You only have to scroll on TikTok for a few minutes to discover how young people are choosing to spend their spare time and disposable income. From the preparation of a morning matcha to a ‘clean girl’ evening routine, the lifestyles we see being advocated online are centred around wellness, self-care and staying in. There has been a noticeable shift surrounding the culture of ‘going out’ and an increasing amount of young people are swapping a glass of wine for a cup of matcha and choosing to spend their money on a morning Pilates class rather than a night club entry fee.
The ‘death’ of the nightclub
Since Covid-19, the nighttime economy has rapidly declined, and one of the most immediate and visible consequences of this has been the loss of nightclubs. A report by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) shows that since March 2020, within the UK, 37% of clubs have closed which equates to three nightclubs per week and over 150 per year. These figures provide an insight into how the pandemic has left a visible mark on our streets; the closure of nightclubs and other venues has left our high streets and city centres feeling somewhat empty and subdued.
In the city of Leeds, which has a reputation for being a vibrant and lively place to go out, students are going out less frequently, and clubs are closing more frequently than ever before. Towards the end of November, yet another night club, Freedom Mills, closed in Leeds. A statement commissioned by the club specified ‘redevelopment’ of nearby Kirkstall Road as the reason for closure.
With nightclubs often occupying central, desirable urban spaces, they are no longer financially feasible for the council. As redevelopment projects move in, these venues are being displaced to prioritise more profitable developments. A process closely tied to urban regeneration, and ultimately, gentrification.
The ‘death’ of community
But economic figures do not provide a complete explanation for the decline of the nighttime economy. Economic factors are entangled with social factors, which are far more difficult to comprehend or to quantify. The pandemic has impacted individuals in different ways, creating diverse attitudes towards clubbing.
For previous generations, nightclubs acted as an important space where individuals could form communities. From the Mods of the 1960s, to the New Romantics of the late 1970s and Acid House in the late 1980s, numerous subcultures were shaped through club culture, through a shared love for fashion, music and dancing.
The 2025 John Lewis Christmas advert, Where Love Lives, taps into this nostalgia for clubbing, a longing for the old times, through transporting viewers back to a 90s club scene where a father dances and sees his son as a baby. According to the creative directors it was intended to conjure up a sense of nostalgia, for people to “reminisce, to go back in time and remember those good times on the dance floors”.
This advert resonates today because it shows a version of youth culture that feels very different from the present. The 90s is an era remembered for spontaneity, bucket hats and chaotic nights out – a stark contrast to the aesthetic lifestyles and carefully curated outfits we so often see online today.
New forms of online communities
Nowadays, alternative forms of subcultures are emerging, with club culture playing a less significant role than in the past. During lockdown, while physical forms of socialising were restricted, Gen Z embraced online platforms as a way to form communities. Social media apps, such as TikTok, thrived throughout lockdown because they provided young people with entertainment that was difficult to attain elsewhere.
TikTok became so culturally powerful during Covid-19 that people on the app started to create subcultures of their own. This often appeared in the form of ‘trends’, for example #CottageCore, #WitchTok and #Egirl/#Eboy; there was a ‘trend’ that almost everyone could get involved in and become a part of the subculture, making online subcultures very accessible.
The end of authenticity
However, online subcultures have also been heavily critiqued, and for good reason. When I scroll on my TikTok For You Page there is such a lack of variation: everyone seems to being doing the same thing, whether that is hot Pilates, a ‘get ready with me’ or a clothing haul. Online subcultures operate very differently to ‘traditional subcultures’, and seem to lack the key characteristics that make a ‘subculture’ a subculture.
The ‘minority’ has become the majority and the ‘subcultures’ we are witnessing online show no signs of authenticity, distinct fashion or resistance to mainstream norms, as originally laid out by the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS). Under the terms of the CCCS, these online communities would not fit the definition of ‘subculture’, suggesting we should look to use different terminology.
A loss for whom?
In an era defined by the post-pandemic landscape, social media addiction, and a cost-of-living crisis, it is no wonder young people are going out less and clubbing less frequently. Why would Gen Z pay to enter a nightclub that is likely to be overcrowded and sweaty, charging £10 for a double vodka lemonade, when they can simply stay at home, socialise with friends online and have a Deliveroo delivered to their door?
The answer: because clubbing is the most fun ever! It does make we wonder how young people are letting off steam or making memories with their friends. How is John Lewis going to incite a sense of nostalgia among Gen Z in the future? Just picture the scene in an advert: someone curled up on the sofa, doom scrolling TikTok, with an oak milk matcha in hand.
Perhaps Gen Z are simply behaving as they have always been encouraged to – staying safe and avoiding risk. Is the rise of staying in really going to be a loss for Gen Z in the future? I will get back to you in a couple of decades!
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