The Power of Cringe

Adults acting like toddlers, people posting emotional meltdowns online, and television characters delivering awkward one-liners: these are all things that might be called “cringe.” Cringing is a physical reaction in which your body seems to shrink away from the embarrassing thing you are witnessing. Gen Z uses the word to point out awkward or uncomfortable behavior online, but it has also been weaponized to make people feel small and excessively self-conscious about their every action. Nobody wants to be labeled “cringe.”

Yet, despite the power of this word and the internet culture surrounding it, Gen Z is not necessarily the most insecure generation.

Internet Culture

The digital age in which Gen Z has grown up has given embarrassing moments a new sense of permanence. Any moment, at any time, can be recorded and remain in someone’s camera roll forever. Someone can even be filmed and uploaded to the internet without ever knowing. For many people, it feels better to be safe than sorry.

In the past, if you did something cringey, the people who were there might have seen it, laughed at you for a little while, and forgotten about it by the next day. Today, a cringey moment can result in someone being mocked by strangers online indefinitely. In that sense, Gen Z has a right to be afraid.

Online comments are often anonymous and easy to post. After scrolling to the next video, viewers may never consider what happens to the person they just mocked. The damage is easily done, but it is not always easily forgotten.

Cringe as a Social Influence

The power that “cringe” holds is significant. Calling someone cringe tells them that they have strayed too far from what their peers consider normal. At the same time, modern technology has created spaces for nearly everyone, both online and in person. This has contributed to a divide between countless subcultures and whatever is considered mainstream.

There is no definitive set of criteria for what is or is not cringe because Gen Z contains so many different groups, fandoms, and communities. Something considered embarrassing in one space may be completely normal in another.

The word can also be used as an insult between subcultures, strengthening the unity within individual groups. Someone who enjoys musical theater might call a death metal fan cringe, while that death metal fan might say the same about someone who enjoys K-pop. There is no single answer for whether something or someone is cringe. It depends on whom you ask.

Gen Z also uses “cringe” in a way that can bring the generation closer together despite its many divisions. One group that frequently receives this negative attention is Millennials. Many members of Gen Z joke about Disney adults, Millennials pretending to be children, or Millennials using Gen Z slang incorrectly. As mean as these jokes can be, collectively identifying supposedly cringey behavior in another generation can create a sense of unity among Gen Z.

Gen Z “Cringe” Versus Older Generations’ Embarrassment

A logical but incomplete conclusion would be that Gen Z is the most self-conscious generation. It makes sense. We hurl insulting terms at one another when we enjoy different things. We film people doing embarrassing things and post the videos online. We have a style of humor that can seem mean.

However, I would argue that previous generations were equally, if not more, self-conscious. Words like “cringe” are not new. Baby Boomers used “square,” Gen X used “dweeb,” and Millennials used “basic.” These terms have all been used to keep people in line with whatever was considered mainstream at the time.

Gen Z may also be one of the most accepting and welcoming generations. We understand that there can be a space for everyone. There are communities for people who enjoy anime, Sabrina Carpenter, Call of Duty, and nearly every other interest imaginable. These communities exist on the internet, an environment in which Gen Z has grown up.

There is less reason to bully someone for their interests when there is no longer one dominant mainstream. Instead, there are countless large communities that, for the most part, coexist without caring much about what the others enjoy.

When the Mainstream Was Stronger

Older generations experienced more clearly defined ideas of “correct” and “incorrect” culture. Many Baby Boomers looked down on people who rebelled against mainstream culture, including hippies and rock-and-roll fans. Members of Gen X mocked computer enthusiasts, video game players, and goths. Some Millennials rolled their eyes at anime fans, scene kids, and cosplayers.

If I had grown up during those periods, I might have been afraid to reveal my true interests if they were not widely accepted. Today, all of these groups can find online spaces filled with people who share their interests. Insecurity may have been even more prevalent when people were not guaranteed a community in which they could feel comfortable expressing their likes and dislikes.

Cringe Across Generations

The Gen Z slang term “cringe” is another form of social conformity and conditioning, not proof that Gen Z is the most insecure generation. Gen Z is generally more open to different interests, opinions, and ideas. However, members of the generation can still become insecure because of the internet.

Anything can be recorded or shared online, and anonymous comments using words like “cringe” can harm young people who are still developing their identities. “Cringe” is not simply evidence of an unhealthily self-conscious Gen Z. It is the newest version of a social pressure that has existed across generations.

The word may have changed, but the desire to decide what is normal, and to embarrass those who fall outside of it, has not.