Zines Are Back. And Now They’re on Instagram.
Out of quarantine rises a wealth of teen-created art, writing, and activism on online zines and publications.
In a 1990 article in Whole Earth Review, notable zine-creator Mike Gunderloy said of the zine world: “This is where the action is, where information (and disinformation) is free, where things are happening.” He excitedly claimed that the publishers and readers of zines were “at the cutting age of social change” and would help define the future.
Zines, which are independently printed booklets or “mini magazines,” have been an important, and perhaps overlooked, cultural current since the late 1920s — when the first zines were created by science fiction communities so they could talk about things the mainstream wasn’t interested in.
In the 1960s, zines were widely used in political subculture movements, and they became increasingly popular in the 70s and 80s due to both the rise of the punk scene and copy machines. In the 90s, zines played a key role in the Riot grrl punk feminist movements.
While they had previously stayed mostly underground, zines were now exploding in popularity and were finally being recognized by the mainstream.
