On social media, there has become an increasingly trendy want to be more “niche” than everyone else. In simpler terms, the cool new fad for teenagers nowadays is to have underground interests that hardly anyone else knows about. The lesser known their hobbies are, the more superior they feel to their peers.
Niche interests popular with today’s youth usually include music artists with less than a thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, low-budget indie games found in the deep dark depths of Steam, and old cinematic coming-of-age movies that they can proudly display on their Letterboxd. Knowing these things before they start to trend on social media secures their credibility as a true fan. Apparently, being a “true fan” of these niche interests decides how cool and different someone is compared to the average person. These fans often complain on social media about how they found everything first and everyone else is just a poser.
“Poser” has been a term used for decades to describe someone who enjoys unique interests in an inauthentic and performative way. However, over the years, certain fans of certain artists and movies have completely disregarded the original meaning of the term and have instead been calling every new fan of anything a poser. Without giving these new fans a chance to really get into their interests, they are shamed simply for discovering them. Many are quick to assume that these new fans don’t really care for the art, but in many cases, that isn’t the case, and instead, these new fans are being unreasonably bullied out of doing what they love.
Not only have people been shamed for finding more underground interests, but they have also been shamed for enjoying more of the mainstream interests. Especially in recent times, a negative stigma has been formed around enjoying mainstream art. Some of those who enjoy the most recent pop songs on the radio and buy their clothes from anywhere but the thrift store or a random Instagram business have been called “basic” and “boring.”
It seems now that authenticity to any extent is just not accepted anymore. If you can’t enjoy the underground or the mainstream peacefully anymore, then people are wondering what is allowed to be enjoyed. People are no longer able to express their fully authentic selves without being judged or called “performative” by strangers on the internet who seem to feel superior just by being “weirder” or “lesser known.”
However, the rise of niche hobbies and interests has also positively impacted certain artists. By giving attention to artists who have just started and movies that have just come out, the creators who have worked hard to put out their work finally get the recognition they deserve. In the race to be the most niche, people are able to discover great, unique interests that may have never been able to see the light otherwise.
This conceited mindset that uniqueness decides superiority is the reason why the internet is becoming an increasingly dangerous place for today’s youth. Despite this controversy, being “niche” proves not to be so detrimental for all. Although the need to be niche is stopping people from expressing their truest authentic selves, it allows deserving artists and creators to finally rise to fame.
