The Irony of Irony: Is Gen Z Scared of Showing Sincerity?

The term ‘irony’ has become an internet synonym for doing something as a joke: being aware of how embarrassing something is, but doing it anyway. Sticking a ‘live, laugh, love’ plaque on the fridge becomes hilarious if done ‘ironically’, inadvertently making fun of those who would genuinely live by the sign’s mantra. However, this new definition marks a shift away from the original meaning of ‘irony’, leading to confusion about who and what can be deemed ironic. It also exposes Gen Z’s obsession with self-awareness as a shield against embarrassment – begging the question, what makes sincerity so scary?
So much of Gen Z culture relies upon an awareness of a complex web of inside jokes, an often exclusive collective generational humour communicated across the internet. Social media’s mass accessibility has made the development of a ‘type' of anti-humour increasingly rapid and bizarre, shrouded in layers of irony. The most superficial is sarcasm – saying the opposite of what you mean. This play on expectations and convention is true to the traditional dictionary definition of irony. The next layer is post-irony, when irony becomes genuine again. For example, enjoyment of a trashy reality TV show could be post-ironic – beginning as a lighthearted opportunity for sarcastic critique, and, seven seasons later, ending in genuine enjoyment. The final, Gen Z originating layer, is meta-irony. Purposefully awkward, meta-irony involves difficult to determine irony, intent on leaving the audience confused, almost concerned. Gen Z’s use of emojis has become an example of this. The most popular emoji across 75 countries, the “face with tears of joy”, used to be a genuine reaction to a hilarious message – provoking uncontrollable laughter to the point of crying. However, its use has developed into a reply of sarcastic gloating, mocking the humour of those who would use the emoji ‘unironically’. In a complex context of inside jokes and multiple-layered irony, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to determine the intent and effect of Gen Z’s humour.
As a result of meta-irony’s purposefully induced confusion, social media comment sections are often filled with debates around the ironic nature of content. “Please say this is ironic” has replaced “Is this a joke?” or “Are you serious?” in demanding intent from the content’s creator. In response, internet users have popularised tone indicators – a shorthand way of conveying tone at the end of a sentence, combatting misinterpretation. For example, “/s” indicates that a sentence has been written with a serious intention, or “/j” indicates a joke. Tone indicators have also been widely shut down as killing humour’s spontaneity as not knowing a joke’s intent often makes it funnier. However, neurodivergent people have found tone indicators particularly helpful in preventing miscommunication – limiting misunderstandings between different interpretations of tone. Despite attempts to break down the unlimited layers of irony and inside jokes, Gen Z humour prides itself on its exclusivity and confusion.
In addition, as with most contemporary internet trends, brands and celebrities have attempted to fit themselves into Gen Z’s new definitions of irony. Public figures have ‘ironically’ manipulated unintended mocking attention and misinterpreted campaigns. The Kardashian empire is particularly fond of reclaiming and rebranding awkward moments as opportunities for positive publicity, leaving their audience questioning if it was part of their calculated marketing strategy all along. For example, Kylie Jenner’s tuneful “rise and shine” song, sung to wake her daughter as part of her YouTube office tour, resulted in a collection of hoodies with “rise &” and “shine” branded across both sleeves. More recently, Kendall Jenner’s embarrassing attempt to cut a cucumber on The Kardashians amounted to her ‘ironic’ cucumber Halloween costume, which racked up over 20 million views on TikTok.
Using irony as a publicity flipping tool exposes the extent to which celebrities intricately fine-tune their public image, planting an image of false sincerity. However, shrouding genuine intent in irony also makes way for problematic scapegoats of responsibility. Irony has become a mask for harmful trends: engaging in derogatory humour, promoting disordered habits or justifying a bad attitude as being done ‘ironically’, ridding the blame of bad intent. The ‘if you know, you know’ attitude of Gen Z humour protects dangerous content creators – if you’re offended, you just ‘don’t get it’.
However, can the internet’s fascination with irony be a tool for good? By engaging in self-improvement such as waking up early, going on runs, and eating a balanced diet in an ‘ironic’ way, Gen Z are genuinely forming healthy habits. When the ‘it girl’ lifestyles of daily yoga and organic green diets seem laughably unattainable, engaging in small acts of wellness as a joke is a logical, albeit unconventional, solution.
“Fake it till you make it” has become “do it ironically until it becomes genuine”. However, why is a generation that so strongly demands transparency from brands and public figures so embarrassed of showing sincerity? The new definitions of irony exacerbate the age-old need to present yourself as “cool” and “different” online, more all-encompassing than ever with social media’s constant surveillance. The sarcastic layers of meta-irony have reached their limit, with Gen Z humour’s pride in confusion becoming a harmful scapegoat for responsibility. By breaking down the exclusivity of internet culture, creators will no longer be able to hide behind a shield of “irony” – making way for true sincerity.