''Goblin mode'' is a

neologism A neologism Greek νέο- ''néo''(="new") and λόγος /''lógos'' meaning "speech, utterance"] is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not been fully accepted int ...

for the rejection of societal expectations and the act of living in an unkempt, Hedonism, hedonistic manner without concern for one's self-image. While usage of the term dates back to 2009 with varying definitions, the term went viral in 2022 due to a tweet by a

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

user featuring a doctored news headline of an interview with actress

Julia Fox Julia Fox (born February 2, 1990) is an Italian-American actress and model. As an actress, she is known for her debut performance in the 2019 film '' Uncut Gems'', for which she was nominated for the Breakthrough Actor Award at the 2019 Gotham ...

, purporting her to have used the phrase. The image prompted a large increase in online searches for ''goblin mode'', leading Fox to clarify she did not use the term. ''Goblin mode'' has also been linked to a viral

Reddit Reddit (; stylized in all lowercase as reddit) is an American social news aggregation, content rating, and discussion website. Registered users (commonly referred to as "Redditors") submit content to the site such as links, text posts, imag ...

post in which a user admits to acting "like a

goblin A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on ...

" when alone at home. The term quickly became viral on social media platforms such as

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version o ...

, often as a response to other trends such as

cottagecore Cottagecore is an internet aesthetic popularised by teenagers and young adults celebrating an idealized rural life. Traditionally based on a rural English and European life, it was developed throughout the 2010s and was first named ''cottagecore ...

or self-improvement. In April 2022, business magnate

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a business magnate and investor. He is the founder, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; owner and CEO of Twitter, Inc.; founder of The ...

posted an image macro implicitly attributing his proposed acquisition of Twitter, Inc. to him being in "goblin mode". In June 2022, the term was defined on

Dictionary.com Dictionary.com is an online dictionary whose domain was first registered on May 14, 1995. The primary content on Dictionary.com is a proprietary dictionary based on ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'', with editors for the site providing new ...

as "a slang term for a way of behaving that intentionally and shamelessly gives in to and indulges in base habits and activities without regard for adhering to social norms or expectations". In December 2022, online respondents selected the term from Oxford Languages' shortlist, which also included ''

metaverse In science fiction, the "metaverse" is a hypothetical iteration of the Internet as a single, universal, and immersive virtual world that is facilitated by the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets. In colloquial usa ...

'' and #IStandWith, as the Word of the Year. The popularity of ''goblin mode'' may be linked to a rejection of the perceived carefully curated lifestyles often presented by

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

users. The trend has also been linked to a manner of coping with the effects of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

on society since this is described as a way of life that gives people permission to reject societal norms and embrace their basic instincts.

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External links

Going Into Goblin Mode -is it Good or Bad?
article by Divya Toshniwal *{{Cite tweet, number=1493734390681112577, user=JUNlPER, title=no fucking way, author=, author-link=, retweet=, date=Feb 15, 2022, access-date=Sep 14, 2022 2022 neologisms

See also

References

External links