Boomerslop. It’s a term that started out as a joke that people used to refer to the wave of AI videos showing up in Facebook feeds, and these clips range from looking sentimental to quite political. They’re all created by an algorithm instead of a person. But why are these videos so widespread? And why do they target boomers? Let’s find out.
How the word “Boomerslop” started getting used
One of the first instances of the “boomerslop” term being used was a Business Insider piece. It described Meta’s Vibes feed as being filled with AI material that felt “boomer-coded.” It didn’t take long for other news outlets and internet users to start using the phrase as well.
Cambridge Dictionary’s blog even picked up the definition shortly after it spread. While the term isn’t an academic word or anything formal, a lot of people started using the term because it was a good way to describe the numerous AI videos that seem to be on every social media platform.
Where Boomerslop shows up right now
So what exactly is boomerslop? Originally, the word described the short AI-generated clips that are popular on Vibes, although the videos themselves have spread outside of the platform. The videos are created via prompts typed by users, and since everything is generated on the spot, there are many different types of videos.
Some of these videos include political figures dancing, and others are of pets doing impossible things. But there’s not one strict type. One thing that does seem to be common is that they tend to be similar to the things that long-time Facebook users have shared for years, only more exaggerated. They’re also obviously artificial.
What Boomerslop videos and images usually look like
While the videos themselves might be different in content, there are a few things that seem to be the same across the board. A lot of them play into nostalgia, with retro outfits and soft, glowing colors. They often contain music that sounds oddly familiar. A few of them include well-known celebrities or other people in weird scenes, like political figures in action movies.
Some of them don’t even include real people. Instead, they mimic the style of things from the past, making you feel like you’re watching something that you remember seeing before, but you just can’t quite place.
Why people connect Boomerslop with Boomer social media habits
One of the reasons that this style of video became known as “boomerslop” is the fact that it appears on platforms that boomers use regularly. Many older adults use Facebook every day to get the news or updates about their loved ones, even for entertainment. As soon as AI content started flooding people’s feeds, the nostalgic AI-generated videos reminded people of posts that previously performed well with older audiences.
That’s not to say that it’s only boomers who liked the videos. There are similar AI “slop” videos on other platforms like YouTube that target different generations. It’s merely the fact that these videos became popular on a boomer-led platform like Facebook that gave them this nickname.
What researchers say about older adults and online misinformation
While boomerslop is its own slang, it’s part of a much bigger conversation regarding how older adults engage with content online. Studies on seniors and digital misinformation show that older adults sometimes have trouble spotting AI-generated videos or understanding when something is a sponsored video. Other research has found that they can be just as accurate as younger adults, depending on the format.
Nostalgia marketing and why Boomerslop often feels retro
Even prior to conversations about AI, numerous marketing studies had discussed the power of nostalgia for boomers. Older consumers tend to respond well to images and music from their early years, which is one of the reasons some brands rely so heavily on them. They have brought back colors and logos, as well as styles, from past decades because people recognize them almost immediately.
AI videos tap right into that nostalgia. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a diner scene or a classic holiday moment because nostalgia has always been part of digital media. AI has simply sped it up.