Buckle Up for the Korean Wave

• In Event: Research Symposium: Session IV

Abstract

The global growth of streaming services like Netflix has provided a platform that empowers messaging to go beyond any one nation’s borders. According to Berkman (2021), Netflix has more than 203 million subscribers worldwide. The possible implications are numerous—from large-scale impacts, including international perceptions of a country, to individual-level impacts, like a viewer’s choice of clothing, food, and entertainment (e.g., Lee et al., 2015). South Korea has invested heavily into entertainment products in an attempt to influence people at large-scale and individual levels using soft power. Within K-dramas, the potential for this power can be seen with commercially placed products, which have been embedded into storylines since 2010, “when South Korea’s stringent broadcasting laws eased restrictions on the practice in an effort to increase network revenues and promote Korean goods” (Berkman, 2021, para. 13). Since that time, the growth has been explosive as those product placements have been shared internationally via streaming. “As Korean dramas have become more popular with international audiences, global brands have pushed to be part of the action” (Berkman, 2021, para. 4). From red lipstick to books to new Samsung products to Subway sandwiches, products integrated into K-drama storylines have seen increased sales (Berkman, 2021). The worldwide influence on purchasing behavior indicates a potential for similar influence on prosocial behavior. In this study, prosocial messages are examined in 8 K-dramas airing on Netflix.

Authors

• Emily S. Kinsky, West Texas A&M University

• Min Wha Han, West Texas A&M University

• Kristina Drumheller, West Texas A&M University