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ABC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Fear of 'being cringe' blamed lack of dancing on nightclub dance floors
On any given Friday night in Perth, thousands of people are crammed into venues across the city. There are queues to get inside clubs and long lines at the bar, but one area is noticeably empty: the dance floor. This is the new normal, according to DJs and event organisers. Instead, masses of people huddle around the decks, nodding and taking pictures and videos. Emily Branson, who goes by Jamilla on stage, has been playing sets around Perth for a few years now and has noticed the change. "I see a lot of talking, a lot of standing around, a lot of people on the phone," she told triple j Hack. "Unless there's … a chorus of a song that comes on that people know and they'll be like dancing, singing along to like the 15 seconds of the song. "Then they'll go back to their phone … or standing around looking around, not really knowing what to do with themselves." Branson has two theories about what might be to blame for the demise of the dance floor. The first, she says, are the drugs that young people are taking. Ketamine use is at an all-time high in Australia but Branson also has another theory: our device addiction. "Everything is uncool and trying is uncool," she said. "You're so scared of making the wrong step or someone … filming what you're doing and thinking that it's cringe that they don't really try or they don't really do anything at all." Hack went out on a Friday night to test some of these theories. Here's what people told us: Amy, 23, who used to work in a nightclub said the situation was dire. Rhys, 21, who was out with friends said clubs, were not a place to dance anymore. And Nikki, 27, who was out celebrating her birthday, said she thought people were afraid to let loose. This change in vibe is also impacting the way events are organised. Claire Chitty, 22, is a DJ and the president of the Electronic Music Appreciation Society at UWA. The university club puts on regular club nights for students and even runs some festivals. Chitty told Hack that the style of events they were looking to run was changing because people did not want to dance anymore. "There's a lot less interest in big festivals and people are a lot more interested in boiler-room styles," she told Hack. But not everybody thinks this dance floor exodus is a bad thing. Wyatt Gordon — or Off Wyatt as he is known behind the decks — thinks people are still having a good time. He told Hack there were three types of people you saw at the club these days. "You'll have your music turbos, and they'll be really homed in on the DJ, the decks and seeing what the song is," he said. "Then you'll have people who are there just for the vibe … a lot of filming. "And then maybe a third [group] are actually just there to dance and enjoy themselves." Gordon welcomes everyone, from the "phone people" to the "music turbos". He said people who were not dancing may still be engaging. "It's a lot of jumping around [and waving] arms. You know that sort of stuff. But they're still enjoying the music."
ABC News
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
'It's a gen Z thing': Why young people are obsessed with digital cameras
It is a Friday night in Perth, and Lia and her friends are out at a bar. The group is setting up to take photos, but with a twist: instead of using their phones, one of the friends pulls out a small point-and-shoot digital camera. It is the kind of compact camera that first came about in the early 2000s, and which many assumed had died out with the invention of the phone camera and smartphone. That is, until a resurgence in interest in the aesthetics and pop culture of the late 1990s and early 2000s. "When you see a photo on Instagram, you can definitely tell if it's a digital camera," Lia told triple j Hack. "It's a lot sharper, with a really strong flash, and even without the flash it is a different kind of vibe. Lia, who is in her mid 20s and lives in Perth, sells second-hand digital cameras online. She says people are always messaging her trying to get their hands on the old school tech. "I think, especially for gen Zs, they get more motivated when they have a new toy to play with compared to your phone — it's definitely a different experience." Digital cameras have been trending on social media sites like TikTok and Instagram over the past year or so, with countless videos from young influencers showing off the best in old tech. It has resulted in young people seeking out these older models, according to Dylan Boxwell, who works at an Australia-wide camera franchise and who says his store has about 80 backorders of a specific camera which is popular online. "People are trying to get that look, back from when they were kids," Dylan told Hack. "They want that nostalgic aspect, they want something easy to carry around in their pocket — it looks a lot better than a phone sometimes." Dylan, who is also a freelance photographer and cinematographer, thinks digital cameras are also a way for people to look back to a time which was a bit simpler. "I kind of like the whole thing of, 'let's use media that we had in the past … let's slow it down, let's go back to what we all know,'" he said. "Everyone has a nostalgic hit when you see a VHS tape … using that sort of media just brings people in, and brings people together." University of Tasmania senior media lecturer Kathleen Williams said it was not surprising that younger Australians were gravitating towards digital cameras. "I think the way it looks makes it look more like a memory, because it's also pulling on the shared media past that we have." Dr Williams said that cultural trends typically move in 20-year cycles. She said this latest move towards Y2K fashion and photography was a way for younger people to be a part of a time and culture they have seen on the screen, even if they were too young to appreciate it at the time. "You have these cultural memories that belong to something bigger than you, and things you've engaged with your entire life," Dr Williams said. Lia, who loves her digital cameras so much she packed three in her luggage for a recent European holiday, agrees. "It's the same reason as why Y2K is a thing now," Lia said. "After a while people just look back and find something fun from the past, and they start using that as the new trend."
