Despair and Hope in Nonsense: A Study of the Subcultural Ritual of Youth —Taking "Crazy Literature" as an Example
Abstract
In the era of intelligent communication, the phenomenon of folk discourse production in online society is increasingly common. From the initial roaring style to the prevalent “crazy literature” today, various so-called internet “literature” emerges endlessly, becoming a “media spectacle” and also giving various forms of expression to the subculture of despair. Although “crazy literature” belongs to the category of the subcultural ritual of despair, those who are “despairing” are “not despairing”. Young people release emotions in despair through hysterical nonsense, and seek hope by establishing emotional connections with others in the same circle. This paper analyzes “crazy literature” from the perspective of interactive ritual chains, explores the formation mechanism of discourse carnival, and reveals the cultural symptoms behind “crazy literature”, providing a pathway for understanding “crazy literature” and the culture of despair.
References
- Kellner, D. (2003). Media spectacle: The crisis of democracy in contemporary America. (Shi, A. B., Trans.). Beijing, China: Tsinghua University Press.
- Ran, Y. X., & Wei, H. Y. (2016). A multi-case study of brand crisis response from the perspective of interactive ritual chains. Journal of Management, 13(5), 647-656.
- Turner, B., & Stets, J. E. (2007). The sociology of emotions. Shanghai, China: Shanghai People’s Publishing House, 64-65.
- Cai, Y. Y. (2023). "Watching cats online": A study on user interaction on short video platforms from the perspective of interactive ritual chains. Media Forum, 6(20), 27-30.
- Collins, R. (2011). Interaction ritual chains. (Lin, J. R., Wang, P., & Song, L., Trans.). Beijing, China: Commercial Press.
- Thornton, S. (1996). Club cultures: Music, media, and subcultural capital. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press.
- Hull, R., & Nordberg, M. (1987). An introduction to Jungian psychology. (Feng, C., Trans.). Shanghai, China: Shanghai Life · Reading · New Knowledge Joint Publishing.