The expression “OK Boomer” has become increasingly popular in the last two years, as a universal reply to the fact that young people discredit their elders as having become “old-fashioned”.
“OK Boomer” started as an image in TikTok videos Our research has shown that the popular phrase has grown to become more. The two-word expression is used to convey personal views, and simultaneously increase awareness of intergenerational politics where Gen Z are coming to think of themselves as a cohort that shares common interests.
What does “OK Boomer” refer to?
The emergence of the “OK Boomer” meme on social media can be traced back to Gen Z musician @peterkuli’s remix OK Boomer, which he uploaded to TikTok in October of 2019. The track was widely used in meme creations made by the musician’s Gen Z peers, who refer to themselves as “Zoomers” (the Gen Z group born between 1997 and 2012).
In the clip, which lasted two minutes, @peterkuli turned a well-known opinion into a single word and accused “Boomers” (those who were born in the postwar boom of 1946-64) of being ignorant, and racist and backing Donald Trump, who was at the time US president.
In most cases”OK Boomer” is the underlying concept “OK Boomer” concept was created as a way to describe Gen Z to defend themselves against the notion that they are a “fragile” generation that was unable to cope with the challenges. However, it has become an all-purpose response to older generations, particularly Boomers, when they offer views that are deemed to be preposterous or condescending.
The idea of the meme was born out of a more general context of “Boomer blames”. In this sense that the previous generation has handed Gen Z a host of social issues, ranging from Brexit or Trump to intergenerational inequality in the economy as well as climate-related change.
From the ‘big P’ of politics to “everyday politics” and ‘intergenerational’ politics
In our latest study of types of social media activism, advocacy and online engagement on TikTok We looked at 1755 “OK Boomer” posts between 2019 and 2020. We found that young people were using the meme to participate in “everyday political issues”.
Contrary to “big P” politics – the work of government or parliaments, politicians, and the like – “everyday political activities” are politics, pursuits, and discussions that are framed around personal experiences.
On TikTok young people build and express their “everyday political views” by showing their identities in highly personal ways in order to show that they are in solidarity with the beliefs and values of society.
“OK Boomer” and other memes like it “OK Boomer” meme and others similar to it permit young people to engage in a type that is known as “intergenerational political discourse”. This is the tendency of people belonging to a specific age group to have an underlying political consciousness and behavior, typically opposed to the political beliefs that other people. It is also similar to the times when Boomers were confronted with themselves as intergenerational political activists within the countercultures of the 1960s, and 1970s.
Politics on TikTok
On TikTok, the expression of political views can be expressed in shape in the form of dances or audio memes. Young people rely on youthful language and parlance as well as pop culture references and Emojis to create their own social culture. Our study discovered three memes that were particularly popular:
“Lip-sync activism” involves using lip-syncing to overlay face expressions, gestures, and facial movements onto music or in disagreement with or in opposition to the morality and lyrics of songs.
“Reacts through duets” used TikTok’s “duet” function that allows users to record their own video and add it to an existing one. This type of style lets you juxtapose (to counter the original claim) as well as collaborate (to complement the original claim).
Craft activism” included users who showcased the process of creation and creativity of “OK Boomer”-themed art and objects like embroidery, drawings, or 3D printers. Transmitting tension and hardship through TikTok memes
Memes are used as a symbol of community identification with specific political causes including human rights as well as the #MeToo campaign and anti-racism campaigns in the epidemic.
In the same way, similarly, the “OK Boomer” meme has been utilized to debate a variety of controversial and controversial topics. It is usually done in a way that is reflexive, employing self-deprecating memes as well as ironic self-criticism to mock the overly judgmental behavior of other people.
The majority of posts we reviewed focussed on the lifestyles of young people and health. These posts highlighted the ways in which Gen Z are often criticized by Boomers due to their style of living and fashion choices, like unusual career paths and wearing jeans that are ripped.
Gen Z TikTokers also expressed their displeasure at the negative attitude Boomers took to the health of their minds. The posts suggest that Boomers blame their anxiety or depression on stereotyped causes like “spending too many hours using phones” as well as “not taking enough liquids”. Around 10 percent of the participants identified issues related to gender and sexuality expectations. In these instances, Gen Z felt their expressions of identity were scrutinized by Boomers. People who aren’t gender-neutral or who were not adhering to the norms of gender for dressing describe the feeling of being “dress-coded” in the eyes of Boomers. Queer and transgender youth have received admonitions for speaking out about their sexuality. Why do ‘OK Boomer’ memes matter?
Certain scholars and commentators have criticized scholars and commentators have criticized the “OK Boomer” concept as inherently divisive and discriminatory towards older generations. But, as experts on young people’s digital culture, we have observed that it is better to analyze the trend by looking at it from the perspective of Generation Z.
In this way, “OK Boomer” is an effect of tensions between generations, not the origin. Gen Z faces growing threats like the effects of climate change, political instability, and economic hardships of the generation. Humor such as “OK Boomer” can be used to convey the intergenerational politics of everyday life to create an understanding of the perceived demise of Boomers.
