Cringe: Between Metamodernism and Postmodernism

The article attempts to understand the reason for the phenomenon of popularity of the term "cringe" that spread from youth slang at the beginning of the 21st century. The genre of cringe comedy is posited as an exemplar of the penetration of cringe into popular culture. The temporal coincidence of the genre's emergence with the waning influence of postmodernist theory, which purports to be the primary language for describing cultural trends, particularly in Western countries, during the second half of the 20th century, is noteworthy. Consequently, a number of concepts have been created to reflect the latest trends of our time, which the philosopher A. Pavlov has summarized under the term "postpostmodernism". A prominent example of this is the concept of "metamodernism", which has gained significant popularity. This concept has been employed to theorize the shifts in the "structure of feeling" that have led to the emergence of cringe as a salient phenomenon of our contemporary era. It is evident that there is a significant demand for at least some form of authenticity and, simultaneously, for connection with others, even if that connection is as ephemeral as the shared feeling of awkwardness. However, the authors of the "metamodernism" concept only vaguely outline the connection between changes in sensibility and changes in socio-economic conditions. Adam Kotsko's thesis helps to compensate for this shortcoming, linking shifts in sensibility with the economic transition from Fordism to Post-Fordism. Yet, the changes that have occurred in structures of feeling can equally be explained within the framework of postmodernism. Therefore, the choice between postmodernism or metamodernism as a tool is determined by the preferences of the researcher, and the phenomenon of cringe, along with related cultural phenomena, fits well within the framework of postmodern theory, emphasizing the continuity between socio-economic bases and their representation in culture.

cringe, cringe comedy, sitcom, mass culture, popular culture, structure of feeling, metamodernism, postmodernism, capitalism, post-fordism