Contributions of Social Media and Digital Globalization to K-pop Transmission

Abstract

As globalization proceeds, one of its branches, digital globalization creates markets and user communities on a global scale, providing a platform for information transmission with a huge base of potential customers and effective ways to reach them. Pop culture is one of its products. Becoming a part of everyone's lives, pop cultures start to adapt and evolve because of the constant development of digital media. Eventually, Korean Pop Music (K-pop) was one of the genres that emerged and became known throughout the world. This research sought to determine how social media---largely Twitter, YouTube, and Weibo---influenced K-pop transmission. The study discusses the influences of social media on K-pop from three main aspects: immediate transculturation, fandom participatory practices, and interactivity between artists and fandom. The researcher distributed online survey questionnaires and a follow-up interview with participants ages ranging from 11-40 years old. Then, using a thematic data analysis approach, the data collected were analyzed. This study serves two purposes: K-pop’s varying popularity and access across geographical regions present an intriguing area for comparative analysis of social media networks with diverse users worldwide. Second, having a comprehensive comprehension of social media's significance and the mechanism of globalization is highly beneficial in terms of preserving disappearing cultural traditions and customs, such as China's intangible cultural heritage and its associated cultural transmission.