Hi everyone, Iām back with part 2. So grab a brew, get comfy and dive back in.
I spoke to Dr Karenza Moore, who specialises in the sociology of youth leisure, the night life economy, and drug usage in recreational settings.
I asked: āMore young people are taking part in the "sober curious" movement and with that, it appears the appeal of late-night partying has dropped and been replaced with "self-care over clubbing" and "protecting peace". In your opinion, do you think this is another fleeting trend, or a cultural movement?ā
āYes, the sober curious movement fits well with evidence on long term reductions in young people's alcohol consumption across most European countries over the last 10 years or so, including the UK. Research shows an increasing number of young people think alcohol is unhealthy, too expensive, and is implicated in violence towards women (and men)ā¦
However, this is only one part of the story. It is important to understand that for some young people, especially Queer young people, raving/clubbing is 'self-care', with rave/club spaces offering safer spaces where they can explore themselves, their identity, etc.Ā
Although being anxious about nights out has always been a thing (I still get nervous!), there are added pressures from social media to have the "best night ever" and document it on platforms. In a 2024 SOS-UK survey on students who take ketamine, about 40% said it helps reduce social anxiety on a night-out/at a party. I think youthful generations today are trying to find ways to reduce their anxiety about socialising (or just avoid it altogether).ā
Dr Moores points sit synonymously with comments left on the survey about the growing āgrandma coreā trend. I asked:Ā
āGrandma coreā and āself care nightsā are trending on TikTok amongst young people. How do you feel about this?Ā
- I think it's really refreshing to see people embrace what makes them feel comfortable and happy over what their peers or media influencers might be telling them they need to do to appear comfortable and happy in life. If a night in knitting is what you need after a stressful week at university or work, then no one should be making you feel that it's not the right thing to do.
- Iām a big fan of āgranny coreā because I think it takes away the guilt of just staying in and watching my favourite comfort shows! I think self-care also helps people prioritise their mental health. In an age where weāre always socialising with people on our phones and are available 24/7, I think itās important to have a bit of down-time. Maybe āsocial burnoutā from being too contactable on our phones is the reason people are going out less and less?
- Be you. Be yourself. Do whatever that satisfies yourself. Because you are important.
From this handful of comments, overall, people believe that as a society we should be embracing self-care and wellness, and having a healthy relationship with alcohol, whilst also acknowledging that ultimately, people should do what makes them happy. So, in order to do that, are young people ditching the pubs, clubs and bars, and do those places truly make young people unhappy?
Look, victim blaming is generally frowned uponā¦ but is modern day nightlife partly its own enemy? One comment a user left on my survey bodes the question: Has club culture become increasingly unsafe over the years- not just physically, but emotionally unsafe? They said: ānights out donāt feel the same, donāt feel as safe and feel like thereās a greater risk of something bad happeningā.
If youāre still with me, congratulations, youāve ceased doom scrolling long enough to read roughly 700 wordsā¦ I hope they got you thinking!Ā
So, members of the jury, do you have your villain yet?
Stay tuned for part 3, where I speak to Alice Theakston, a local at the scene of the crimeā¦
Logging off,
Kaitlyn