Memetic Narratives of Generational Conflict: The “Boomers vs. Millennials” Frame on Instagram

This article examines the “Boomers vs. Millennials” generational conflict as it is constructed within digital meme cultures on Instagram. Drawing on generational theory, media-generation research, and platform studies, it treats generational identities as socially and culturally produced rather than as purely demographic categories. The study adopts a qualitative and exploratory design based on a multilingual corpus of 60 static Instagram memes collected between May and June 2026 through purposive sampling. Memes are analysed as visual–textual artefacts through a four-stage interpretive procedure addressing visual composition and templates, thematic coding, framing strategies, and discursive registers. Five first-order thematic categories are organised into four higher-order analytical dimensions: digital literacy gaps; economic precarity and material inequality; intergenerational responsibility for structural crises; and identity, recognition, and generational boundary-work. The findings show that memes condense structural inequalities into simplified oppositional narratives and use irony, satire, and expectation reversal to redistribute responsibility between generations. Rather than empirically measuring recommendation systems or algorithmic amplification, the article interprets these patterns within the broader platform environments in which memetic communication circulates. The study concludes that memes contribute to generational othering by reinforcing symbolic boundaries while simultaneously providing a space in which dominant narratives of merit, responsibility, and intergenerational justice can be contested.