According to a public hearing held in March by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Koreans in their 20s and 30s claimed that a culture of constant comparison with others is one of the major factors behind young people not wanting to start a family and have children. Specifically, in the era of smartphones and constant connectivity, the lives of many youths significantly revolve around social media. Instagram of course has become an integral part of youth life and was to partly blame for the results announced. Such an issue has been highlighted when a star math lecturer Chung Seung-je shed light on Korea’s low fertility rate and its association with Instagram during his online lecture, criticizing the phenomenon of so-called ‘flex posts.’ The video clip posted on YouTube went viral, making it to the headlines of ‘MBC NEWS’ and ‘The Korean Herald.’ Meanwhile, Chung Seung-je is one of the highest-earning lecturers in South Korea who specializes in math for the Korean college entrance exam. 

 In the video clip uploaded on YouTube by the star lecturer, he shared his thoughts on why people have fewer children despite the immense economic growth. He claimed that before social media, people were not aware of omakase dining, golf outings, or such lavish lifestyles. However, with the advent of Instagram, boasting success and lavish consumption has become a new trend in modern society. The lecturer raised awareness of why people shouldn’t believe what they see on Instagram. So-called ‘flex posts’ make believe that one is inferior to another and they are only one unhappy or not capable of raising children the way others do. The current fertility rate in South Korea dropped from 0.81 in 2021 to 0.78 in 2022. This is the lowest rate among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Meanwhile, other factors cited for the chronic low birth rate were economic adversities including housing issues.