COLLECTIVE ANXIETY IN GEN Z AS DEPICTED IN DOECHII’S SONG ‘ANXIETY’: A CULTURAL STUDIES PERSPECTIVE

Rizqi Mutqiyyah; M Faridl Darmawan; Aila Dutt

doi:10.52423/jikuho.v10i2.1732

Authors

Rizqi Mutqiyyah Universitas Negeri Surabaya
M Faridl Darmawan Universitas KH. A Wahab Hasbulloh Tambakberas
Aila Dutt 3Wadhwani AI, New Delhi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52423/jikuho.v10i2.1732

Keywords:

Collective Anxiety, Gen Z, Popular Culture, Representation, Semiotics

Abstract

Anxiety by Doechii has gained widespread attention across social media platforms and international music charts, signaling a growing visibility of mental health issues particularly anxiety as a central theme in contemporary popular culture. This phenomenon is especially prominent among Generation Z, a cohort raised in a digital and social media ecosystem where emotional expression and psychological pressure are highly relevant. Doechii, a Black female rapper from Generation Z, embodies the intersection of cultural and generational dynamics within this discourse. This study aims to analyze how Anxiety constructs a narrative of anxiety as a generational experience through a cultural studies approach. Stuart Hall’s theory of representation is employed to examine how collective anxiety is linguistically constructed in the lyrics, while Roland Barthes’ semiotic approach is used to decode symbolic meanings and sign systems embedded in the text. Additionally, John Storey’s conceptual framework which views popular culture as a space of ideological negotiation and identity formation is applied to contextualize the analysis. Using a descriptive qualitative method, the findings reveal that Anxiety is not merely a personal account, but a representation of emotional repression, performative identity, socio-political pressure, and digital self-surveillance. The song simultaneously critiques and participates in the commodification of emotion, positioning music as a vital space for negotiating identity and emotional labor in youth culture.

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