Why is everything called ‘performative’ on the internet now? Premium

Explore the impact of the term "performative" on Gen Z's hobbies and social media expression in today's digital landscape.

You board Chennai’s Central Metro, read a couple of pages of a literary fiction novel, and exit at Shenoy Nagar Metro station. You might think you used your transit time for something useful, but that loud corner of the internet thinks otherwise. Some sections of the Gen Z demographic label it “performative” reading, largely targeting similar age groups, because they judge that what you pursue in your pastime is not “authentic enough” and is somehow superficial. The assumption is that you are doing the activity because you want to be perceived a certain way: intellectual and unique.

It started, perhaps, with the archetype of men who read certain genres, wear wired headphones, and drink matcha lattes in wide-legged trousers — the so-called “performative male.” But now the word is thrown onto almost everything as a blanket accusation. “I’ve mostly noticed it in correlation with things that are considered ‘intellectually sophisticated.’ Once the label ‘performative’ is stuck to someone, everything they consume and create is invalidated,” says 24-year-old Anya Shankar, a writer and YouTuber who splits her time between Chennai and Bengaluru. Besides, reading two pages on your commute is still better than none, she adds.

So, does the label “performative” limit people from pursuing new hobbies, trending or otherwise? “Niche expanding is good because it gives you a community, but for some people the idea of a niche is more important than the substance. That is what we call ‘performative’, when someone is doing something for the clout,” adds 24-year-old Harini Rajesh, an aviation graduate from the city. She also says that there have been instances where she has observed some of her peers posting about mental health and support for neurodiverse conditions while being completely indifferent offline.

Everything was labelled “cringe” some time ago. Now everything people do is getting labelled “performative,” says 25-year-old creative lead Varshini Rajasekhar, who works in the field of social and brand strategy in Chennai. She adds that many people now measure what they put up on social media so it does not seem like an act. “I want this word to be out of our lingo because I don’t want people to think of anything as ‘performative’ and then avoid doing it,” she says, adding that some things must be spoken about in a broader sense instead of being dismissed with a single, flattening buzzword.

Ms. Anya says she used to make “get ready with me” videos and post movie reviews, along with content about matcha, ballet, and pilates, but now keeps them private. “I literally used to have strangers calling me out as performative online, even though I genuinely like watching a lot of French New Wave and other films. Gen Z and people on the internet just started throwing words around without even knowing what they mean. Apparently, this month’s word seems to be ‘civic sense’,” she adds, referring to a viral video on the internet.