A subculture is a group of people that get inspired about interests that are often outside of mainstream culture. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural and political matters. Nowadays, subcultures are increasing in popularity, as the internet has allowed people with different interests to connect and create online groups.
In this article, let’s take a look at 5 subculture communities that are growing each day.
Big Wave Culture
Surf culture is one of the most well-known, yet exclusive subcultures in the world. The culture first became popular in the 60s, and put an emphasis on the lifestyle and ethos of being a surfer as well as on the sport. Surfers can be found across the globe, and if you are traveling to a tropical country like Costa Rica, we recommend visiting Tamarindo Beach to watch international surfing tournaments.
Within the surf community is the big wave subculture, where surfers travel the world to find the biggest waves and film themselves riding them. The culture has benefited from the advancements in technology, with online wave data making the sport more accessible and safer. QZ reports that this has helped the sport grow “from a few hardcore surfers to hundreds all over the world.”
Bingo Community
The bingo community is very much alive in the U.S. The existence of the subculture persists because the game can be found almost everywhere and adapted to any theme. Variety in their review of Bingo: The Documentary, by John Jeffcoat, note how the film covers “contempo spinoffs, including gay bingo, singles night bingo and Caribbean-cruise bingo.” The documentary also covered bingo in the UK and how the subculture evolved in the 20th century.
While bingo halls and locations have been under threat from the rising costs, the community has survived and grown online. Gaming providers now create mobile titles for individuals to play at home or on the move. While this has removed the physical interaction of bingo, the community atmosphere is still there. This is reflected in the glowing reviews that the community has written detailing their experience playing the game online. For instance, FoxyBingo Reviews provides community feedback to strength the bond between its players, and the reviews are nothing but positive. The bingo community welcomes people from all walks of life, and it is because of this fact that the community thrives, both in halls and online, up to this day.
Fanfic Enthusiasts
Writers have a subculture of their own in the form of fanfic enthusiasts. Members of the fanfic subculture increased in recent years thanks to hit franchises like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Twilight, and Game of Thrones.
Fanfic enthusiasts usually focus on alternate stories and endings. While writing fan fiction isn’t something new, the communal nature of the internet allowed these stories to have a market of their own. Some of the most famous fanfics put odd couples in a romantic relationship like in Twilight.
Survivalists (Preppers)
Survivalism isn’t new but thanks to shows like The Walking Dead, more survivalists have joined the ranks of the subculture to prepare for a possible outbreak.
Survivalists aren’t limited to the zombie genre because these people also prepare themselves for other emergencies like political upheavals. There are a lot of survivalists in the U.S. that teach their members practical things like opening canned goods without a can opener and constructing a make-shift shelter in the woods.
Otakus
Here at Inbound Writer we are big fans of Japan and Japanese culture in general. The otaku subculture consists of members who are obsessed with Japanese anime and manga, and go that extra mile to learn Nihongo — Japan’s official language — in order to understand Japanese-only video games. The otaku subculture isn’t only popular in Japan; it has spread to other countries like the U.S. as well.
The otaku subculture is ever present in comic cons. Some of the people who cosplay — individuals who dress up as a video game or anime characters at comic cons — belong to this subculture. They’re the type of people who know everything about Japanese culture, from the most popular manga in the 90s to the hottest J-pop band of today.
