when using subculture as an umbrella term it’s encompassing too many groups to count (I mean the list of goth subcultures alone is exhausting—traditional, Romantic, cyber, vampire, casual, hippie...). And whilst the *searches the internet for most obscure subculture possible* elevator enthusiasts community may be going strong, subculture as a whole is... dead.
In the traditional sense at least.
In Early subculture theory from the 70’s/80’s, the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies described the sub-groups that formed against the established norms of wider societal views after post war consumerism allowed young people to deviate from their previous restrictive identities and re-define themselves as what ever they wanted. From this, many subcultures developed—teddy boys, punks, hippies—all conjuring up a clear image in ones mind. It was distinct and clearly defined. But modern ‘subcultures’ seem to be less and less identifiable and a lot more interchangeable instead. The Oxford dictionary defines subculture as ‘a cultural group within a larger culture, often having beliefs or interests at variance with those of the larger culture’. In the original sense it often also designates a fixed value and belief system and aesthetic identity. In the 60’s, you couldn’t be a mod and a rocker, that would be absolute heresy.
But is this still the case today? Nowadays, whether we’re part of a subculture or not, our social identities seem more multi-faceted, with less distinguished boundaries and not completely defined by one groups views. It seems that peoples subcultural identities are more divided and fluid than previously theorised.
This is what is called: Neo-tribalism. Michel Maffesoli used this term in 1996 to conceptualise the break down of societal structures in the modern era of a mass society, in contrast to the more tribal society of the past. It’s kind of like societal code switching— we now belong to many different social groups and reconstruct our personas for each one, not having to conform to a single group mentality.
So what’s the difference between subcultures of the past and today’s? When did the lines get more blurred? It could be that these groups were in fact more Neo-tribal than they’re given credit for and the theories of these concrete identities could simply be because of prejudiced views of those who stood outside of the box and a refusal to believe that goths, for example, did anything other than mope in graveyards listening to Siouxsie and the Banshees. Maybe there’s just less to rebel against. Or maybe everything was just over commoditised.
But there’s definitely something to say for today’s more fragmented social climate as well. It seems the motivation behind subcultural groups has shifted from rebellion and resistance to a more trend based concept. A lot of young people want to be ‘unique’ so badly that as soon as something picks up traction whether that’s a band or an entire aesthetic they abandon it entirely. I will admit I’m also guilty of this— there have been times where I have to physically push down the ancient pretentious ghost that inhabits my body and takes care of my individuality complex (the same one that forces me to read Sylvia Plath) and stop them from screaming to the world that, ‘I was listening to them years ago when no one else was!’. It’s now less about belonging to a group and more about your individualistic self. With the Internet and social media as main catalyst, subcultures are now more bespoke and precise representations of ones tastes.
But rest assured, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing! If you think about it, this move away from the sub group is actually kind of great. We can still have ‘subcultures’— it’s what makes you, you! Even if it’s now a bit different, we can still feel the community and togetherness of having a ‘tribe’. We can still share those emotions and experiences and feelings of belonging. But this fluid nature of a Neo-tribalism is an open door for cultural experimentation. The homogeny of the ‘subculture’ can be replaced by the diversity of an inter-tribal society. Helping us understand each other and build stronger social bonds.