In our recent study on forms of online activism and advocacy on TikTok, we looked at 1,755 “OK Boomer” posts from 20 and found young people used the meme to engage in “everyday politics”. From ‘big P’ politics to ‘everyday politics’ and ‘intergenerational politics’ In this view, the older generation has bequeathed Gen Z a host of societal issues, from Brexit and Trump to intergenerational economic inequality and climate change. The meme arose in a wider context of “ Boomer blaming”. But it has evolved into an all-purpose retort to older generations – but especially Boomers – when they dispense viewpoints perceived as presumptive, condescending or politically incorrect. In essence, the “OK Boomer” meme emerged as a shorthand for Gen Z to push back against accusations of being a “fragile” generation unable to deal with hardship. In the two-minute sound clip distilled an already-popular sentiment into a two-word phrase, accusing “Boomers” (those born during the 1946–64 postwar baby boom) of being condescending, being racist and supporting Donald Trump, who was then US president. The song was widely adopted in meme creations by his Gen Z peers, who call themselves “ Zoomers” (the Gen Z cohort born in 1997-2012). The viral growth of the “OK Boomer” meme on social media can be traced to Gen Z musician remix OK Boomer, which he uploaded to TikTok in October 2019. The simple two-word phrase is used to express personal politics and at the same time consolidate an awareness of intergenerational politics, in which Gen Z are coming to see themselves as a cohort with shared interests. “OK Boomer” began as a meme in TikTok videos, but our research shows the catchphrase has become much more. The phrase “OK Boomer” has become popular over the past two years as an all-purpose retort with which young people dismiss their elders for being “old-fashioned”.
0 kommentar(er)
