Student Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Language
English
First Advisor
Jamie Cohen
Abstract
The “authentic self” is curated, aestheticized, and most notably, commodified. Digital algorithms, likes, views, and engagement are more than just digital metrics, they are the management of performance. For millions of other users — including the author herself — social media is the locus of personal expression. Most notably, sites like Tumblr, where users in the 2010s posted hazy images or overly filtered graphics along with melancholic song lyrics that match the vibe of the moment, expression was earnest and idealized. Today, social media in the 2020s, new creators like Hannah Neelaman, better known as Ballerina Farm, dress in pastoral attire and perform a rural lifestyle for the camera. The contrast is striking — what was once a space for self-expression has evolved into romanticized performance.
This project decisively argues that visual social media platforms like Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok generate aesthetic trends that significantly influence collective culture in their fashion, expression, and media. It further examines the contrast in cultural shifts between the 2010s and 2020s drawing on two primary case studies to articulate this point: the aesthetic genres “Pastel Goth” and “Cottagecore.” Social media sites are influential and deserve scrutiny and attention in multiple fields which help users be more critical with the media we consume. We live in and among a digital environment that has wrought massive change to our collective experience; we share our feelings, identities, voices, interests, cultural exchanges, and lived experiences in ways that transcend physical borders, reengineering the very architecture of how we belong.
Finally, this paper investigates pop cultural references and offers an examination of many facets of aesthetic shifts. This project uses a mixed methodology, combining critical analysis, discourse analysis, and cultural references, and to demonstrate the pervasive influence of social media born pop culture across different domains. Importantly, nostalgia is a powerful force to include in this field of research and is a recurrent theme that will be addressed in this project. Further, this project aims not only to inform but to produce new ways of thinking and inspire further inquiry within the dynamic and ever-evolving field of Media Studies and an expansion of Media Literacy.
Recommended Citation
Leung Yu, Stefanny, "Cultural of Authenticity and Commodification: Analyzing the Aesthetic Waves and Collective Culture in the 2010s and 2020s" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/qc_etds/23
Included in
Applied Behavior Analysis Commons, Art and Materials Conservation Commons, Communication Commons, Cultural History Commons, Digital Humanities Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, European History Commons, Fashion Design Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Illustration Commons, Japanese Studies Commons, Modern Languages Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Other Arts and Humanities Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Performance Studies Commons, Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons, Reading and Language Commons, Social History Commons, Visual Studies Commons, Women's History Commons
Comments
A supplementary zine created by the author is included in the appendix to support and enhance the thesis. Given the expansive nature of the topic, the zine offers a visual and creative dimension that complements the written analysis, addressing aspects that may not be fully conveyed through language alone.