Amplify Presents | Mashup culture in South East Asia by Amplify

MASHUP CULTURE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Contents

INTRO CHAPTER 1 REDEFINING SEA IDENTITY 3X INSIGHTS CHAPTER 2 HOW SEA YOUTH ARE FINDING THEIR VOICE 3X INSIGHTS CHAPTER 3 HOW SEA GEN ZALPHA COMMUNICATE 2X INSIGHTS CHAPTER 4 WHAT CONTENT DO THEY FIND ENGAGING 3X INSIGHTS CONCLUSION

MASHUP CULTURE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

WHO ARE THE NEW GENERATION OF CREATIVE PIONEERS? As technological advances rapidly propel art and culture forwards, who are those at the helm of driving new, radical change? Who are the fresh generation of creative thinkers smashing preconceived notions of culture, questioning who is entitled to it, unbound by archaic industry jargon and hierarchies. South East Asian Generation Zalpha are at the heart of this change. A first-of-its-kind group drawing from the best bits of global culture – from East to West, digital to physical, lo fi to high brow – to self-define new and innovative ways of creatively expressing themselves. They do this through the fluid experimentation that is mashup culture. A multi-disciplinary means of expression which overlaps realms of music, art and design, culture and fashion. An organic collision of creative outlets helping them experiment with new kinds of SE Asian identity in an era where anything feels possible. Having shaken off the shackles of Western colonisation and cultural domination, they’ve grown up amongst a spread of global forces. From Japanese kawaii to Korea’s k-pop, South American colours and West African beats. However, what drives them is a yearning for a South East Asian identity that represents them. An identity which embodies their community’s values and cultural references. Along the way, new subcultures and underground creative forces are birthed, making SE Asia one of the most creatively vibrant and innovative centres of youth culture.

MASHUP CULTURE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Chapter 1.

REDEFINING SEA IDENTITY

South East Asian Gen Zalpha is setting their own terms for how they want to be seen and known in the world. Historically, Western influences (via colonialism) and East Asian pop culture have had a large stake in what it means to be SE Asian. Now, it’s the new generation’s turn to spin this definition on its head. Decolonise what’s come before while acknowledging past influences at the same time.

A limitless and undefined age of South East Asian identity is currently being explored. There are no goalposts or measures of success for what constitutes SE Asian creative expression.

In South East Asia, the creative industries are less established so there is more room for Gen Zalpha to define creative pillars from the ground up. How it operates, presents itself and works in relation to other industries is up for questioning. There is space to flex and experiment across creative margins. There are less defined goalposts for what “creative success” means and in turn, what creativity should look or feel like. Thanks to rapid advancements in tech, accessible software allows Gen Zalpha to experiment in uninhibited, DIY ways. It’s easy, and actively encouraged, to communicate with other creatives and form digital friendships through social media and messaging platforms like Telegram, Discord as well as games like Minecraft or Roblox. In turn, different creative disciplines intermingle which means Gen Zalpha have an all-encompassing attitude to creativity. There are no borders between creative disciplines.

The collectives and individuals pushing culture forward are doing it with one clear overarching goal: To authentically celebrate and amplify local communities in a range of unique ways which feels relevant to SE Asia specifically.

Flowing movement between art, music, fashion and design create new mashup territories and a feeling that anything is possible. Gen Zalpha creative communities are thriving with this sentiment. It’s an exciting time to explore what SE Asian identity can be with boundless ambition. This is further energised by a hedonistic “fuck it” mentality; a result of apathetic climate anxiety and glimpses of a dystopian Black Mirror-esque society.

MASHUP CULTURE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Kitsch is a pillar of modern SE Asian visual vernacular

Maximalism is an attitude, not just a trend

Maximalism is embedded in SE Asian society. Impregnated in its bustling cities, vernacular and culture. It’s the visual epitome of chaotic SE Asian capital cities. A reflection of noisy traffic, night markets and family dynamics. SE Asian industry is also well known for mass production whether that’s textiles, rice or accessories.

