Discussion 4 by Celia Yu
- Asia327Student
- Oct 23, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 25, 2018
Q2: Consider the role of television (as compared to other media devices) in your daily consumption and perception of popular culture, in comparison to that of the presence of television and its implications on the direction of contemporary popular culture in South Korea as suggested by Kim Suk-young in chapter 2.
For decades, the television has been a form of entertainment and a method to keep up with local and global affairs. The emergence of cable in the past 20-30 years has popularized the idea that the immediacy, intimacy, and simplicity are the defining properties of why televisions continue to be relevant, despite the transition into smartphone technology (Kim 2018: 54-55). These three major properties directly impact contemporary popular culture, particularly in South Korea and countries in North America.
What television channels broadcast is a reflection of its citizens’ core values and culture. For instance, in South Korea, television commercials featuring perfect-looking idols with “chocolate abs” or long legs re-emphasize the “growing demands for physical perfection” (Epstein and Joo 2012: 2). This puts continuous pressure on viewers to look and dress a certain way in order to feel accepted. Korean advertisements also use intimacy in celebrity endorsements; by viewing an ad with a celebrity and buying the product, fans feel a closer connection to that idol. This fan-idol relationship is a powerful tool that many corporations take advantage of in order to gain raise profits. In North America, however, television commercials lack intimacy as advertisers focus more on product experience rather than on celebrity campaigns. In Western culture, this has proved to be a more effective method of communicating a brand’s product line. A Western-style of advertising may not be successful in South Korea, and vice versa, due to differences in cultures, trends, and beliefs.
South Korean television is also an important platform for music circulation. Music chart shows are declining in views but live broadcasting continues to be popular with its domestic viewers as idols can “prove their authenticity” (Kim 2018: 72). Live shows even strengthen the idea of immediacy because viewers get involved by engaging in live voting and video calls with their favourite idols (Kim 2018: 70-75). Live broadcasting puts an emphasis on how fans “create meanings, tangible artworks, communities and structures for (alternative or sub) cultural production” (Lee 2016: 196). North American television also focuses on immediacy with popular live shows including American Idol and Rising Star (Fast Company, 2014). Live shows with audience interaction is more accepted because of technological advances that allow for viewers “to watch live and in real time” (Fast Company, 2014). Although televisions are praised for being a form of monomedia, this becomes a trade-off between simplicity and immediacy. A broadcaster may choose to sacrifice one value for the other depending on the audience and entertainment content.
Both South Korea’s and North America’s television networks continue to attract audiences with a variety of shows that appeal to its citizens with the use of immediacy. However, South Korea encourages intimacy with the help of celebrity-endorsed advertisements whereas North America lacks such intimacy. Finally, there is a trade-off between simplicity and immediacy in order to please an increasingly tech-savvy target market. All of these factors work together on a television screen to highlight the importance of cross-cultural boundaries and shifting views around the world.
- Celia
“ABC’s ‘Rising Star’ Explores the App-Driven Future of TV.” Fast Company.
https://www.fastcompany.com/3031870/abcs-rising-star-explores-the-app-driven-future-of-tv (accessed 10/24/2018).
Epstein, Stephen and Joo, Rachael M. “Multiple Exposures: Korean Bodies and the Transnational Imagination". The Asia-Pacific Journal 10, no. 1 (2012): 1-24.
Lee, Hye-Kyung. The Korean Wave. New York: University of Westminster, 2013.
Suk-Young, Kim. K-Pop Live. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2008.
Good points Celia. I personally find the contrast you highlighted between Western and Korean advertising strategies to be fascinating, and something I was very surprised by, being only used to Western media. It seems as though k-pop stars are brands themselves and are used to sell other brands, in a weird kind of paradox. k-pop stars even seemed to be treated and developed the same way products are. They are intimately developed, and closely managed, and have restrictions on the image they can present to the public, it seems like their careers are one big advertisement.
The level of intimacy in Korean culture between fans and idols is also something I find fascinating. You mentioned how there is a close…
This is definitely an interesting topic because many are aware that the television industry is in its declining stage. Although, I do believe that the industry itself is losing market power, it is fascinating how producers have managed to retain the relevancy of televisions to our everyday lives. In attempt to remain competitive in the electronics industry, we can certainly see that they have introduced new and creative ways retain customer loyalty such as through live shows with voting access for the fans that are watching.
Adding onto you point of intimacy, the idea that has been formed around television is quite impressive. The way that television has been marketed has been very intimacy oriented, creating intimacy not only between…
Thank you for sharing your response, Celia. South Korean television culture has definitely developed to reflect Korean values and contemporary popular culture. To add on your point and comparing the presence of television in Korea with Western ideas, there is a great contrast with how each type of people consume and perceive media products on TV. Korean advertisement companies utilize idols to feature and promote their products in almost every commercial and promotion campaign in order to attract more viewers. The beauty and popularity of these idols indeed draw in fans within the K-Pop industry to support the advertisers’ various purposes. In turn, Korean audiences and fans can establish a stronger connection with the idols and ultimately form a positive…
Thank you for a great post! I agree with you in that Korean advertisement really takes advantage of their idols in order to appeal to their audience, making them feel closer than they are to the respective idol. I also think that it is important, as you mentioned, for these ads to be simple, so that the 15 seconds these companies have is enough time for these companies to make their point. I found what you wrote about the relationship between Korean idols and the public interesting, particularly "what South Korean television channels broadcast can be seen as a reflection of its citizens’ core values and culture". I think as much as the broadcasters reflect the values of the public, the…
Dr. Saeji and Ms. Wang, thank you very much for the feedback! I’ll be sure to fix up the bibliography and make more connections about those three points and as well as how Western cultures tie into this topic. I wasn’t too sure where to begin when approaching this subject but now I have a much better understanding. Thanks again!
Celia