Well, on the first go, you are supposed to instinctively say yes.
It’s not a wrong answer. I mean.. there is a bunch of things that technology makes easier in terms of fashion. There is a whole culture (read theme: visual culture) around fashion. We live in the world of double taps and fast gratifications so thinking of technology as an enemy is just ridiculous. Don’t worry. This is not a Gen Z trying to be all, we-da-best! We do appreciate the thrills of wearing mohawks and getting on bikes to rave in the concerts. It’s just us looking at the kind of times we live in.
So let us look at the pros and cons. Because these just become a burning question when it comes to how it affects the subculture:
Pros:
- Accessibility -literally everything can be bought on the internet. This wasn’t possible just twenty years before when we were scrambling in thrift stores or known brands without having an in-between.
- Small businesses can become independent -small businesses needed labels to be sold. Until and unless they made their way into the homes, there was no way we could have known these exist.
- Fashion inspiration- again, another benefit to the subculture provided is the kind of representation that it provides to the community everywhere. We have personally known people who can now pour their heart out in social media, create content, build a fandom, and establish themselves. You will have to just Google and not dig any deeper if you need any help.
- Fandom/chat rooms: although they may be losing their essence, chat rooms still are a popular place to collect information, meet other people, and create connections. So is the same with fandoms. The worldwide web will keep you connected.
- Job opportunities: we have online magazines, blogs, even being an influencer is a real job now. So, yes. The internet has given us some new jobs and arenas to explore.
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Information treasure: recently, we stumbled across how the idea of Goth is exercised quite differently in the Japanese culture than ours. Shocking as it may be, this may never be possible because we tend to overlook or see other cultures, limiting and narrowing our opinions.
We haven’t forgotten the excruciating pain of the slow internet trying to get a message through. However, there are downsides to tech in the subculture as well.
- Cyberbullying: well, this is not common for just the culture but for anyone who deviates from the norm. cyberspace just opens one another field.
- Capitalism: this is farfetched but what rebellion stood for in the society is thought to be just a perceived rebellion as Goths get homogenized into another consumer market.
- Stereotyping: turns out some people will remain the way they are, whatever is being served to them or what kind of knowledge accessibility they have. This sadly stands true to people who love to stereotype the Goth culture.
These are some of the ways tech has affected us. How us Goths have reacted to it is a discussion for another day.