Exemplified by cheap plastic goods sold at night markets, colourful counterfeit goods overflowing on stall fronts and multilingual bold signage lining the streets, grabbing viewer’s attentions. However, SEA maximalism is different to the West’s. In the West, maximalism is a recent visual trend birthed in response to the sterile minimalism of industrial design. For instance, Jony Ive’s designs for Apple, Scandinavian minimalism and Dieter Rams’s Braun products. Western maximalism is also used as a visual device to garner attention on social media. Users are more likely to engage with loud, captivating animations which stand out while doom scrolling.

Such maximalist traits trickle down into a “more is more” visual culture and inherently influence a variety of creative outputs – from underground punk to animation – created in the region.

THE STATE OF PLAY REPORT

Self-expression is a radical act. The underground provides a space for self-defined creativity to come alive.

photo source: @nashcruz

MASHUP CULTURE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Many SE Asian countries are conservative with regards to religious values. For instance in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, homosexuality is still outlawed. In the more conservative countries, there is a cultural expectation to fit in. There are certain norms as to how you should dress and act, so to embrace alternative differences can be a risk.

Creativity is much more than a career path or a means of making money, it offers SEA Gen Zalpha cathartic release and a nuanced means of voicing their views and opinions.

While traditional values are still respected by Gen Zalpha, creativity is an essential outlet for the outsider’s selfexpression. Creativity is much more than a career path or a means of making money, it offers SEA Gen Zalpha cathartic release and a nuanced means of voicing their views and opinions.

The underground has become an important safe space where young people can exercise self-expression in a judgement free zone. A space where conventions can be rejected and young people can experiment with imposed societal norms. Subcultures are embracing the weird and the alternative as a symptom of this. This shows up through highly surreal artworks, absurdism and experimental noise music. Subcultures also revere those who are unapologetically ‘different’ because they understand the risks attached.

Formalities embody the AM. Self-defined independence comes alive in the PM. 17

MASHUP CULTURE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Chapter 2.

HOW SEA YOUTH ARE FINDING THEIR VOICE As Gen Zalpha play with the definition of what it means to be SE Asian today, they explore new ways of vocalising themselves both internally and externally, physically and digitally. A myriad of creative outlets are readily available due to the accessibility of internet culture. The world is their oyster. The digital realm allows even the wildest fantasies to come to life. Online communities thrive with the hum of creative solidarity while IRL gatherings play an important part in elevating digital bonds in a tangible space.

Mashup creativity as a means of self-expression, not self-branding. There is a hunger to discover what SE Asian identity can be, as well as a multitude of ways to explore this both online, in-person and through a range of creative disciplines. Avenues of creative discovery are more accessible and affordable than ever before. DIY tutorials are readily available online and various messaging platforms encourage online creative communities to share skills and foster community.

MASHUP CULTURE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

With a global rise in celebrating Asian identity (for instance K-pop domination and acclaimed films like Parasite and Everything Everywhere All At Once) SEA Gen Zalpha are rethinking and reshaping their identities through a decolonial lens, with an unprecedented sense of pride.

Their creative expressions recognise Western cultural influences but importantly, centre SE Asian soul.

SE Asian multi-hyphenate creativity is a vehicle for boundless self-exploration where new and experimental avenues of creativity are coming to light. In contrast, multi-hyphenate creativity in the West is a necessary skill set needed in order to survive financially in competitive hustle culture environments.

SEA subcultures utilise both the digital and physical to enforce community bonding. The former allows them to explore their fantasies whereas the latter provides a reality check. EA subcultures like to contrast fantasy with reality. They explore dreamy, otherworldly narratives and doses of reality at the same time. As a visual trend, this can be seen through contrasting mixed medias. For example a mix of the physical and digital, natural and manmade, 2D and 3D. This trend is particularly prevalent in contemporary digital and 3D art, game design and world building. Conceptually, SEA creatives use the digital as a tool to create their own cultural artefacts while consistently drawing inspiration from physical life to inform context.

