Aura or Laura?, do you gain 1,000 aura points or lose them? The phenomenon of “aura” has crossed screens this 2026 and materializes in hundreds of young people gathering in parks and squares for the so-called “aura farming battles.” For some, these concepts will sound completely strange and for others familiar, but behind this whole movement there is much more than some laughs, memes, or judgmental looks. Experts point to a form of generational communication that teaches how young people and adolescents build their identity, relate, and respond to the society around them.
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The term “aura” today carries much more weight than one might think for Generation Z and, above all, Generation Alpha. Conveying charisma, confidence, style, mystery, or authenticity are some of the key characteristics to be associated with this concept, according to health psychologist and director of Psicólogos Madrid CEPSIM, Andrés Quinteros, in his article “Farming aura: what it means and why it obsesses Generation Z and Alpha.”
Now, however, a step further has been taken and social networks have been flooded these days with videos of teenagers participating in “aura farming” battles. Although the concept sounds like another language, Eduard Farran, advertising professor at the International University of Valencia and creative director at We are Mi6, explains that this terminology actually comes from the world of video games.
The term farming means “accumulating points and resources in a game” and, if you add the concept of aura (charisma), the concept of “farming aura” arises, explains the expert. Quinteros complements this with a clear definition of what this expression truly means: “symbolically accumulating charisma, prestige, or social recognition through certain actions or attitudes.”
The ‘aura farming’ battles
This phenomenon involves the duality of pretending to be authentic
The aura farming battles consist of two participants facing off through gestures, looks, or dances surrounded by an audience that evaluates them. The goal is not to win by your “talent” in performing these moves, but to be the one who presents the most presence, confidence, and originality, comments Andrés Quinteros.
The paradox of the phenomenon is simple: to “farm aura” you have to do something that provokes admiration, but if the effort is too obvious, the effect will be the opposite. “To gain aura you have to impress, but it must not seem like you need to impress,” he explains in his article.
This dynamic leads Eduard Farran to describe this as an “immense game” of Generation Alpha, in which everyone knows you are performing an act that aims to evoke the greatest possible authenticity and then the rest score you.
Social approval
The presence of an audience is necessary to have aura
In this situation, spectators play a fundamental role: aura does not exist independently of the group that recognizes it and that is why it works so well on social networks. “A dialogue is generated: I do something and someone gives me their approval, so I keep doing it because they applaud me,” explains Eduard Farran.
The expert talks about Pierre Bourdieu’s symbolic capital, that is, the value of status, a recognition granted by others. Human beings are social beings and our identity is not built exclusively from within, but we need the gaze of other people, especially during adolescence.
Quinteros’ report states that ‘aura farming’ plays with the sense of belonging, being recognized, and finding a group, something that is part of psychological and social development. A person cannot grant themselves aura; it is others who grant it, and therefore, the adolescent tries different gestures and personalities until they find the one that works best.
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The quantification of reality
Gaining more or fewer aura points can lead to the ‘monetization’ of identity and hypervigilance
Being the most popular or the complete opposite, being admired by everyone or going completely unnoticed; opposite worlds within the hierarchy of social recognition that are not entirely unfamiliar to anyone, especially when recalling school or high school years. Now, however, all this is also reflected through scores and numbers on social networks.
A person can gain more or fewer aura points, but what happens if they lose them? The intrinsic logic of the video game appears at this moment and, one way or another, leads to the ‘monetization’ or quantification of one’s way of being. “You try to build your identity based on how your actions are received or not and what ‘price’ they have in others’ perception,” highlights Eduard.
At this point, another source of pressure arises: ‘aura farming’ means “carrying a kind of scoreboard everywhere,” explains the professor. The implication of this is that at any moment you can win or lose, so the ‘hypervigilance,’ which is accentuated by social networks, means that the adolescent is very aware of their behavior at all times.
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Risks
It is important to talk with the adolescent and try to understand them
‘Aura farming,’ explains Quinteros, is simply a way of expressing oneself, although not without dangers. Although the phenomenon itself does not pose a risk, it is necessary to be able to talk and understand the adolescent who, if they give much importance to these dynamics, may end up building their personality in reference to the score of likes or aura points.
“It has always happened that between one generation and another social codes are not understood,” points out the psychologist. Therefore, it is essential that this is not labeled by parents or grandparents as something “absurd,” nor as something “good” or “bad,” but that, before judging, one asks and tries to understand.
In this regard, psychoanalyst José R. Ubieto understands that today’s adolescents, just when they should start facing adulthood, encounter problems with housing, work, or emancipation, in worse conditions than years ago. Added to this are the climate and political emergencies and the emergence of artificial intelligence, which introduces new uncertainties about the labor and social future.
Therefore, making a name for oneself does not necessarily mean succeeding, but it does constitute a condition to live in society and have a place from which one can recognize oneself and be recognized by others, whether through a profession, a family relationship, a group of friends, or any community of belonging, explains Ubieto. Although it is important to know that this place is not given beforehand, but is built, he points out.
In the end, whether you end up “farming aura” or saying goodbye with an eighties-style “I’m out, vampire” or some other rhyme, for experts it is clear that each generation had, has, and will have its own ways of communicating and finding its place in the world and that, faced with this, the only thing left is the attempt to understand and adapt to it.
