• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
• /
• v.25 no.11
• /
• pp.1601-1612
• /
• 2022

As human brands, Idols, the central members of K-pop, are actively engaging in various industries based on the support of their fandoms, greatly impacting the national economy. In particular, due to the development of digital devices and technologies, they are active both online and offline, and idol avatars are a significant part of their activities across diverse contexts. Therefore, this study aims to categorize avatars used in various contexts and explore fandoms' perceptions according to each type. Based on case studies and literature review, idol avatar usage was categorized into products, supplier-led content, and interactive content, and accordingly, surveys and in-depth interviews were conducted. As a result, regardless of category, fandom showed a negative perception of idol avatar usage, as shown in the order of interactive content, supplier-led content, and products. Regarding human brand characteristics of idol avatars, attractiveness was evaluated higher than intimacy and likeability. However, the attachment to real-life idols showed a higher correlation with the characteristics of intimacy and likeability than attractiveness. This study is significant as it looked at the future directions of idol avatar usage by analyzing the fandoms' perception of avatar usage in the K-pop industry from a human brand perspective.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.559-575
• /
• 2021

The popularity of K-pop, the development of diverse media and communications, and rapid globalization are increasing consumers' attachment to celebrities. These celebrities, called "Human brand", have a growing impact on consumers. However, research on idol celebrities has been conducted mainly on teenagers. Furthermore, there are limits to the studies on consumers' attachment to idol celebrities who do not advertise specific products and intention to purchase products which are not advertised but related to the idol human brand. Therefore, this study has been conducted on 301 out of 400 adult women in their twenties to forties in Korea to examine the relationship between the characteristics of the idol human brand, attachment to the idol human brand, desire to imitate the idol human brand, desire to identify with the idol human brand and its fandom community, and the effect on purchase intention. For the statistical analysis, SPSS and AMOS were used. The study found that the characteristics of the idol human brand which are trust, professionality, social attractiveness, and physical attractiveness positively influenced attachment to the idol human brand. The attachment to the idol human brand positively affected the imitation desire toward the idol human brand, and the identification desire with the idol human brand, and to identify with its fandom community. Additionally, the desire to imitate and to identify with the idol human brand and its fandom community positively affected the intention. Furthermore, the relationships between all variables were found to have a significant mediating effect.

• Journal of Korea Game Society
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.115-132
• /
• 2021

This study seeks to examine the aspects of the translation and translation activities of game fan translators through the localization case of 'Dragon Age Inquision'. The interaction and experience of the game are game fan translation, giving various motivations and generating translation kinetics. The study confirmed the motivation by observing the process of game fan translation, which shows the characteristics of producers and recipients at the same time, and interviewing game fan translators. The translation of the game fan will reveal the productive aspect of the game fandom, and then I suggest a point where the game culture should discuss the fan translation.

• 한국생활과학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2010.05a
• /
• pp.184-185
• /
• 2010

• Korean journal of communication and information
• /
• v.80
• /
• pp.115-142
• /
• 2016

This study aims to reveal the content of and logic behind a recent negative public sentiment toward female idols with the example of a debate over songstress IU's fourth album that was released late last year. While previous studies on fandom have focused on the identification process towards entertainers and making community, a recent phenomenon of "anti-fandom" or "malicious comments" implies that more research is needed on negative emotions such as hostility or schadenfreude (feelings of pleasure from others' misfortunes). Schadenfreude is a social sentiment that originated in modern liberalism, which features contradictions between public equality and private ownership, and that has been intensified in neoliberalism, which features a maximization of this contradiction centering on a meritocracy. Celebrities in Korea often become the targets of schadenfreude, which is associated with the suspicion that they gain popularity not from their abilities but from "just being popular." It should also be noted that this kind of schadenfreude operates differently between male and female entertainers. Specifically, the acquisition of money and fame by modern women whose presence used to be located in the private possessions of males is considered to be due to their unjustified use of sexuality. This is also the background of the recent online misogyny culture in Korea. In this context, IU, who had been successful at building a differentiated image of "sister-like idol artist," became a valid target. Although accusing IU of utilizing pedophilia reflects a stalemate that a current politics of sexual violence faces, it rather damages the name of an individual than attracts public attention to the structural causes of childsexualabuse. This is why I see the way that pedophilia was used in the debate over IU as a schadenfreude. Consequently, the term pedophilia here contributes to an expansion of the entertainment economy that is sustained by rises and falls of the celebrities' stock prices.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.24-32
• /
• 2015

The global success of PSY's Gangnam Style was mediated through combination of YouTube and SNS. PSY's success led into some communication scholars' consideration of new international circulation of Korean pop culture (Korean Trend 2.0). In terms of global circulation of pop culture, it is noticeable how users appropriate YouTube channel beyond mere watching music videos and mere international circulation of Korean pop culture. The mode of fan's activity and appropriation contributes to the expansion of the width and amplification of the volume of Korean popular culture as well. The circulation of pop culture was considered in the level of exchange of tangible commodities such as CD, DVD, and so on until the adoption of digital media and Internet. YouTube has brought new mode in which the international circulation of pop culture is mediated without exchange of tangible commodities but was amplified with the diffusion of network. This study grasps how the mode of users' appropriation contributes to international circulation of pop culture through case studies of some K-pop music videos and international K-pop fans' tribute activities. In terms of theoretical perspective, fandom studies will be examined. In terms of research method, the researcher adopts netnography, a participatory observation on network, to find the feature of fandom and its contribution to the international circulation of pop cultures.

