Newtro generational change in the content industry: the 90s and Millennials are taking over the position of the 70s and 80s
Newtro content is experiencing a generational change as popular works, such as NewJeans’s “Ditto” and “Soulmate”, tend to stimulate nostalgia for the 90s.
The “Newtro craze”, which allows people to enjoy retro content that reminds them of old memories, is loved by the public in various genres, including music, broadcasting, and movies.
Content about the 80s, which aims at consumers of the 70s-80s generation, was still the main focus of the “Reply” series until the 2010s. However, content about the later era, from the 90s to the early 2000s, that targets Millennials as the main consumers have gradually been gaining popularity in recent years.
This is a natural change. It occurs as people of the Millennial generation have grown into their 30s and become the main consumers of content. Contents about the 90s bring fresh memories to Millennials, who spent their school days at that time, and new experience to young people of Gen Z. It is expected to be a trend enjoyed by the MZ Generation until 2030.
Especially in the music industry, the atmosphere of the late 90s is being embraced as a trend after the release of New Jeans’s “Ditto”. This song received explosive love by stimulating the memories of those born in the 80s who spent their school days in the late 90s by showing students wearing school uniforms captured in low-resolution camcorder footage and CD players.
In the film industry, “Soulmate” is following in the footsteps of “Ditto” and presenting viewers a nostalgic journey to that time. It tells about two bestfriends, Mi So (Kim Da Mi) and Ha Eun (Jeon So Nee), who recognize each other from their first meeting, sharing happiness, sadness, excitement, and longing after meeting Jin Woo (Byun Woo Seok).
With items that combine analog and digital trends from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, such as digital cameras, Cyworld, and wired earphones, appearing in the background stories, the movie bring back memories to viewers. Netflix’s movie “20th Century Girl”, which was released in October last year, also focuses on content targeting the same generation.
Regarding this generational change, an official from the broadcasting and film distribution company, analyzed, “It is due to the emergence of the Millennial generation as the main consumer group with enormous purchasing power in the market”, adding “The generations following them are enjoying newtro content in their own way”.
As content about the 90s and Millennials has firmly established itself as a trend, expectations are high on the works that will become mega-hits representing this generation’s newtro content.
Source: Naver
