There used to be a time when “recession indicators” were cold, clinical things – yield curves, consumer confidence indexes and something you would hear uncles and aunties at family gatherings say, “Next year will be worse, mark my words.”
Once a technical term reserved for economists and analysts, “recession indicator” is now being wielded across social media to describe everything. Now, it looks more like paying $1 more for iced drinks, side hustles that you can do alongside your 9-5 job and making “prediction lists” of what will be trendy during the upcoming recession. It has turned the harsh realities of an economic downturn into a new norm through a palatable consumerism aesthetic.
The New Moodboard: Recession Indicators
According to The Wall Street Journal, Gen Z has become the unofficial spokesperson for today’s financial dread, not through formal studies, but through trending audios, niche aesthetics, and viral jokes. The term “recession core” isn’t a joke anymore but rather a curated aesthetic.
Where economists once tracked hard data, the internet now tracks vibes. What used to be a niche financial term is now a punchline for anything mildly dystopian – from A-list celebrities like LeBron James and Shakira doing mobile game ads to celebrities hosting events at shopping malls to musicians like Lady Gaga being #1 on the charts again. Recession indicators aren’t just a reflection of the economic situation – they’re cultural déjà vu.
For regular folks, beneath the memes and punchlines lies a harsh truth: job security feels like a myth, rent swallows a painful chunk of your paycheck and a trolley of groceries can now cost more than a decent meal out. However, while the jokes land, they also linger. Repeat something often enough, and it stops being ironic and starts to feel bleak.
Collective Coping or Manifesting Mayhem?
Layoffs are happening and inflation is real. These aren’t new concepts, but what’s new is the way economic anxiety spreads through shared content. The same post gets liked, duetted, and reposted and the collective fear has become algorithm-friendly.
Confidence plays a critical role in how we behave: whether we buy, sell or save. When social media becomes a 24/7 anxiety machine, it doesn’t just reflect the mood – it helps shape it, and we are seeing it happen in real time. There are growing concerns about a potential recession around the world, especially with the new tariffs set in place by President Trump. But instead of waiting passively, many are being proactive.
social media… doesn’t just reflect the mood, it helps shape it
According to a recent report by consumer intelligence firm NielsenIQ, 53% of Gen Zers in Singapore cite rising food prices as their top financial concern. Gen Zers are also more deal-conscious, with 75% preferring to shop at physical stores that offer the lowest prices. This a sharp shift from just two years ago, when the “Girl Math” trend dominated social media and was a playful way to justify impulse buys, even those that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, all in the name of momentary joy.
Finding Hope in Humour
So, should we stop participating in the jokes?
It’s both unfair and misleading to claim that Gen Z is “manifesting” a recession simply because they’re making memes about financial instability. These jokes often stem from genuine anxieties: rising inflation, burdensome student debt, and an increasingly precarious job market.
In this context, humor becomes a coping mechanism, a way to reclaim a sense of agency over forces beyond their control. But more than that, it becomes a creative expression of resilience; a reminder that when things feel out of control, we can still find meaning, connection, and even laughter.
Across online communities in Singapore, small acts of kindness have begun to emerge in the face of growing financial stress. From Telegram groups like SG Adulting 101 that highlight the best bang-for-your-buck deals, to Reddit threads where people can anonymously share their problems and get advice, collective worry is transformed into collective wisdom through these digital spaces.
There are also content creators like The Woke Salaryman that create space for empathy through relatable content about the financial woes that young adults face in today’s fast-paced world. Digital spaces like these serve as important reminders: while it’s easy to get caught up in content that amplifies our anxieties, there are also uplifting communities that offer understanding, advice, and hope.
From Vibes to Values
[Humour] becomes a creative expression of resilience
While turning hardship into a joke may seem superficial to some, it reflects a deeper sense of collective resilience. There’s comfort in knowing you’re not facing it alone. Humor becomes a shared language: how we connect, process, and endure so that maybe it won’t hurt as much when the credit card bill arrives.
But it can also be the start of something more: a shift from irony to intention. The memes tell us we’re not alone, and from that place of understanding, we can start building thoughtful ways to cope and connect, not just regarding money matters, but with our emotionally and socially too.
Perhaps the goal isn’t to cancel the memes, but to be mindful of not crossing a line and making someone else the butt of the joke. Instead, we can create a space for clearer understanding, a kinder community, and actual solutions.
The economy might not be “technically” in recession yet, but Gen Z isn’t waiting for a formal declaration. They’ve already adjusted their expectations. They’re spending smarter, building support networks, and choosing kindness for themselves and others.
We may not know what the future holds, but we know this: in a world full of uncertainty, solidarity, humour and compassion are still free, and they’re powerful.
But hey, at least we’re laughing. And maybe that laughter is the first step toward something better.
Is social media a bane or a boon? Let us know!