Post-Coding of K-Pop Music Videos: A Discursive Field of Criticism Constructed by Digital Influencers

This study analyzes the critical discourse field formed when Hallyu content, which has the character of story content, is enjoyed by global digital influencers. Relatively, a communication model for story content is presented and YouTube content about Newjeans’ music video is analyzed based on this model to examine the aspects in which the audiences’ interpretation intersects with the creators’ intentions. YouTubers engage in critical discourse about the music videos and collect materials that provide clues to infer the intention of the production to grasp the bigger picture of the conceived story. In such cases, the area where the creators’ intention and the audiences’ interpretation coincide is expanded. On the other hand, if one’s interpretation of the K-pop culture industry is applied to the narrative of a music video, or if the artist’s real-life circumstances are implicitly expressed through the music video, the imaginative communication space, is strongly activated, and the possible story universe is composed of very heterogeneous meanings. Global digital influencers who actively engage with Hallyu content and develop new content are creative actors contributing to the dissemination and innovation of Hallyu. These cultural practices can be called “post-coding”.