The Cringe Epidemic: How Having Goals Has Turned into an Egregious Secret

To chase after one’s dreams is to also reluctantly accept the idea of being perceived through a public stage. Depending on the dream, this stage can be small or large, but nonetheless, the implicit act of being publicly evaluated may arouse feelings of insecurity and shame.

In today’s modern lexicon, a word popularly used to describe these negatively potent feelings is “cringe.” Cringe, or to be cringe, has become a self-deprecating and harsh judgmental phenomenon amongst today’s younger generations. Evolving from its original meaning—an act of physical recoiling—cringe has become a slang term used to express intense embarrassment and humiliation. 

The Office | Amazon Prime

However, the term’s impact extends far beyond casual use—it has created an even more damaging reality for creatives and anyone pursuing goals that seem too “out there.”Cringe culture has created an epidemic of ending an idea before it even begins, stopping before even starting. It has turned confidence into conceitedness, passion into obnoxious obsessions, and divergence from social standards into attention seeking. Today, there’s a strange fine line that people feel pressured to walk between pursuing what they truly want in life and staying close enough to the social norm to avoid scrutiny. The fear of judgment has long played a role in making people feel inadequate or incapable, but now, this epidemic has evolved into an isolating experience—one that disrupts not only our connection to others but also to ourselves.

What Makes Something Cringeworthy?

Feeling cringe is a normal human experience and is typically something many people perceive in awkward social interactions. A good example of cringe scenarios can be seen in TV shows like The Office, where one of the show's main leads, Michael Scott, will act far outside social relatability in an ironic attempt to be relatable and liked by others. This includes making jokes (typically sexist or racist) that no one laughs at, bringing up inappropriate personal information, or farming for attention to make something a bigger deal than what it is. This sometimes makes the show hard to watch and has people recoil into themselves. It’s precisely this excessive effort to fit in or to be liked that makes the character so uncomfortable to watch. So why, then, are so many people, especially creatives, afraid to break from conformity? And what is fueling this heightened sensitivity to cringe that’s keeping young people from pursuing their goals?

It's that Damn Phone…Kind of

In an interview with ABC News, writer and NYU professor Ocean Vuong suggests that the constant surveillance of social media has increased the fear of judgment among young people and is causing his students to limit their ambitions. Due to social media’s close eye, Vuong goes on to say that his students, and many young people, choose to deliberately perform cynicism to defy being cringe. It’s the idea that acting nonchalant, or appearing as if you don’t care, is equivalent to being a well-informed intellectual, where constant skepticism of oneself and others is the proper, intelligent way to live and navigate life.

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The issue with this, however, is that it seems the majority of young people would rather suppress their ideas and enthusiasm for their interests than make an effortful attempt at achieving their dreams. And because of the environment of comfort and detachment that social media creates, where people can post videos of others without their knowledge or consent, it’s no wonder that everyone has become increasingly hyper-aware of their actions. 

Is There a Vaccine?

As stated earlier in this article, cringe is a common emotion that everyone feels; there is no permanent antidote to feelings of embarrassment or shame. While it’s natural to feel vulnerable, the key is to not let fear of judgment stop you from taking action. And when it comes to resisting the cringe epidemic, the solution is simple: try. Write the book, post the video, study the degree, start the business. Become the person you wish to be and allow others to do the same.

Cease disguising your hate as intellect and wake up to the realization that enjoying your passions is not something to be shy about, but a privilege to experience high levels of love and happiness. It is important to embrace your journey with confidence, understanding that true growth and fulfillment come from courage, not perfection.