10 years of change from 'we' to 'me'
From the age of survival to the age of identity, and then to the age of authenticity.

The tenth book in the Trend Note series, which observes changes in the lives of Koreans, is published.
The past decade has been a time of transition from 'we' to 'me', a time of moving from the 'age of survival' to the 'age of identity'.
It was a time when the value of 'I am important' was highlighted, but more precisely, it was a time for me to get to know myself.
Now is the time to focus on the new me I have discovered.
The 'era of real' is now dawning.


The common thread that runs through the era of survival, the era of identity, and the era of authenticity is ‘working hard.’
In the age of survival, we live 'hard' for our families and our country; in the age of identity, we live 'hard' to keep up with the new lifestyle; and in the age of authenticity, we live 'hard' to become an expert in the field we have chosen.
《2026 Trend Note》 explores what Korean society is passionate about and why.
Based on data accumulated by the Lifestyle Change Observatory, we analyze the daily lives and consumption of Koreans in a three-dimensional manner along four axes: technology, experience, identity, and health.

The process by which humans adopt new technologies follows a certain flow.
Step 1 is useful.
'This technique is useful.' Step 2 is play.
Have you tried this? I've tried it too.
Isn't it funny? Isn't it fun?' It's about playing with other people with or through this technique.
Step 3 is emotional exchange.
Nowadays, ‘empathy’ and ‘comfort’ are especially important.
New technologies only take their place in our daily lives when we feel like they understand us and listen to our stories.
ChatGPT, which started out as a simple work tool, is now evolving into a hobby friend with whom I can share my photo album and a companion AI that shares my worries.

--- From Chapter 1, "The New Value of Offline Space in the AI ​​Era"

Humans are beings who want to move their feet and go somewhere.
The AI ​​era has us rethinking the fundamental human need for mobility. In this age of AI, sports that challenge human limits through physical movement are gaining traction.
Running is a representative example.
Before COVID-19, running had the keyword 'crew.'
A representative brand is Nike.
The running crew organized by Nike was the hippest and hottest.
In the wake of COVID-19, running has gained the keyword "training."
People overcame their limits through training, trained like athletes, and shortened their records.
A representative brand is Salomon.
A 12-week trail running training course planned by Salomon has been in the spotlight.
As we move into 2025, the keywords added to running are ‘long-distance running’ and ‘slow running.’
"Let's gather," "Let's train," and then what? "Let's not overdo it."
Long-distance running and slow running are meant to be ways to continue at your own pace without overdoing it.

--- From Chapter 1, "The New Value of Offline Space in the AI ​​Era"

For example, the expression 'pursio' is often used among people who enjoy knitting as a hobby.
Pursio is the process of 'unraveling' the yarn again to repair a mistake made while knitting.
It must have been a painful process, as all the hard work up to now has gone to waste.
But people say that even that pain is part of the knitting process and is meaningful.
For beginners, 'Pursio' is like an unavoidable fate for leveling up, and how boldly they decide to do it and execute it becomes a measure of their growth.
When people say they 'value the process,' it broadly implies a variety of meanings, such as effort, challenge, failure, and going back.
In analog hobbies, people find fulfillment not in the end result, but in discovering the 'me who endured the process'.
In other words, the result of knitting is not only the work itself, but also the growth of myself through enduring the process of creating that work.

--- From Chapter 2, “Why Non-Digital Hobbies Are Getting Attention”

The five ‘○○ feelings’ that have increased every year for the past three years are ‘stability’, ‘sense of accomplishment’, ‘sense of fatigue’, ‘sense of connectedness’, and ‘sense of immersion’.
These are also words that appeared earlier when explaining the value of analog hobbies.
Fatigue and stability move as an antagonistic pair.
Earlier, I said that people are feeling tired of the unpredictable society that is changing rapidly, led by technological innovation, and the flood of highly stimulating content.
The pressure of not being able to keep up with the pace of change and falling behind only adds to the fatigue.
People, exhausted by this high level of uncertainty and overstimulation, want a moderate sense of stability in return, and as a result, stability is increasingly mentioned as the most important value pursued in this era.
--- From Chapter 2, “Why Non-Digital Hobbies Are Getting Attention”

Where do people find self-fulfillment these days? Let's look again at the chart of keywords related to "self-development."
Keywords that have risen over the past 10 years are 'growth', 'day', 'change', 'exercise', and 'challenge'.
These five things give us a clear hint as to where self-development is headed today.
‘Growth’ has become more important than ‘success’, and the stability that comes from consistently training yourself every day and repeating small actions has become more important.
In particular, the change in the number of mentions of ‘growth’ and ‘success’ clearly illustrates this transition.
In the first quarter of 2024, 'growth' surpassed 'success' for the first time, with 'growth' increasing by about 2.8 times and 'success' increasing by 2 times compared to 2021.
Both keywords are seeing increasing mentions, but the upward trend for 'growth' is steeper.
Now, the value of ‘growth’ has become more important to people living in Korean society.
--- From Chapter 3, “10 Years of Self-Development: Changes in the Way I Grow”

Ultimately, fandom starts with feelings toward the object of one's affection, but its ultimate destination is the accumulation of positive self-love that leads to self-efficacy, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging.
So, when you become a fan, you start to think things like, 'I realized that I am this kind of person', 'I like the fact that I like ○○'.
In this era, virtue goes beyond mere consumption; it is a journey to create a 'self' with healthy self-love.
--- From Chapter 4, "Being a fan means living the most true to yourself"

Long-running content serves as a meaningful generational divide.
Running Man, which has been on the air for a longer period than Infinite Challenge, also expresses its identity with the keyword ‘Running Man Kids.’
(...) That cultural code manifests itself in consumption and influence.
When the movie "Slam Dunk" was released, people rushed to the theater to watch it N times, spammed a post about a beer brand called "Kyunghwasuwol" with "Bleach" memes and left thousands of comments in a single day, and waited in line at the Hongdae Animate "Jujutsu Kaisen" collaboration cafe from 6 a.m. for the opening run.
The implications of this phenomenon are clear.
In the past, identity was determined by external factors such as age, place of birth, and school, but now the content that one voluntarily chooses and consumes is becoming the core of identity.
Whether they are 'Infinite Challenge Kids' or 'Running Man Kids', they are all defining themselves based on the cultural experiences they have chosen for themselves.

--- From Chapter 5, “Dance Kids” Becoming Members of Society

Even though it is a mass-produced product stamped identically from a factory and can be purchased anywhere in the country, the fact that I have chosen it and it becomes 'mine,' that it will always be with me, and that I can attach meaning to it by containing my wishes, is a powerful message of comfort to us living in these uncertain times.
Great features or outstanding utility are not what consumers respond to.
Even if it is rough and has some flaws, if you can infuse your own meaning or symbolism into the product, it becomes enough reason for consumers to become attached to it.
I am happy to meet the four-leaf clover man, and it is the same to cherish the warding cod and the moon jar in my space.

--- From Chapter 6, “The Age of Anxiety: Consuming Recovery and Comfort”

Let's examine why the keyword "slow aging" has captured our hearts, especially the hearts of the younger generation.
We will all live longer than any previous generation, so the challenge is aging healthily.
Let's think about this by connecting it to the values ​​widely shared in our society.
The first is the Korean cultural code of 'longing for beauty', the second is the historical background in which living alone has become the norm, and the third is the longing for achievement.

--- From Chapter 7, “The Meaning of ‘Home Cooking’ in This Era”