• Trans-
• /
• v.12
• /
• pp.173-222
• /
• 2022

This thesis examines the 'universe' acceptance phenomenon, currently used as a content strategy in the K-pop field, from the perspective of K-pop audiences, and then attempts to identify their experience of acceptance and the meaning of the universe. For this, tweets related to the universe acceptance experience of Aespa, the group utilizing the universe as a content strategy the most actively, were collected, and this data was analyzed according to a phenomenological approach, an approach to explore the structure of personal experience and the essence of a phenomenon. As a result of analyzing using Moustakas' method, the semantic structure of the universe acceptance phenomenon of K-pop audiences was derived based on 21 thematic units. It was found that current K-pop audiences are experiencing active cultural consumption rather than unilateral or passive through acceptance of the universe. This means that K-pop audiences have the characteristics of active audiences that produce meaning, interact with other fans, and exert influence on outside of community. At the same time, these characteristics affect acceptance of the universe. Simultaneously, through active acceptance experience, it is found that K-pop audiences give a new meaning in the K-pop universe, as "marketing assets", "fandom community assets", and "K-pop industry expansion assets." Among them, the recognition of 'marketing assets' was reaffirmed as a basis for supporting related previous studies. In addition, it derived the new values of the universe in the K-pop field by discovering the meaning of "fandom's specific assets" and "assets of the K-pop industry for expansion". These meanings had not been found that previous studies from the producers' point of view. And then, for the purpose of expanding the value of the universe in the future, it was discussed the direction of the new meaning of the universe. Finally, this study is meaningful in that it revealed the semantic structure of the universe acceptance phenomenon and discovered a new meaning of the universe in the K-pop field. Additionally, it was intended to contribute to expanding the field of research by suggesting various follow-up studies from various perspectives.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
• /
• s.42
• /
• pp.213-240
• /
• 2016

The character is not dependent on an original story world any more. It is not limited to it's own story, but gets out and expands the other story with new character, background story, and event regardless of genre and media. The purpose of this study is to analyze why should this phenomenon happen from the media perspective and to build a character storytelling model through the specific examples. With the advent of the digital paradigm the storytelling model is emphasized character storytelling. Character is no longer limited to just one narrative and extended beyond the boundary narrative, media and genre. There are four background. First, disappearance of the big story with the advent of postmodernism and the emergnece of small story. Second, the emergence of fandom culture and charater's liberalization. Third, character as public goods with database. Fourth, changes in author's position. In fact, in the traditional narrative theory there has been discussion about the character all the time. But character storytelling meets transmedia storytelling, discussions were accelerated. The character was preceded by a narrative independent existence. Even if that character has occurred even while leading cause narrative. In this paper, we suggest two model as specific methodology to expand the story world fixed character. One is phychology transition, another is roll transition. This study get the value to build the new storytelling model with digital paradigm.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
• /
• s.41
• /
• pp.379-405
• /
• 2015

The purpose of this thesis is to seek the methodologies for forming the fandoms of the Theatre. For the research, I explain by giving the example of the K-POP, of which the fandom has already been spread. Afterwards, I describe about the items which can substitute the plays and about the limits. By escaping from the passive consumptions, the fandoms have been expanded to the domain in which the culture is reborn. The cultural activities of the fandoms have come out of simply liking the fans, and the domain has been widened to the social activities. In the case of the K-POP, it has gone beyond Korea and has the fandoms in the whole world. Regarding the reasons why the fandoms could be formed in relation to the K-POP, firstly, it is because the project-type stars made by the large-scale agency had existed. Secondly, it is because the methods of accessing the contents had become simple through the online proliferation, such as the YouTube and the SNS's. Lastly, it is because the cultural activities of the fandoms give the joys, thereby continually maintaining the fandoms. If this is substituted for the Theatre, in the case of the Theatre, in order for the large-scale agencies to make the plans for and train the actors and the actresses, there are, somewhat, the excesses. However, if a PR method suitable for the online environment is developed and if the common joy is given to the audience of the Theatre, there is the possibility that the fandoms can be invigorated regarding the Theatre. Although, with regard to the K-POP and the Theatre, there exist the differences between the contents, if the methodologies of the K-POP fandoms, which have invigorated the fandoms and have been managing stably, are substituted for the plays, the invigoration of the fandoms is possible regarding the Theatre, too.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
• /
• s.41
• /
• pp.487-510
• /
• 2015

In recently, thanks to the development of computer and internet, and reinforcement of digital media literacy of ordinary people, many users of comics and animations recombine contents into various ways, including UCCs. In a glance, it seems these outputs violates the copyrights of contents. But in reality, they helps the growth of the ecosystem of contents market, with increase of contents users. The reason of these reproductions inclines the characteristics of animation media. Animation, which are constituted by plastic symbols, auditory symbols, and narrative symbols, and Comic, which supports stories of Animations, affects as 'Imaginary signifier'. These signifiers helps users of contents to dismantle and reassemble stories. These aspects are seen in doujin culture, animation soundtrack fandom, and voice actor fandom. But In this article, we will concentrate into cosplay culture. Cosplay culture shows more active appearances than another fandoms. In especially, cosplay stage and daily cafe show more active reproductions of characters and communications. However, they are done by youth fans, which has not enough financial abilities: therefore, events are not sustainable and discontinued. And they have another limits, like lack of opportunity of performance. In the reality of Korean society, which needs of community making by community member, and hybrid culture, comics and animation productions in Korea are in need of access positively and encourage reproductions of active receivers of animations.