aura farming

Aura was, in spiritualism, the special emanation that flows from living things.  Auras could be good or bad, or just not compatible.  In very simple terms people wanted to develop a good aura and to encounter good aura (also called good vibes)  in the people and places around them.

More recently aura has come to be the equivalent of style.  Someone who is supercool has aura.  The Indonesian boy in this image has become the poster child for aura farming.

People look to find ways to increase their aura.  In other words they attempt to farm their aura by doing cool things that seem to work on a regular basis. This relates to video games where a player can do something repeatedly to gain experience points.  More generally, a certain look, a certain gesture can become part of your personal brand so that repeating it on occasion can enhance that brand and increase your aura.  Or you can do something that is supercool and instantly adds aura, as long as you pull it off successfully.

Of course constant and intrusive repetition can work against you.  It is not cool and results in loss of aura. It’s a fine line  between having aura and being a tryhard. This would be cringe.