Even if all these "key indicators" were accurate, how do they are they indicative of a lack of "a counterculture?" This article might as well be titled, "14 war

Even if all these "key indicators" were accurate, how do they are they indicative of a lack of "a counterculture?" This article might as well be titled, "14 warning signs of social decadence," "14 warning signs of corporate dominance," or whatever else. Making some claim and substantiating it with a list of arbitrary observations is not a coherent way to make an argument. What is a counterculture? Isn't alt/indie music marginalized by definition? Why would the (dubious) assertion that joke telling has become dangerous be indicative of no counterculture? What's an example of a period/place with a vibrant counterculture? Can any of these "warning signs" be present in such a period/place? What the author seems to be arguing is that pop culture has become boring and repetitive. For a more interesting take on why this might be the case, see Mark Fisher, Ghosts of My Past--he argues that a set of structural conditions (such as no cheap rent) has led to media industries recycling safe, nostalgic content.