Photo Credit: Cynthia Connolly
Growing up in the 1980s as a young teen searching for identity and community, I found myself drawn to the world of American hardcore punk rock. I had been obsessed with iconic rock bands of the late-70s as a pre-teen, but as I was finishing off my junior high school years I began to long for more. For something that not only spoke to my musical tastes but also allowed me to have a direct and intimate relationship with the process of creation and sharing. To be part of a scene that blurred the lines between bands and fans. To connect.
I found this home in punk rock.
Fast-forward almost 30 years and I find amazing parallels between the worlds of ’80s hardcore and what’s become contemporary social media. The similarities are uncanny.
I’m sure I’m leaving some ideas out but essentially Social Media involves Community, Transparency, Viral Ideas, Long Distance Connections, Leveling the Playing Field, Conversation, Challenging the Status Quo, Innovating, Consumers Owning the Brand, Brands Ceding Control, Young Entrepreneurs, and Passion Over Profit.
American hardcore wasn’t much different.
Sure, no one thought about the scene in those terms. But the blooming of thousands of DIY bands, fanzines, promoters, and stores, the breaking down of barriers between acts and fans at live shows, the idea that anyone could be a creator, the no-strings-attached sharing between bands and kids in different cities, the cramming of sound and information into very short songs, the distrust of corporate entertainment and culture, and the organizing of political, social, and charity efforts were akin to today’s individual and community empowerment via social media’s ability to allow for the creation of an infinite number of specialty, niche platforms, to the open and free sharing of information and ideas via social networking, to the power transfer from brands to people, to the short messages on Twitter, to the flattening of organizations, and to the tangible political, philanthropic, and bottom-up-driven cultural memes and movements sprung from people using social media. Hell, they even have noise in common.
There are differences. No one gets their head kicked in playing in social media. And no one got insanely rich off of hardcore. But I think it’s safe to draw a link between the two more than any other culture/lifestyle/music movements the past few decades.
I guess the kids really did have their say.
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I love this.
Very fascinating, have heard many people talk about the similarities of hip hop and punk but never heard this interesting analogy. Dead on tho and well written!
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