This shows up in AR tools such as face filters, AR accessories, as well as mixed media collages combining digital effects with live action stills or videos. The digital allows Gen Zalpha to realise their fantasies whereas the physical tethers them to what is possible in real life. The digital allows borderless creative communities to thrive. For instance gaming networks and music collectives rely on Discord, Telegram, Twitch and WeChat to keep up to date with current conversations. In turn, these communities can forge closer bonds through physical interactions like events or meet ups.

MASHUP CULTURE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Fresh creativity is born in the introspective teen bedroom

Gen Zalpha find solace in their bedrooms. It’s a space to be themselves and escape the outdoor humidity.

This rings especially true for those who feel like outsiders and look to alternative spaces in order to truly let loose. Bedroom creativity shows up in a number of creative disciplines including the rise of dreamy confessional shoegaze music, self-taught DJs. designers learning through open source programmes and YouTube tutorials, not to mention gaming culture – historically a major interest of SEA youth. Bedroom creativity gives rise to DIY processes and mentalities. It’s a safe space to freely experiment and engage with online communities where work-in-process materials can be shared with the option to be anonymous. It contributes to mashup culture as young creatives try their hand at a range of mediums – from music to design to the metaverse – from the comfort and privacy of their own room.

which fuels DIY, experimental mashup culture. 22

MASHUP CULTURE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Chapter 3.

HOW SEA GEN ZALPHA COMMUNICATE The digital world offers an ever-expanding space for subcultures and online communities to interact. In far off corners of the internet, new digital languages are emerging, spoken by subcultures who share the same in-jokes, tastes and values. For those who speak these languages, there is an abundance of nuance that can be read between the lines of a single meme. Recurring visual or verbal notations become time capsules of subcultural artefacts; evidence as to what those driving cultures are enjoying.

As an eco-conscious, politically engaged generation, current affairs can feel overwhelming. Nostalgia reminds people of simpler times and triggers a strong emotional response. Brands or organisations that trigger nostalgia are more likely to form lasting relationships with their customer base as references to nostalgia provide a source of comfort. Nostalgia can be seen across a range of personal creative expressions including independent music videos, album artwork, poster and print design, content creation and photography. It shows up through visual devices or through referencing certain characters or artefacts. SEA nostalgia references include Auntie culture, food-oriented family events, 2010s tech, favourite childhood anime, overdramatised SEA soap operas, mass produced goods and kitsch.

Nostalgia is a vehicle for SEA creativity. By authentically activating nostalgia, comfort and emotional engagement is triggered.

MASHUP CULTURE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

As a generation of DIY tech literates, Gen Zalpha embrace a lo-fi, vintage aesthetic to communicate nostalgia.

SEA Gen Zalpha truncate language through digital shorthands. Rich and nuanced layers of information are expressed through digital colloquialisms such as memes and stickers.

It is framed through a light-hearted and often humorous lens. SEA nostalgia looks different to the West’s. While it can be playfully satirical and poke fun, importantly, it remains respectful to heritage Asian values.

These capture the zeitgeist and enhance digital bonds. 29

MASHUP CULTURE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

It allows culture to accelerate at unprecedented new rates. Iterations of private jokes create an unspoken tribalism amongst online communities.

SEA Gen Zalpha are exploring how they express themselves. Their communication is experimental and multi-dimensional. Sometimes it is direct, other times abstract. They express themselves across a range of different social media and messaging platforms including Instagram memes, TikTok videos, WeChat stickers, Telegram messaging, Twitch streaming. Different platforms have their own style of messaging and as a result, interdisciplinary digital behaviours emerge and mutate. Many different forms of expression happen in different spaces at the same time.

The DIY digital generation can easily participate in culture by making their own stickers/memes. Iterations of private jokes create an unspoken tribalism amongst online communities. In turn, new kinds of language are formed. These digital colloquialisms evolve rapidly alongside meme culture. It allows culture to accelerate at unprecedented new rates. At the same time, the sense of online community is enhanced as people feel tapped into a niche corner of the internet where exciting things are happening and humour is exchanged.

