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Generation Conflict Gains Strength When Forty-Somethings Are Ridiculed in Memes in South Korea.
The generational conflict involving so-called forty-somethings has recently gained prominence in South Korean pop culture after memes went viral on social media, ridiculing middle-aged men who adopt styles associated with Generation Z.
The phenomenon has spread particularly in South Korea, driven by caricatures created with artificial intelligence, changes in technology consumption, and a broader debate about ageism.
At the center of the discussion are professionals in their forties who, despite financial stability and established careers, have begun facing online mockery for aesthetic and behavioral choices.
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One of the most recognized faces of this controversy is Ji Seung-ryeol, 41. He posts selfies on Instagram wearing streetwear, Air Jordan sneakers, and modern t-shirts.
According to him, the judgment caused surprise and indignation.
“I simply wear and enjoy things I have liked for a long time, now that I can afford them,” he told the BBC. “Why do I need to be attacked for that?”
Social Media and Memes Accelerate the Generational Conflict
The viral spread of memes on social media has turned the term “forty-somethings” into a sarcastic label. The images often depict middle-aged men with modern clothes, an iPhone in hand, and a confident pose.
However, the humor carries direct critiques of this generation, which many young people accuse of “refusing to accept that time has passed.”
This pattern did not just emerge now. Years ago, similar jokes targeted those labeled as “geriatric millennials,” often deemed cringe.
In South Korea, however, the impact grows due to the strict age hierarchy, in which even a year of difference defines social relations, language, and behavior.
iPhone, Consumption, and Symbolic Change
The debate intensified after the launch of the iPhone 17 in September of last year.
Once a symbol of youth, the smartphone has come to represent, for part of South Korean pop culture, the alleged absurdity of forty-somethings, marking a symbolic shift.
Data reinforces this perception. A Gallup survey shows that, although young people still prefer the iPhone, Apple’s market share has fallen by 4% among Generation Z and grown by 12% among consumers in their forties.
For many young people, this shift reinforces the feeling that previous generations occupy cultural spaces that were once considered exclusive.
Thus, the conflict ceases to be merely aesthetic and starts to reflect symbolic and economic disputes.
Ageism and Hierarchy in Conflict
Ageism appears explicitly in this debate. Expressions like kkondae, used to define older individuals seen as rigid and condescending, have resurfaced strongly.
According to sociologist Lee Jae-in from Korea University, digital platforms have eliminated cultural boundaries between generations.
“The old model, where different generations consumed separate cultural spaces, has almost disappeared,” he explains.
As a result, young people and adults began to compete for the same symbolic environments, intensifying mutual tensions and judgments.
From Marketing Target to Viral Meme
In the 2010s, the market used the term “forty-something” positively, associating it with active, healthy, and connected consumers.
Analyst Kim Yong-sup, who helped popularize the term, recalls that this generation stopped being seen as close to old age and began to occupy the center of society.
Over time, however, the label has changed its meaning.
Data from the SomeTrend platform indicates that the expression appeared online more than 100,000 times in the past year, with the majority of mentions in a negative tone.
Privilege, Frustration, and Resentment
Psychologists point out that the mockery also reflects economic inequalities.
For young millennials and members of Generation Z, forty-somethings symbolize a generation that achieved stability before the skyrocketing real estate prices and increased competitiveness in the job market.
“They are not seen merely as individuals with personal tastes but as symbols of privilege and power,” says psychologist Oh Eun-kyung.
Ji Seung-ryeol contests this interpretation.
He recalls entering the job market during the Asian financial crisis of the 1990s and having to send around 70 resumes to get a job.
Today, he feels caught between two cultures: one that is strongly hierarchical and another that questions rules. “We are a generation that has experienced two cultures.
We find ourselves caught in the middle,” he sums up.
Youth as a Universal Desire
Thus, despite the criticisms, experts and interviewees agree on one point: the desire to appear young does not belong to a single generation.
“As you age, seeking youth becomes totally natural.
Wanting to appear young exists in all generations,” says Kang, another South Korean in his forties quoted in the debate.
Thus, the case of forty-somethings goes beyond fashion or technology.
It exposes how generational conflict, ageism, and social media intertwine, transforming personal choices into symbols of deeper social disputes in contemporary South Korea.
See more at: The ‘Forty-Somethings’ Ridiculed by Generation Z in South Korea – BBC News Brasil
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