A new online generation of Australians are taking up the mantle of socialism, fueled by memes, podcasts, and a need for change.

In August, I found myself in an extremely packed-out after party for the 2017 Democratic Socialists of America Convention in Chicago. The beers and snacks were plentiful and free, the guys from the leftist comedy podcast Chapo Trap House were there, and the atmosphere was welcoming. The crowd was mostly under 30, warm, friendly and passionate about making change in a divided America. Far from the sinister Stalinist ideology that it’s been painted as throughout the 20th century, the socialist movement in 2017 seems vibrant, exciting and most of all optimistic.

While socialism has traditionally had a younger base of support, until now, exposure among millennials has often been coloured by aggressive Socialist Alternative campaigners on university campuses. Today, though, the DSA boast over 30,000 paying members. “Sassy Socialist Memes” on Facebook nears a million followers. Chapo Trap House — whose “Dirtbag Left” irony-activism has fired a new generation of leftists — attracts an incredible $88,000 in Patreon subscriptions per month. The cult of Bernie Sanders and the near victory of the UK’s “absolute boy” Jeremy Corbyn have seen socialism morph from a dirty word to something inspiring passion in young people looking to make sense of their political reality.

Young Australians are facing the prospect of never owning a home as the median house prices in Melbourne and Sydney sit at close to $1 million. A generation over-educated, underemployed and burdened with enormous student debt is looking for answers.

People, like Melbournians James, 28, and Shane, 24 – both educated professionals, far from the red scare caricature of the lazy socialist — are finding resonance in socialist ideology.

“Millennials are embracing socialism more and more as their own opportunities seem to become fewer and fewer,” James tells me. “We’re becoming more aware of inequality, and while Australia loves to call itself the lucky country, the facts about how much wealth sits with a lucky few paints a much different picture.”

Having previously voted for both Labor and the Greens, James and Shane cite US socialist movements such as the DSA and the support for Bernie Sanders as key catalysts in their move to supporting socialist politics.

While socialism in America seems to be gaining significant traction, what about Australia, a nation ostensibly built on the idea of a fair go for all, which values public services and labour laws, and where the threat of cutting Medicare is so horrifying that an election scare campaign can be built around it? Is socialism still a dirty word?

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“Centrism is failing on the world stage,” James elaborates. “We’re being let down by centre-left parties like the Democrats in the US and Labor over here who aren’t willing to actually make a difference while we see economic inequality grow.”

Indeed, while income inequality may be said to be shrinking, wealth inequality in Australia is growing. A report on inequality released by the Australian Council of Social Services paints a picture of a nation where, while someone in the highest 20% of income has five times as much income as someone in the lowest 20%, someone in the highest 20% of wealth has around 70 times as much wealth as the lowest 20%. Almost half of our politicians, holding the task of tackling housing affordability, own multiple properties. The latest ACTU report shows the top ten richest Australians as having $77 billion between them.

While the stats surrounding wealth inequality are evident, there’s also something to be said about the meme-ification of socialist ideals that is engaging the internet generation more than ever.

“The normalisation of socialism through memes is opening us up to socialist ideals, as stupid as that sounds,” Shane says. “People are reading more and more, and social media is helping leftists, liberals and other similar-minded folks connect and educate and empower each other than ever before.”

It’s easy to see why the movement is gaining traction. It’s hopeful and optimistic, and in a world that currently seems to have little to be optimistic about, a lot of young people are struggling to find a real alternative to a political climate that harbours far-right movements, poverty and institutionalised discrimination.

“Though Australia is fortunate and privileged, we got here on the backs of colonialism, oppression and inequality, and a lot of us are now coming to terms with that,” Shane tells me.

“We keep our heads above water by attacking the lower classes and oppressed people of all demographics. We’re now seeing a need for ideology and action that disrupts and takes away power from the core reasons of their existence in the first place – capitalism and conservative economic policy.”