Diffusion of BTS
The Korean Wave (‘hallyu’ in Korean), symbolizing the rapid growth of the Korean entertainment industries and other nodes of popular culture, started in 1997. Social media has played a key role in the diffusion of such popular culture internationally. The diffusion of innovations is the process in which new behaviors and ideas are introduced into a cluster of people, where then ideas are spread into different clusters. Using the example of BTS, a Korean male singer group, their fan-base has played a key role in circulating the local popular culture in global markets, diffusing popular culture through YouTube and Facebook. This further caused the diffusion when global fans became more dependent on social media platform in order to consume ‘hallyu.’
The notion of spreadable and diffused media offers an alternative conceptual framework in social media–embedded cultural consumption and participatory culture. As shown in the network below, international diffusion of South Korean culture began as just a small node of network, diffusing into different populations. The role of network structure in this case, the way in which people are connected to each other, is somewhat implicit. However, there is a level of imitation that is created because of the sudden wave and peoples’ herd mentality.
As you can see above, the dedication of the global BTS fanbase, who are referred to as an ARMY, is a pivotal factor in the creation of BTS’s global popularity. This network shows that different platforms, causes a diffusion, inevitably leading everyone to be a part of the BTS fan base. This diffusion will further incentivizes the production and diffusion of Hallyu content since it will enable the company to produce more content and promote them more efficiently.
Through SNS platforms, the global fanbase are provided with translations to BTS shows and songs, which is another incentive of the diffusion. This diffusion will also cause the fans to utilize digital platforms in order to organize offline fan-based meetings or events. During the pandemic, social media will only continue to function as both the platform of distribution of content and a way to connect directly with their virtual community.