Among MZs, “decorating ballpoint pens” and “keycaps” are emerging as new trends. Following “diary decoration,” a culture of “customizing” everyday belongings is spreading.
Ballpoint pen decoration is a method of combining body, beads, and charm according to preference instead of purchasing finished ballpoint pens. The craze is spreading with the addition of key cap key ring decoration, which is popular with its unique feel and clicking sound.
This trend is rapidly spreading through social media. Reviews of visits to the Holy Land, price information, and combination ‘honey tips’ are being actively shared through short-form videos such as Instagram and Reels.
This craze is also spreading to online retail prices. As the demand for simple experiences at home increases, search volume for related products on fashion platforms such as zigzag is also increasing. Product groups that sell finished product kits or DIY subsidiary materials in small amounts are also expanding.
According to Zigzag’s analysis of keywords related to ballpoint pens and keycaps from February 1st to 25th, ballpoint pen transactions increased 71%, and keycaps transactions surged 3,145%. During the same period, search volume for keycaps also increased by 2718 percent, showing explosive interest in the market. Dongdaemun Composite Market, known as the holy site of Volku and Kikku, is enjoying a revival in this trend for the first time in a long time. The market has emerged as a new playground for Jalpa people.
The accessory sub-material shopping mall on the fifth floor of Dongdaemun Composite Market was crowded with people who came to decorate ballpoint pens even though it was a weekday morning. Most of them are in their teens and 20s, and they were quite different from other areas that looked quite quiet.
A merchant said, “We’ve been busy for a while due to the economic downturn, but the number of people has increased significantly due to the trend of SNS. In particular, the number of young people visiting has increased, which makes the atmosphere even better.” The process was simpler than expected. Put the desired beads in a disposable bowl in the store, choose a ballpoint pen body that suits your taste, and combine them with the beads in order of cham.
A visitor I met at the scene said, “I came because I wanted to do it while watching Instagram Reels,” and added, “The biggest attraction is that I can make it what I want.”
Another visitor in his 20s said, “I make several with my friends because the price is not burdensome,” and added, “It’s small, but you can definitely have fun.” As such, the recent trend among the Jalpa generation is ‘small and immediate satisfaction’.
Instead of expensive consumption, preference-type consumption, which can be completed with thousands of won, is drawing attention. Analysts say that it is a combination of the fact that a certain sense of accomplishment can be obtained at a relatively low cost in an environment where uncertainties such as high prices and employment difficulties have increased.
Perhaps the reason why the younger generation visit Dongdaemun for “decorating ballpoint pens” and “decorating keycaps” may not be just to make cute ballpoint pens. Perhaps it’s because of the certainty that I can choose the color and shape I want at least at this moment in the face of unpredictable reality.
The meaning of a small ballpoint pen is bigger than you think. Another name for the way of living in unstable times and the efforts to find a breakthrough in emotions in everyday life may be “decorating ballpoint pens.”
SALLY LEE
US ASIA JOURNAL
