•  
  •  
 
Kritika Kultura

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0832-5131; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7543-1321

Abstract

This study examines global Hallyu (Korean Wave) fandom as a pluralistic, heterogeneous counter current within the decentralizing flow of global popular culture. It conceptualizes this fandom as a form of digital neo-tribe and interprets its fluid, ever-shifting character through the theoretical lens of liquidity. To better understand the performative practices of these fan communities, the study adopts and applies the concepts of trans-bricolage and postcoding. Hallyu fandom practices can be broadly divided into two types: cultural practices and economic practices. Cultural practices are expressed through the reappropriation of K-content’s forms and messages via modes such as quotation/commentary, reference/borrowing, and transformation/modification. In contrast, economic practices are manifested through the production of derivative content based on original material or the creation of halo content— content that gains value through association with K-content. The analysis reveals that global Hallyu fans actively decontextualize and recontextualize original content according to their own cultural logics and sensibilities. Through their creative interventions, Hallyu is continuously transformed and redefined, securing influence as a fluid, hybridized “third culture” within the global popular culture market. These findings challenge the notion of fandom as passive consumption and instead position global Hallyu fans as active cultural agents and co-producers of meaning. Consequently, Hallyu should be understood not as a unidirectional export but as a collaborative cultural formation shaped by transnational participation. Korean creators, in this context, are encouraged to reflect on their role not only as content originators but as reciprocal re-broadcasters within the dynamic global circulation of Hallyu.

Download

Share

COinS