Foreign pop-culture and backlash: the case of non-fan K-pop Subreddits during the pandemic

Abstract

Communication research establishes that when confronted with information contradicting their beliefs, people tend to ‘backlash’ by doubling down on their prior. Can international popular culture be the context of backlash? This paper analyzes two K-pop Subreddits (r/WeHateKpop and r/Cringetopia) populated by non-fans. A particular focus is given to their attitudinal changes upon being exposed to news stories about South Korea. I argue that a heavy dose of positive news stories about South Korea triggers non-fans as they associate K-pop with the country. This exposure leads to backlash, resulting in increased engagement with the posts critical of K-pop in the two Subreddits. I present a series of econometric evidence strongly supportive of this argument. The paper is a rare large-N study on the non-fans of K-pop. It offers implications for cultural economics, demonstrating how seemingly irrelevant news stories can have profound effects on individuals’ engagement with foreign cultures.