On social media, everything from Lady Gaga to knee-high Converse sneakers is a ‘recession indicator’
CNN
“Recession indicator” memes have become widespread online, highlighting how people are using humor to grapple with anxiety-ridden times.
If you believe social media, signs of an impending recession are everywhere. Lady Gaga back on the charts? That’s a recession indicator. Coupons and canned good displays at grocery stores? Definitely recession indicators. And the return of knee-high Converse sneakers? Possibly the most obvious recession indicator of them all. Any societal shift that either evokes the Great Recession or signifies an effort to save or make extra money is a potential recession indicator — according to the internet anyway. We aren’t actually in a recession, at least not yet. But that distinction isn’t really the point. These tongue-in-cheek observations suggest that the vibes are off. And faced with a worsening economy, a trade war and rising recession odds, social media users can’t help but send memes into the void while laughing nervously. Underneath these jokes is a very real anxiety. And that anxiety tells us a lot — both about how we depend on humor and where the economy could actually go.
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