#Hopecore: Gen Z’s Romanticism
There’s a section of the internet that says everything will be okay.
(Getty Images)
For months, I've seen content on social media platforms with the hashtag “Hopecore.” With 5.1 billion views on TikTok, it is no surprise that it came to my attention. So what is “Hopecore”? The word “core” derives from its use to form words that name a rebellious or non mainstream lifestyle, social movement or type of music. And in “Hopecore’s” case, it stands for that exactly.
“Hopecore” is a forerunner to “core-core” and “niche-core” created by adolescents in 2020. Both are a collection of visuals with a calm song in the background but usually hold negative, depressing, or self-deprecating messages. Hopecore oppositely impacts the viewer with a format of a collection of clips that portray happy situations and motivational quotes over cinematic feeling music.
The overall feel of “Hopecore” leaves the viewer with new thought material, courtesy of its messages of hope, humanity, and the human condition.
The ideas presented by Hopecore feel akin to those in the Romanticism movement, lasting from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Romanticism had characteristics of using themes of introspection, melancholy, appreciation of nature, and emotion. Romanticism was a reaction to the industrialization and individualism that was taking place in society at the time. As seen between the emergence of “hope-core” as a reaction to “core-core,” when something becomes more and more of a scarcity the romanticization of it grows in parallel. And in this case, it is a lack of hopeful messages online.
Gen Z has become familiar with “doomscrolling” — consuming a lot of negative messages/news online. People aren't meant to consume so much content so fast, and the internet makes it easy to fall into doing so. Let alone process emotions beyond their own at that same rate. And seeing that the previously mentioned “core-core” and “niche-core” portrayed negative messages, being a predecessor to “hope core,” it makes sense that people would find relief in seeing a piece of hope amongst their other array of content.
@sanemi____ 🎶#fyp #foryou #pourtoi #earth #4k #animals #corecore #hopecore #shilohdynasty ♬ original sound - sanemi
“Hopecore” has also been known to highlight successes and motivation given by African-Americans, and other people of color. They are providing consumers with the less depicted narratives in the media. Exposing more ways in which people of color thrive. This adds to the importance of what representation in media can mean to people. Many users comment, “We all need a little hope core.”
@glosemi BLACK WOMEN. #blackexcellence #hopecore #hopecoreedit #grvndefilm #foryoupage #fyp #foryou ♬ Love You So - The King Khan & BBQ Show
Siah Brawley (she/her) is a high school senior with an interest in media and culture.
Edited by Nykeya Woods