SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PHENOMENON OF «NEW SINCERITY»

Abstract

In the late ХХth and early ХХІst century new cultural paradigms were declared, in particular, metamodernism and «new sincerity». Estimates of the latter are ambiguous: some see it as the dominant mood of the modern era, others – only as the marketing or artistic strategy.

The author believes that the social and cultural potential of postmodern irony has not been exhausted yet. In the information society, irony is an anti-repressive mechanism, as well as the way of constituting personal space in a manipulative environment. So it is still premature and even dangerous to devalue it.

Irony is born of disappointment and coexists with sensuality and romanticism. In fact, T. Vermeulen and R. van den Akker, characterizing metamodernism as a combination of irony and sincerity, only pointed out to another neo-romantic turn in art.

However, adherents of different versions of post-postmodernism refer to the objective socio-economic and technological factors that led to the transformation of culture. These include the digital revolution, globalization and the victory of consumerism, global risks and disasters. Although it is doubtful that commercialization and fear contribute to the deepening of the inner life and its sincere manifestation.

The socio-cultural character of the digital age really has such features as spontaneity and enthusiasm. If irony is the desire for independence, then «new sincerity» indicates addiction to something. Unlike the ironist, the «new sincere» does not avoid making choice, but to talk about the revival of existence is to ignore the dependency on manipulative influences. Despite the autism attributed to the new character, he or she is a collectivist who is actively involved in projects not only in virtual space but also in real life. Sharing practices make them accustomed to trust others. They consume any product of mass culture, appropriate any ideas. Being infantile and uneducated, in contradiction to the ironists, they are not ashamed of it, not least because they are not alone in their hobbies.

At the same time, the socio-cultural context devalues direct judgments and generates meta-irony. It arises from an atmosphere of total venality, demonstrativeness, standardness, which does not confirm sincerity. As a result, in addition to or instead of accusations of banality and naivety, which were initially envisioned by the adherents of the «new sincerity», it provokes accusations of artificiality and cynicism.