Amazing read, I wish it was longer. This rage-cringe cycle is also really affecting personalities, especially of those that are “chronically online”. When you are constantly aware that liking something is cringe, it changes your personality to be a carbon copy of how other people act (cringe). Then in return, acting the same as everyone else is also cringe (RAGE). The amount of times I’ve been out socializing and someone shares something slightly personal to immediately retract with an apology or saying something along the lines of “omg that was so embarrassing” is becoming exhausting!
On the other hand, when you meet someone who likes the same “guilty pleasure”, an echo chamber of a friendship is created.
Or people who are really passionate about something excuse it for something “neuro-spicy”.
This rage-cringe phenomenon is an invisible beast, quietly weaving its way through all aspects of online and IRL society. Which is why the latest trend is authenticity. My question now is, where are people getting this authenticity all of a sudden! How long have we been hiding? How will this “hiding” transpire in the future?
I think The Row’s entire product strategy is based on this concept, not just the flip flops! Fascinating read and diagnosis of what is driving culture right now. People are dissatisfied and distracted and disaffected, ergo Gatorade shrimp videos.
This feels similar to the K-Hole Brand Anxiety Matrix but with an up to date take and slightly different angle. But I love to read about navigating provocative content especially in today’s day and age.
Taco Bell is an expert at rage. I remember visiting my US cousins in 2021 and seeing their "Eat Like You" campaign, a premise of "whose order is best" and "order like you, everyone else is wrong". For the life of me, I can’t find one of the ads that explicitly ended with "pick a side". Basically, they were motivating "rage" and "argument" in their customer base – and as you say, what causes more comments/engagement than an argument, eh? And it’s arguments in their food rage, so they’re consistently centred in conversations.
Also, this was in the wake of the Trump vs Biden election campaign. US folk were already riled up, keyboard-warrioring their political views, scrolling once or twice and moving that energy to the Taco Bell comment section to defend their fave cheese burrito. Kind of genius. I see why they’re repeating this "rage formula" by pinning old vs young in their The Decades Menu campaign last year.
I also wonder if it’s Rage vs Cringe, or is it that theres is more inner peace if you just change your perspective so that rage is cringe, thus your free🪽
Amazing read, I wish it was longer. This rage-cringe cycle is also really affecting personalities, especially of those that are “chronically online”. When you are constantly aware that liking something is cringe, it changes your personality to be a carbon copy of how other people act (cringe). Then in return, acting the same as everyone else is also cringe (RAGE). The amount of times I’ve been out socializing and someone shares something slightly personal to immediately retract with an apology or saying something along the lines of “omg that was so embarrassing” is becoming exhausting!
On the other hand, when you meet someone who likes the same “guilty pleasure”, an echo chamber of a friendship is created.
Or people who are really passionate about something excuse it for something “neuro-spicy”.
This rage-cringe phenomenon is an invisible beast, quietly weaving its way through all aspects of online and IRL society. Which is why the latest trend is authenticity. My question now is, where are people getting this authenticity all of a sudden! How long have we been hiding? How will this “hiding” transpire in the future?
I am cringe but I am free 🪽
Great read. Mic drop last line too.
This genius knowledge is only 60 bucks a year? We are not worthy
baked fish in tin foil made in the dishwasher ~~ i can't unsee it
I think The Row’s entire product strategy is based on this concept, not just the flip flops! Fascinating read and diagnosis of what is driving culture right now. People are dissatisfied and distracted and disaffected, ergo Gatorade shrimp videos.
fantastic read-so many interesting points!
This feels similar to the K-Hole Brand Anxiety Matrix but with an up to date take and slightly different angle. But I love to read about navigating provocative content especially in today’s day and age.
Taco Bell is an expert at rage. I remember visiting my US cousins in 2021 and seeing their "Eat Like You" campaign, a premise of "whose order is best" and "order like you, everyone else is wrong". For the life of me, I can’t find one of the ads that explicitly ended with "pick a side". Basically, they were motivating "rage" and "argument" in their customer base – and as you say, what causes more comments/engagement than an argument, eh? And it’s arguments in their food rage, so they’re consistently centred in conversations.
Also, this was in the wake of the Trump vs Biden election campaign. US folk were already riled up, keyboard-warrioring their political views, scrolling once or twice and moving that energy to the Taco Bell comment section to defend their fave cheese burrito. Kind of genius. I see why they’re repeating this "rage formula" by pinning old vs young in their The Decades Menu campaign last year.
I also wonder if it’s Rage vs Cringe, or is it that theres is more inner peace if you just change your perspective so that rage is cringe, thus your free🪽
Style Analytics teeters Cringe against Sincerity (see her diagram here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DKhowwXN3Lc/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==), which I think is a smart proposition.
Or maybe it goes "Rage, Cringe, Sincerity"?
ANYYYYYWAYY, great article. Love this Substack.