Why Gen-Zs Listened When MadNor Talked About Money And Called Them Out

To the Gen-Zs out there, if you feel broke even after receiving your salary or allowance every month, it’s most likely not due to your biggest purchase of the year.

It’s actually the smaller things that you don’t even realise spending on.

• The 3 to 4 days a week of your favourite RM17 matcha latte.
• The “add RM10 more items” just to enjoy free shipping.
• The 12am checkout on double-digit online campaigns like 1.1 or 12.12.
• And so on.

When you look back at your account in the middle of the month, you’ll start questioning your life choices. But it won’t stop you from doing it again, every single month.

That’s microspending. And it’s exactly what MadNor’s been calling out the Gen-Zs for. MadNor isn’t a financial guru or an expert in finance. He’s just the elder online average joe that talks like one of us, but brave enough to honestly and bluntly point out what we all already know about Gen-Z’s spending habits.

The best part? The Gen-Zs didn’t skip his content. They stopped doomscrolling, listened, interacted, reflected, and even asked for more financial advice. With his satirical way of calling them out, he became a viral yet responsible abang whom they ‘janji’ to, to improve their own financial lives. But that reaction didn’t come out of nowhere. 

Why did Abang MadNor do it?

Usually, when someone advises the younger generation on how to spend their money, it can trigger them, which sometimes leads to cancel culture. 

Instead of sounding preachy or demanding, MadNor wasn’t saying, “Stop buying Americano”. He said, “If you continue to spend like this every day, for the rest of your life, don’t be surprised when and why you’re always broke.”

He let them paint the bigger financial picture themselves. And here’s the thing: Gen-Zs are not as financially clueless as one may think.

According to a recent Business Today article on Visa Malaysia’s Gen-Z Decoded study, about 61% of Gen-Z Malaysians prioritise family, budgeting, digital tools, and future financial stability when shaping their spending habits.

So, when MadNor called out Gen-Z, it was more familiar than insulting. 

And if you’re wondering, yes, social media platforms play a significant role in supporting this Gen-Z spending behaviour.

When everyone around you is ordering the same drink, unboxing the same blind box, or suddenly wearing the same brand, fear of missing out (FOMO) kicks in, and spending stops feeling like a financial decision.

That’s when you realise you’re not spending for your own joy anymore, but you’re spending on the hype and the short-term sense of belonging that comes with it.

This isn’t surprising, given that Gen-Zs are chronically online, with platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube competing for their screen time. According to Sinar Daily, 48% of Gen-Z respondents in Visa Malaysia’s Gen Z Decoded study immediately add an item to their cart and checkout after seeing it in a social media advertisement.

And it doesn’t stop there. When social media influencers and creators they have been following and trust promote a product online, they may be swayed to buy it simply because it seems socially validating in the moment.

At this point, social media platforms aren’t just their entertainment venue anymore. It’s now becoming their one-stop shopping outlet too.

That’s what MadNor also pointed out: when spending, lifestyle, and identity are constantly showcased on their feed, it becomes more “normal” to buy it.

Treating yourself with intention isn’t the problem here. Treating yourself impulsively is.

It’s okay to spend after saving your hard-earned money, especially if it gives you something to look forward to in life. 

But it’s not okay to spend the same hard-earned money because it’s viral everywhere, or because not spending means you will be unable to keep up.

That’s how your bank account stays empty, even with minimal spending of RM5 here and RM30 there.

So, what is abang MadNor really calling out the Gen-Zs for?

He wasn’t judging how they are spending their money nor asking them to stop spending. He was just being honest when he asked them to think about where their money is going.

And maybe that’s why Gen-Zs are actually listening to him. Not because someone was telling them what to do and not to do, but perhaps it was simply “spend below your means, not spending according to your means”.

At the end of the day, if these small changes can lowkey empty your bank account without you realising, these small changes can also rebuild it too.