Slobbing out and giving up: why are so many people going ‘goblin mode’?

"Goblin mode” is spending the day in bed while scrolling endlessly through social media, pouring chips in your mouth, downing Eggo toaster oven waffles with hot sauce over the sink because you don't care to put them on a plate. Leaving the house in your pyjamas and socks to get a Diet Coke from the bodega.

Goblin mode is not an identity, but a frame of mind that can be switched on and off. It's about a lack of aesthetic.

Goblin mode is the opposite of trying to improve yourself. On TikTok, #GoblinMode is fixed to everything from "smoking weed alone and getting scared", to "not taking your meds".

The trend is a departure from the hyper-curated "cottagecore" influence of early pandemic days -  a 2020 trend that included pastel colours and showcasing wholesome homemaking skills such as baking and embroidery.

But as the pandemic wears on endlessly, people are tired of such goals and is feeling kind of wild.