Metamodernism, a cultural mode following modernism and postmodernism, describes a pattern of cultural philosophy emerged in the late twentieth century. The term was coined in 1975 by Mas'ud Zavarzade, but has become associated primarily with the Age of the Internet.

According to theorists Timotheus Vermeulen and Robin van den Akker, metamodernism is "a kind of informed naivety a pragmatic idealism." It embraces the grand narratives of modernism, but nevertheless understands them as being problematic. Fabio Vittorini notes that in metamodernism, we see the collision of "naive and/or fanatic idealism" with "skeptical and/or apathetic pragmatism," suggestive that metamodernism is, if nothing else, fraught with contradictions. Metamodernism is characterized by genuine connection, empathy, and community; but also by ambiguity, reconstruction, collaboration, and paradox.

Metamodernism works often combine honesty with irony, and "remix" past cultural materials in new combinations. However, in contrast to postmodern pastiche, these works are usually produced with sincerity rather than cynicism.

Reference

Cunff, Anne-Laure Le. “An Introduction to Metamodernism: The Cultural Philosophy of the Digital Age.” Ness Labs (blog), December 12, 2019. https://nesslabs.com/metamodernism.