Nostalgia, possessiveness, and the need to relieve social stress have made otaku and kiddie culture more popular in recent years. This culture was once fringe, but thanks to the influence of mass media, it has become mainstream in the modern world, and has become very popular among adults.
Nowadays, many TV shows feature the so-called otaku, a group of celebrities who are very popular with the public. These otakus are approachable, introducing the public to their favorite cartoon characters, toys, etc. In the past, the word “otaku” often conjured up images of being closed-minded and unsocial, but this has changed and is now recognized by the public in a positive way. With the rise in popularity of otaku celebrities, toys such as figures and media such as manga movies have become increasingly popular and talked about by many adults in our society. It has become more than just a hobby, but a cultural and social phenomenon.
This phenomenon is sociologically referred to as the Kidult phenomenon, but why has the Kidult culture that emerged from this phenomenon become so popular in recent years? To understand the reasons behind this trend, we need to define the term kiddie culture. Kidult is a combination of the English word kid, which means child, and the English word adult, which means adult. It can be described as “an adult with childlike sensibilities and tastes”. In other words, a kidult is a person who revisits and enjoys nostalgically as an adult the children’s culture that most people enjoyed in their childhood, such as toys, cartoons, and sweets. The children’s culture that these kiddies enjoy is called kiddie culture.
Kidult culture is a very interesting phenomenon in the modern world, and it’s trending in different age groups throughout society. To understand this phenomenon, we need to look at how kiddie culture has transformed throughout the past and present. In fact, it’s a culture that’s been around for a very long time. There have always been elements of childhood nostalgia, and it reflects one of our psychological instincts: the desire to return to the past. However, there are a few important reasons why this culture has become more widespread and popular in recent years.
The first one is the aforementioned nostalgia for childhood. People generally want to keep their memories alive, but with limited memory, it’s not easy to recall a wide range of past experiences. The tools to trigger these limited memories are the different media we were exposed to during those years. Music, toys, cartoons, novels, and other cultural items that were common at a particular time can bring back vivid memories of those experiences. For this reason, many people get into kiddie culture to relive their childhood memories.
The second reason is possessiveness. When people are able to fully enjoy the culture of toys, manga, and other things that they were unable to enjoy as children due to various constraints, such as finances or parental permission, they begin to feel a sense of possessiveness that has been suppressed for a long time. In particular, this possessiveness takes the form of buying expensive figures or immersing themselves in anime, which becomes more than just a hobby, but an important source of satisfaction in their adult lives.
The third cause is the need to relieve social stress. Modern society has become increasingly complex with the advancement of technology, and many people are psychologically exhausted due to excessive competition and pressure. Many people are stressed by real-life problems in their social lives. This has led to a strong tendency to forget complicated thoughts and return to the pure and carefree days of the past. Against this psychological backdrop, kiddie culture has become much more than just a form of entertainment. People use kiddie culture to relive the innocent memories of their childhood and escape from the complicated and difficult reality for a while.
As such, kiddie culture can be categorized as a common culture that anyone can fall into. However, until a few years ago, kiddie culture wasn’t something that people had a positive impression of. It was stereotyped as a hobby for outsiders and social misfits, and was considered a fringe culture. However, in recent years, kiddie culture has become a part of mainstream culture, thanks in large part to popular media. With many TV shows featuring otaku and kiddie culture, these cultures are no longer perceived as “weird” but as “fun and interesting”. This change has helped to popularize kiddie culture even more.
In the end, kitsch is a new modern cultural phenomenon that is a combination of nostalgia, possessiveness, and social stress relief. If you’re looking to relieve the stress of a busy, monotonous life, kiddie culture can be a great way to reminisce about the innocence of childhood. It’s more than just a hobby, it’s one of the ways to find peace of mind amidst the complexity and stress of modern life.
