"Korea's Online Persona"

Abstract

An examination of Korean culture through the lens of foreign consumption vis-à-vis international platforms such as YouTube and Netflix. Through this lens I am looking at how the modernization and globalization of the internet has brought on this modern concept of culture – in particular how Hallyu culture has become a part of modern Korean culture. The ability to experience a culture in one way before experiencing it in its traditional and historic sense is something that is unique and new to the modern era. How can we consume culture on the internet without falling into historical oriental tendencies? The “other” is not meant to be fetishized, nor is it made solely to be consumed and viewed by western audiences. This paper navigates the boundary that needs to be made between respectful enjoyment of culture and the blatant fetishization of it.