It feels like everyone is trying to coin a phrase for internet points and planting a flag by recognizing that we’re in some kind of moment. Sometimes, it undeniably works. Cheugy describes something that’s the opposite of trendy, taking the internet by storm early last year, and while one could argue that the word is now cheugy in itself, its virality makes sense. Likewise, new terms like “dupe” and “touch grass” are on the up and up in the endless dark hole of internet phraseology.
My new favorite and potentially soon-to-be viral expression is “vibecession,” coined by Kyla Scanlon, who writes a Substack focusing on economic analysis. Scanlon defines it as “a period of temporary vibe decline where economic data such as trade and industrial activity are relatively okayish.” Of course, the economy is more about how consumers behave than how they consume data, as proven by the ever-popular Lipstick Effect, or how in times of economic hardship, women will allow themselves a momentary, inexpensive treat, i.e., lipstick.
But there also might be an economic shift through a packaging-centric lens.
