Image: The Dynamic of Cognition for the Great Campus Vibe Shift?
I woke up this morning and found yet another academic fashion. What in hell’s name is Great Campus Vibe Shift?
Google was not particularly helpful with the first attempt. But then I asked the more open question, what is a Vibe Shift? The answer came back via “AI Overview”:
A “vibe shift” is a significant, large-scale change in a prevailing cultural mood, trend, or aesthetic that occurs over time, often replacing an older one. It’s a shift in the collective feeling or “vibe” of a community, covering everything from fashion and music to broader attitudes and societal trends. The term was popularized in 2022 to describe cultural changes happening, particularly in reaction to the exhaustion of previous trends and the impact of events like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key aspects of a vibe shift
Cultural replacement: A vibe shift signifies the decline of one trend or set of attitudes and the rise of new ones.
Beyond fleeting trends: It refers to a deeper, more fundamental change in the “zeitgeist” or overall cultural atmosphere, rather than a single, short-lived fad.
Includes multiple areas: The shift impacts various aspects of culture, including fashion, music, behavioural influences, and even political or social priorities.
Examples: A “vibe shift” could be the move from the minimalist aesthetics of the 2010s to a new focus on nostalgia for the early 2000s, or a shift away from certain social media trends toward more in-person activities.
A reaction to previous norms: It is often seen as a response to the exhaustion of previous norms, a desire for more personal experiences, or a reaction to global events like the pandemic.
Okay! Then what is the Great Campus Vibe Shift? I am still not informed beyond the marketing hype. All I got was this by-line, “As progressive orthodoxy weakens, academe’s most influential conservative warns of a growing illiberalism on the right,” in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Yes, I understand the current politics of the United States. I write on Trumpism and the Trumpocene. But what does this politics really have to do with the alleged signs for the decline of one trend or set of attitudes and the rise of new ones? It would seem that the market-speak is only a dramatic form of entertainment. Marketing is about as informative as those persons who go around and saying to everyone, “it’s the vibe.” In the marketeers’ mind if it is said enough times it becomes true.
It is stupidity and there is no epistemological way around it!
On a different topic, somewhat related in opposition to “vibes”, Heterodox Academy (HxA) is the leading nonpartisan membership organization for faculty, staff, and students who want to ensure that our universities are places where intellectual curiosity thrives. Heterodox Academy’s mission is to advance open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement across higher education – the foundations of our universities as truth-seeking, knowledge-generating institutions. HxA empowers members to organize on their campus and within their disciplines, educates academics on the importance of our principles, and advocates for policies to protect open inquiry across higher education. It is the same mission in Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA, of the Management Institute for Contributory Economy.
Featured Image: The University of Queensland in circa 1963. The last historical period someone went around saying, “it’s the vibe”, and fools believed.
Neville Buch
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