“I found my talent after I become a K-pop fan”: K-pop participatory culture unleashing talents among Malaysian youth

Abstract

The Korean wave or Hallyu wave has flourished in many aspects of Malaysian lives, demonstrating Malaysian’s acceptance of Korean popular culture in society. The rapid rise of the Korean wave in Malaysia has also prompted academics to seek a better understanding of this phenomenon. This study is particularly interested in examining how K-pop fans’ participatory culture help unleash an individual’s talent. In this study, a K-pop fan is defined as someone who commits to a one-sided relationship with K-pop idols and develops an intimate attachment to them. They also engage in fan activities as they are members of various K-pop fandoms—communities built around a shared enjoyment and interest towards K-pop groups or idols. Researchers conducted a semi-structured in-depth interview with eight participants to learn about their fan experiences. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to collect the sample for this study. This study demonstrates that fans are part of a participatory culture in which they actively create and produce media content and give them a social role in their respective fandoms.