I really wanna write an essay on why new gen bgs haven't secured a place in the cultural zeitgeist of K-pop and how we can change that.
A factor is defs the fact that older bgs are more active than ever and are taking up cultural space that in 3rd gen would've been sacrificed for newer bgs. The biggest offenders are bts, and seventeen currently. That's not to say shouldn't be as popular as they are, I'm saying that if newer bgs want to make a name for themselves they have to go up against more rock solid fandoms, whereas with ggs it's easier to knock a few popular acts down and hold cultural relevance for a few years before competition comes and takes it away from you cause ggs are seen as more replaceable. Not a good thing of course, just interesting to note.