Recession indicators are everywhere online — even if we’re not actually in one

It seems like everything you see online these days is a recession indicator. A new White Chicks movie? An addition to the Scary Movie franchise? Blondes going brunette? Screenshots with “fail” stamped on top? According to the internet, these are all recession indicators. But are we actually in a recession? And can an increase in Y2K content predict one? Or are we just doomposting? Tweet may have been deleted Real recession indicatorsThere are actual, measurable recession indicators, of course. According to Morningstar, an investment research and management services firm, these include:InflationStock market declineCredit spreads An inverted yield curveA decrease in real GDPHigh unemploymentA decline in business spendingInvestors flocking to goldDecreased home sales and housing pricesBut then there are the internet-defined recession indicators — things that feel like a throwback to another era of economic distress:Men posting their partners on Valentine’s DayZooey Deschanel with a BumpitThe popularization of content focused on becoming skinnyThat outfitTaylor LautnerGood pop musicAnti-tattoo sentimentThe revival of twee ukulele music Tweet may have been deleted What do these have in common?They all hark back to the early aughts — the last time the U.S. faced a full economic recession. This trend of linking any Y2K revival to a recession makes sense. After all, it’s easier for us to see the connection of Zooey Deschanel with a Bumpit to economic hardship than it is to fully understand how real GDP affects us. These comparisons may seem reminiscent from the so-called lipstick index — the theory that, during an economic…Recession indicators are everywhere online — even if we’re not actually in one