Young people in their 20s report ‘working out’ through social media every day, read self-development books in their spare time, and even drink a few glasses of water in the morning and afternoon. In various forms, they live their busy lives every day. From the trivial thing of waking up in the morning and making their bed to the achievement of one's own plan to certify a day's study time on Instagram, the word 'Godsaeng’ refers to a life that is diligent and sets an example for others. This word is newly created, compounding of the English word ‘God’ and Korean word for Life, ‘saeng’. The newly coined term is used by the Millennial and Generation Z (so-called MZ generation in Korean) to live their lives diligently and fruitfully as face-to-face life became impossible due to COVID-19. Living a 'new life' is not simply to focus on success in life. The MZ generation achieves one or two small goals every day and practices ‘ritual’ routines or habits as if completing a quest.

Who is ‘That Girl’?

Living a Diligent Life

In fact, the ‘That Girl’ trend in the 2020s has developed from various forms and aspects of ‘diligence,’ such as ‘Yolo’ in the 2010s and ‘Morning Person’ before that. In particular, influencers uploaded videos such as 'a productive day in my life,' which almost took over YouTube after the COVID-19 outbreak. They start the video by making their bed, drinking vegetable juice, sweating, and finishing the exercise routine. It motivates subscribers to read and write a diary at the end of the day. In the long run, it is possible to maintain inner growth and outer beauty, so people search every year for ways to live a productive life. In fact, according to Naver DataLab, the search volume for ‘Godsaeng’ among 19~39-year-olds in Korea started in 2020 and soared in 2021. Calling this phenomenon of sincere and goal-oriented life ‘That Girl,’ people in this era move swiftly according to their own goals.

 #studywithme #motivation #productivity

Searching on Instagram, many can see that 7.47 million ‘Gongstagram’ (a compound word of ‘Study’ in Korean, Gongbu, and Instagram) hashtags and 150,000 new hashtags come out. In this way, there are many college students and even teenagers practicing their new lives using social media. Some people use ‘Gongstagram’ to post their study time on Instagram, and people in their 20s create Instagram accounts for extracurricular activities to share content as part of their portfolios for their careers. Popular accounts record thousands of followers, which is comparable to that of celebrities. It is characterized by being able to deliver positive and negative influence on an unspecified number of viewers through social and mass media. The MZ generation practices the ‘habit’ of recording a day of hard work in their personal accounts because they can see the accumulated days and look back on the traces that they have left.

Why Do We Pursue a Life Like ‘Her’?

Flexible Environment and Increased Personal Time

For the first time, people in their 20s who live a productive life to improve their outer and inner world try to achieve an ideal appearance as much as they can control. Living a productive life is different from simply checking off a ‘to-do list’. It is not a specific ‘goal’, but a daily habit and routine to prove your will every day. As the flexible work environment and intact classes increased the time spent at home alone, people began to live like ‘That Girl’ in order to diligently practice their daily habits and routines. For modern people who lived non-face-to-face for a long time, it allowed them to have a timetable again, and the day to roll systematically. The culture of voluntarily choosing what to do and forming the habit of managing oneself can be seen as positive as it encourages others to live a productive day.

Society Stands for ‘That Girl’!

Society sees ‘That Girl’ culture as a trend and uses it as a business strategy. It is used as a keyword in article headlines to attract the attention of the MZ generation and is used as a marketing strategy for various companies. In May of last year, GS25's 'Godsaeng Planning Office' pop-up store, which is the daily living space of office workers, and Kwangdong Pharmaceutical's 'Summer Vacation Godsaeng Living Plan,’ marketing aimed at those in their 20s and 30s to find the company’s brand in their lives. As a result, the marketing about ‘Godsaeng’ is being released in large numbers. In this way, society is supporting young people who live a productive life. However, as the standard of ‘Godsaeng’ rises, the ‘life’ who have been living at their own pace cannot but feel the burden of society’s standard. In fact, according to Linkeer's survey about experiencing the recruitment market qualification leveling upward, more than 90% of respondents replied that the standards for job success were going upwards. In this way, college students who accumulate various specifications for employment must live a life routine that is highly efficient like ‘That Girl,’ which society 'supports,’ rather than their own lives, in order to become the type of talent that society wants.

Hidden Side of ‘That Girl’

When the video, titled ‘10-year-old’s 18-hour study Vlog’ was uploaded to YouTube, 11-year-olds and preparatory middle school students also started uploading study vlogs that averaged over 10 hours. The ‘That Girl Challenge,’ which promotes such a sad culture, has negative consequences of stealing health. Seeing people uploading ‘Godsaeng’ social media certifications people can't help but make others feel anxious. The hashtag presses the anxiety of the mind, doubts one's present, and hides the future in anxiety. In addition, they tend to pursue a new life for a productive life seen by others, rather than a life focused on 'me'. Among the so-called ‘Godsaeng’ YouTubers who live a busy daily life, it was originally an exercise and study for overcoming lethargy, but has become an obsession, and there are cases of burnout that were revealed where they confessed that they could not proudly watch their past videos. As such, the new culture pursues productivity, so burnout eventually comes, and it can be felt as an unhealthy way of life.

Let’s Be That Girl, Keeping Our Pace

According to a survey conducted by Space Cloud, a living space platform from the end of last year to the beginning of this year which asked, “Are you trying to live a ‘Godsaeng’ in 2023?,” more than 90% of the MZ generation expressed their aspirations to challenge new life this year. In retrospect, the resolution at the beginning of the year in our 20s was always to live a new life. The purpose of being a ‘That Girl’ challenge is positive. Creating one’s own routine and living a diligent life is the original purpose of it. However, from some time on, many aspects of life were seen that tried to emulate the standard of being a ‘That Girl’ set by others. Maybe all of us living wisely in the present era are living a productive life. There is no need to be impatient or unconditionally follow the standards and daily life that others have set for us. It is necessary to set up a routine that suits us and prepare for a better tomorrow at our own pace.

The ‘Godsaeng,’ or ‘That Girl’ trend gives strength to the current youth living in this era in many ways, but at the same time, it is also creates various adverse effects. Everyone should always be aware that 'Godsaeng' is just planning a routine that suits everyone individually and is an exemplary and ideal daily routine that they think, not to compete with other people's routines. People should be proud of having achieved, not anxious because they cannot achieve it. CAH supports all those who are living a new life without restriction at their own pace.