#1
So, what’s the deal with cringe content, and why does it fascinate people so much? Experts like psychotherapist and Custody XChange legal contributor Claire Law point to a “phenomenon” they call “vicarious embarrassment.”
As Law explains to Bored Panda, it’s essentially secondhand embarrassment that sparks curiosity because part of the brain sees it as a violation of social norms, even though the person involved does not realize this.
“Cringe attracts people's attention because it carries a social risk,” Law said. “Social acceptance, a good reputation, and a sense of belonging are very important to humans. Cringey videos give people the chance to watch someone behave in socially unacceptable ways and learn from that experience.”
Content specialist and digital marketing strategist Jason Rogers says cringe content creates a shared discomfort, which makes it relatable to a wide audience.
“The posts that make people uncomfortable but move them forward are almost always the ones where the audience finds something they see in themselves,” he explains. “The discomfort is not random. It's the whole reason people stay watching.”
It’s only in recent years that “cringe content” received its ‘official’ label from netizens. In a way, the internet has changed our perception of what is considered cringeworthy behavior.
“As the role of the Internet increased, many things related to social life became available on the web,” Law says. “Previously, such incidents happened with very few witnesses who soon forgot about them. But nowadays, anyone can become a cringer for thousands or even millions of Internet users.”
But what do our reactions as viewers of cringe content reveal about our personalities? According to Rogers, they could be indicators of projecting behavior or a show of empathy.
“The disconnect between people who enjoy cringey content and people who find it embarrassing tells you more about social anxieties, hidden expectations of what the video should look like, and what the audience members themselves are afraid of socially than anything about the person being shown in the video,” he said.