Currently, an important means of communicating depth of information is through the combination of image and text as seen through memes and stickers. The playful combination allows Gen Zalpha to create new types of language which are shared both privately and publicly. This exchange allows for rich yet subtle layers of information.

MASHUP CULTURE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Chapter 4.

WHAT CONTENT THEY FIND ENGAGING As a highly sceptical generation, authentically engaging with Gen Zalpha presents a new set of challenges. As the most digital literate and tech savvy generation yet, there is opportunity to utilise new creative tools combined with stimulating multi-dimensional concepts to speak to Gen Zalpha in unsung ways. Adding in the sociocultural context of what motivates this demographic as well as understanding their suspicions and anxieties, we can discern how to authentically speak to Gen Zalpha in an unpatronising and meaningful way.

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In order for brands to authentically engage with local communities, they should collaborate, not take up space. Gen Zalpha look to culture-first, sales-second. Gen Zalpha are eco-conscious and politically engaged. They are aware that big corporate brands have historically harmed the planet, and don’t want to perpetuate existing damage. The creatives driving culture come from grassroots backgrounds so their values are community oriented as well as sustainability and ethically minded.

Corporate performativity, clout chasing and gree nwashing ar e we ll kn ow n co nc ep ts in th eir vocabulary. They are more likely to question where a product is coming from and how it is contributing to SE Asian ecosystems.

THE MASHUP STATE OF PLAY REPORT IN CULTURE

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Because Gen Zalpha have a fidget mentality, they like to engage with tactile, multi-sensory experiences. They value customisation and tailoring the personal.

Having grown up in the age of social media, Gen Zalpha have developed short attention spans. Their phones are an extension of themselves and they are constantly bombarded with content. It is increasingly hard to engage their attention in a meaningful way. Stimulating visuals alone are no longer enough to engage viewers, other senses such as touch and sound are increasingly important in creating memorable digital experiences. Due to the commodification of attention, Gen Zalpha have developed a fidget mentality where they find it easier to concentrate when interacting with tactile objects.

They respond well to gamified experiences where haptics, touch and sound design are cleverly utilised to enhance engagement. Gen Zalpha like to personalise their digital experiences (phone sounds, wallpapers) and physical objects (stickers, patches) to add a layer of emotional connection to their belongings. Accessorising further enforces emotional connections with experiences, for example creating your own avatar in a game or customising skins on the phone or console.

Gen Zalpha value content where knowledge meets entertainment. Gen Zalpha has distinctly different digital behaviours to millennials. They use TikTok as a search engine instead of Google or Safari for instance.

They prefer to consume information through visual, moving content and in snappy bite-sized chunks which suits their short attention spans. Knowledge is consumed better when creative flare is added into the mix. This comes through in interesting editing, funny transitions, or first person commentary which adds a well informed opinion into the mix delivered in a charismatic way. Similarly to how Gen Zalpha like to communicate using a combination of text and image (memes and stickers), they also like to consume information in this way. Content is more likely to stick when the relationship between stimulating visuals and engaging voiceover/subtitles is maximised.

THE MASHUP STATE OF PLAY REPORT IN CULTURE

SOUTHEAST ASIA

CONCLUSION To define or pin down SEA Gen Zalpha in a few words is to unfairly limit the multiplicity of this expansive demographic. By appreciating what has come before them — both the negatives and the celebrations — they are taking past influences but utilising a myriad of present tools to create a dynamic and original set of expressions representing SEA identity.

In an increasingly globalised world fuelled by rapidly moving technologies, the cultural drivers of SEA Gen Zalpha are experimenting with new ways for their voices to be heard both on an individual and collective scale. They find ways to speak about the grassroots issues that are important to them while being mindful of the various sociopolitical and ecological contexts that inhibit the region. Mashup culture is integral to all these discoveries and outputs. The various combinations of disciplines are infinite, the way one art form influences another can flex and shift organically. The interplay of creativity is constantly in flux between differing mediums and the maker. Such fluidity strengthens the artist’s skillset to be broader, ever challenging and more open minded.

THE FUTURE OF FANDOM

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