As the first generation to grow up fully submerged in internet culture, Gen Z—folks born between 1997 and 2012—are aware of the duality of social media’s negative effects and its necessity in everyday life.
While many associate the internet with trolls, hateful comments, and toxicity (which are still very prevalent), since the Trump presidency in 2017, young people have sought positive media in an effort to escape IRL stresses. Gen Z generally felt unheard and powerless because they were either in the young voting demographic (and thus, not taken all that seriously) or unable to vote at all during that particular election due to their age. So, they chose to transform a space where they did feel more heard and more powerful: the internet.
This started with “wholesome” content, which began to rise in popularity in 2018 and peaked in 2020 when the world was looking for something to be happy about. "Wholesome" became a common adjective in Gen Z circles to refer to something that's pure, kind, and good. Around this same time, there were more references to “-core” culture in Gen Z online language, likely from the term "hardcore" or even the idea of “core” being at the center of something—like its essential components. Aesthetics reflecting strong pastoral themes were referred to as “cottagecore,” for example. Terms like "dreamcore," "balletcore," and even "corecore" hit the zeitgeist with alarming regularity. And beginning in 2022, the term “hopecore” began to appear, referencing wholesome content that gave hope in humanity or the possibility of the overall state of the world getting better.
Hopecore content has taken different forms across various social media platforms since emerging in 2022. There are over 700k posts under #hopecore on TikTok, where the term seems to be most popular—probably because of TikTok’s widespread use among Gen Z-ers.
Cian, 20, who runs the TikTok account HopeCoreEveryday, began seeing a few people posting hopecore content on the app around February 2024 and decided to tap into the trend. “The online environment tends to lack positivity, and I knew an influx in positive content across the platform would result in great success,” Cian said.
Most of Cian’s posts are indicative of hopecore content: an uplifting short video or a compilation of positive videos, sometimes with moving music and a motivational message in the middle of the screen.
Cian said that because Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are all similar in that short-form content dominates those platforms, he said it was important for videos to display clear messages in order for the content to resonate with viewers. And resonate they have. Cian’s account has 433k followers who often respond positively about his content.
“Numerous people have said when they are feeling down, they binge watch my videos in order to feel better," Cian told Complex over TikTok DMs. "It truly inspires me to keep posting as, although I don’t know this person personally, I am able to bring a positive feeling to someone’s world. And that is exactly what hopecore is all about.”
Instagram is second place in hopecore, with 131k posts under the hashtag, though most of these do not follow a particular format.
Kaitlyn Macdonald, 22, also known as totallyalone on Instagram, has one of the biggest accounts on the platform that regularly posts hopecore with 1400 posts and 116k followers. She began her account in 2016 as a hobby to express her emotions and connect with others.
“Last year, I was posting a lot of sad content, then gradually started posting hopecore," Macdonald told Complex over Instagram DMs. "Someone commented that they noticed my account has become so much more positive. It makes me feel so seen when they notice the little things!”
Macdonald first saw the hopecore trend on TikTok and started finding inspiration for her own hopecore posts on Pinterest and Tumblr.
“Every post I had seen reminded me there is always more to look forward to," Macdonald explained. "Hopecore content has really given people the space and room to allow themselves to feel their emotions. There have been many people that have told me how much my posts helped them get through things, and that’s all it’s really about.”
As expected, on X/Twitter and Facebook, where there are much fewer Gen Zers, the hopecore trend is there but scattered. The apparent first use of #hopecore on X is from July 2022, when user @snootykerfuffle posted about reclaiming her lost bike and key. Facebook is similar, where most hopecore posts are actually reposts from other platforms.
Chelsea, 27, under the name WhoisChelsea on Twitch, fosters what she calls “an uncomfortably nice” community of nearly 24k followers.
“From what I see on TikTok and Instagram, it’s all for you to watch and digest in short form," Chelsea told Complex over Discord DMs. "YouTube may be a little closer, but Twitch is really different because it’s live, it’s happening now, and it’s happening every day. It actually gives you the power to actively participate in hopecore.”
Hopecore has always been at the center of Chelsea’s Twitch experience. She began watching Twitch in 2017 when some of her friends started streaming, saying that what's kept her on the Amazon-owned livestreaming platform was the community and the nice chats.
Soon, that same community encouraged her to stream. She wasn’t sure if it was for her, but because of her experience working in the entertainment industry, she thought she’d give it a try. In January 2018, she had her first stream—and it was a flop.
“Everything was breaking," she said. "I was trying to play Minecraft, and it was so choppy. I think I gave up within 30 minutes, went live on my phone, and I was like, ‘I’m so sorry, it’s not working.’”
Then someone in the community who wished to remain anonymous gifted Chelsea the means to begin streaming with better technology. It was enough to buy a modest laptop, a webcam, and a microphone.
“I thought, ‘What is happening? Someone actually believes in me,’" she said. "To this day, I don’t know why. He says it wasn’t him, that I built everything on my own, and he does try to give that power back to me. But I truly do believe I would have just quit or would have shoved it under a rock, especially with how my self-esteem and confidence were at that time. But I don’t know, it was just the kindness in his heart.”
For Chelsea, keeping the positivity going was a no-brainer.
“If you have the opportunity to create your own community and environment as a streamer, then why not make it one that is inclusive?" she asked. "Why not make it somewhere where people come and leave feeling good? Leave things better than the way you found it.”
This is a major point for a lot of Gen Z-ers: social media and internet discourse is messed up. So what can be done to make it better?
“There are so many wonderful communities on Twitch, and I just feel like they don’t get highlighted enough because what goes around is the drama, the bigger streamers, a lot of the bad things that people do," Chelsea said. "But there’s so much good that goes on on Twitch.”
This good includes helping people meet their goals, participating in charity streams, helping community members raise money for needs like medical costs or housing, just building relationships, and more.
“People are coming in and saying they were able to make friends or they’re in a really dark place, and being able to make connections or be seen and heard gives them that hope to keep going or push through," Chelsea explained. "To me, that is what hopecore is: people getting that chance to realize their humanity and know they can continue.”
Hopecore on Twitch may not seem as apparent as it is on some of the other social media platforms because, at first glance, it’s mostly people playing video games. Even if you ran across Chelsea’s stream, you might be confused; the first impression you might get is all about horror movies, The Walking Dead franchise, and scary video games. But, as Chelsea said, horror and spooky stuff can still be hopecore content.
“People in those movies are like, ‘I am not giving up. I will work towards anything for my family and for us to survive,’" she said. "And in terms of horror history, horror has continued to rise up in times where the world is actually going through really tough times. People actually turn towards it as an outlet.”
Chelsea’s recent Psychology and Sociology degree from California State University pushes her to understand why this juxtaposition happens, leading her to foster a healthy sense of escapism in her community.
“With bigger things like war, we have to be passive, unfortunately," she said. "It does become overwhelming because I’m just average Joe over here. I know nothing. How am I supposed to help? We don’t like that, and our brains don’t like that. We see bad things happening, and we want to help. That’s where hopecore comes in and why Twitch is so nice, because we can see things happening and actually help because things are on a smaller scale. You’re able to take back some agency.”
So if you’re feeling overwhelmed by conflict in the world, this election year, or personal drama, look to hopecore to find optimism for the future. You can enjoy some hopecore content on TikTok or Instagram to help regulate yourself, or you can participate in a live hopecore community on Twitch, like Chelsea's, to bring hope to someone else.