The concept of vibe is making a career – in social media, in everyday small talk, in recommendations of popular new books and films. Something cannot be explained, but can still be understood intuitively? Then it’s a vibe – a vibrating feeling, a mood-filled energy. Netflix, Spotify and various fashion providers now categorize their products not only according to genres, artists or brands, but also according to vibes. Internet forums specifically ask for books and films that match a certain vibe. Names of authors and synopsis count less and less; instead, book covers now say more and more often: “Recommended for fans of…”. Political mentality changes are referred to as vibe shifts. If you come into contact with people you find strange or unpleasant, you don’t like their vibe. Dating apps are now also working with this concept more and more often and are adapting to a present in which everyone has an opinion on everything, but still doesn’t know how to express it. Vibes are for sorting, not specification. Anyone who explains something using the term vibe doesn’t really make anything more understandable, but does require agreement.
