The Mycenaean

The economy is currently a hot topic amongst the American people. 

With the change in the White House, the public’s outlook on the economy and job market has turned dismal. Recent polls show that 58% of Americans believe the stock market will decline over the next six months, whereas in January, only 18% believed it would. Similarly, 58% of Americans now believe it’s a bad time to find a quality job; in January, 45% thought it was a bad time. 

Whether Americans’ perceptions of the economy and job market are accurate or not, it has led to the rise of a new colloquial phrase, “recession indicator.” Of course, there’s nothing really new about this phrase — it’s an economics term literally labeling things that are potential indicators of an economic recession. Usually, recession indicators are a rise in the unemployment rate, a decline in GDP, and reduced customer and business spending. 

However, younger generations are taking this phrase and turning it into a meme. 

On popular platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, users are pointing out niche things that are potentially recession indicators, humorously. Everything from the increase of natural beauty trends, the return of Lady Gaga and Ed Sheeran, names coming back to Coca-Cola bottles, and the change in scams has all been deemed recession indicators by the internet.

“The meme is pretty funny. I just saw a TikTok about it earlier, talking about the sway boy dance being a recession indicator,” said Mikayla Young, a senior. 

While they might not be legitimate recession indicators, they are based on the timing of these pop culture trends in past recessions. 

For example, Lady Gaga released her most popular album, “The Fame,” in 2008, the same year of the housing crisis. Ed Sheeran was most popular in 2011 when Black Monday occurred and there was significant financial turmoil. Similarly, the “Share a Coke” campaign also started in 2011. 

These seemingly random pop culture trends may or may not be related to a recession; these posts and memes are simply a means of coping with people’s discomfort with the current political climate. 

“Unfortunately, I think the economy is heading towards a recession because of the status of our government at the moment,” said Young. 

The United States isn’t in a recession as of right now, but the uncertainty of the new tariff policies has left many Americans using humor to cope. These jokes show a clear concern for the economy, it’s on many people’s minds, and in this current helpless period, all people can do is laugh.