The 'Muyaho' Grandfather Who Suffers Forever?..."It Means It's That Fun" [Heo Midam's Youth Report]

Why the MZ Generation is Enthralled by 'Memes'
Popularity of the Neologism "Muyaho" Continues Despite the End of "Infinite Challenge"
MZ Generation as Producers Beyond Consumers of Content
Experts Say "Creators of Trends Shift from Celebrities to the Public"

Mr. Choi Gyu-jae, who appeared on MBC's 'Infinite Challenge' Alaska special, shouting "Muyaho" at the time. Photo by MBC 'Infinite Challenge' screen capture.

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[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "Muya~ho~"

Recently, the neologism 'Muyaho,' meaning 'excited,' has become popular online. This word originated 11 years ago from the MBC variety show 'Infinite Challenge' (Mudo) Alaska special. Although it did not gain much popularity at the time, it has resurfaced as a hot topic through YouTube and social networking services (SNS), generating numerous parodies today.

This phenomenon is considered a kind of 'meme' culture. A meme refers to 'specific content trending on the internet,' and the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) regard it as a form of 'play culture.' They do not merely consume content passively but actively produce parodies using the content themselves.

Experts analyze that content that did not cause a big sensation in the past can have a strong ripple effect on young people again due to the growing influence of YouTube.

The origin of the recently trending word 'Muyaho' dates back 11 years. In March 2010, the 'Mudo' Oh My Tent special depicted the members struggling to find Mr. Kim Sangdeok in Alaska.

At that time, the members visited the Anchorage Korean Community Center in Alaska to find Mr. Kim Sangdeok. There, they met Grandpa Choi Gyujae, who, when asked if he had watched 'Infinite Challenge,' replied, "I watch it a lot," but mistakenly shouted 'Infinite Challenge' as "Muyaho."

Although this scene did not cause a big sensation at the time, recently it has produced numerous parodies such as the 'Muyaho song version,' 'Muyaho alarm,' and 'Forever suffering Muyaho grandpa compilation.' In particular, the video 'Muyahomite,' which combines 'Muyaho' and BTS's song 'Dynamite,' has surpassed 5.6 million views, gaining great popularity.

Actor Kim Young-chul, who appeared in the SBS drama 'Yainshidae'. Photo by Online Community.

The reason this word became popular 11 years later is related to the 'YouTube algorithm.' YouTube exposes similar content to users with similar interests and, even if interests differ, exposes trending videos to a broad audience. Content that did not cause a big sensation in the past can become a hot topic again due to the YouTube algorithm.

Actors Kim Youngcheol and Kim Eungsu are also representative figures who became popular through YouTube. Kim Youngcheol's shout of "4dalla" in the drama 'Rustic Period' and Kim Eungsu's line "Ask and double it" in the movie 'Tazza' became hot topics online, giving them a second heyday.

Especially, the MZ generation, who do not prefer boring texts or long videos, led the way in reprocessing the content, further boosting their popularity.

Singer Rain's 'Kkang' music video. Photo by 'Kkang' music video capture.

The reason singer Rain's 2017 release 'Gang' surged in popularity last year is also related to 'meme' culture. 'Gang' did not receive much love from the public when released, but last year, a high school girl’s cover video of 'Gang' on YouTube gained popularity, sparking the so-called 'Gang syndrome.'

As a result, among young people, the neologism '1il1gang' (meaning watching the 'Gang' music video once a day) emerged, along with various parodies such as the 'Gang Challenge,' where people imitate the choreography.

Experts analyze that the new way of consuming content called 'meme' has strengthened the influence of past content compared to before.

Jung Deokhyun, a popular culture critic, said, "As YouTube's influence grows stronger, past videos and songs are becoming hot topics again. The reason the word 'Muyaho,' which came out 11 years ago, could become popular is related to the popularity of 'Mudo' clip videos on YouTube." He added, "In the past, celebrities created buzzwords. But now, the creators of trends are not celebrities but the general public. The public creates them directly through YouTube and memes."

He continued, "It can be seen that the center of trends and the agents spreading their influence have shifted from celebrities to the public." He added, "Actor Kim Youngcheol's '4dalla' was not a hot topic at the time, but the public found it amusing, turning it into a buzzword."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.