Impact of Diversifying Media Content on Country's Economic Potential: Case Study of South Korea Authorship Introduction
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
IMPACT OF DIVERSIFYING MEDIA CONTENT ON COUNTRY'S ECONOMIC POTENTIAL: CASE STUDY OF SOUTH KOREA AUTHORSHIP INTRODUCTION Alina Vitalievna Fadeeva The relevance of this study is determined by Saint-Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia. the fact that the products of media production ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4219-888X in the Republic of Korea are rapidly gaining E-mail: [email protected] popularity all over the world. This Daria Anatolevna Puiu phenomenon should be considered within the Saint-Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia. framework of the "soft power" concept, as a special semiotic system influencing the ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1915-9647 E-mail: [email protected] formation of the consumer culture of a modern Pavel Yurievich Gurushkin person. In particular, such a musical trend as K- pop is the most in-demand and dynamically Saint-Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia. developing segment of the modern ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6980-0573 entertainment industry. The central place in E-mail: [email protected] this process is held by the mass media as the Sergey Borisovich Nikonov main instrument of promotion. It should be Saint-Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia. noted that with the development of IT technologies, the popularity of Korean media ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8340-1541 E-mail: [email protected] products is only increasing. The largest conglomerates, cosmetic industries and Iuliia Valerievna Puiu production centers use the latest technologies Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, St. Petersburg, (social networks and mobile applications), Russia. modernizing their approach to shaping the ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7216-8924 E-mail: [email protected] image of South Korean brands in the area. Received in: Approved in: 2021-05-10 2021-06-10 Moreover, the relevance is determined by the DOI: https://doi.org/10.24115/S2446-622020217Extra-D1085p.187-199 interest in analyzing the formation and development of the "Hallyu" phenomenon, in the context of the rapid integration of mass culture into people's everyday life considering how this phenomenon affects the characteristics of a modern person's media consumption. That is why there is a need to study the features of the media model and ways to promote South Korean cultural products on the international market. The object of the study is the modern South Korean market as a unique environment to produce the final convergent result (export cultural product) of the Korean wave. The subject of the study is the course and development of integrating a national cultural brand into international communication processes in the case study of the South Korean model and the work of the Korea Creative Content Agency. The scientific novelty is associated with the growth of research interest in the problems of forming a positive online image of the political system. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using the results in the practice of intercultural communication. METHODS The theoretical and methodological framework of the study was formed by works on economics and convergent journalism as well as scientific studies by Western researchers on the main trends in the development of the South Korean media market. Aspects of Korean popular culture are analyzed in the works of Sungeun Shim. In particular, the researcher is one of the authors of the classic monograph on the phenomenon of Korean pop (K-pop) (SHIM, 2008). In the book The Birth of Korean Cool, Euny Hong (2014) describes the development of the South Korean entertainment industry and identifies the reasons for its popularity not only in Asia but also in Western Europe and the United States. Having studied the works of other researchers (SPRY, 2015; JANG, WON, 2012; KIM, 2013) who mainly analyze the key trends and the development process of the media market in South Korea in their scientific works, we can conclude that the research into the economic model of promoting the products of media consumption in the context of mass culture in the Republic of Korea has not only scientific novelty but also practical value. Laplage em Revista (International), vol.7, n. Extra D, 2021, p.187-199 ISSN: 2446-6220 • 188 Impact of diversifying media content on country's economic potential: case study of South Korea In the Russian academic community, this problem has been studied relatively little. Special mention should be made of the monographs by E.V. Kruglov (2005) and A.N. Lankov (2000) dedicated to the history (stages of development) of traditional South Korean media. N.V. Tkacheva (2003) focuses on the study of information strategies in East Asian countries. Studies of the modern Korean cultural media product are not fully represented in Russian science. Most of the works are devoted to the external effects of the "Korean wave" – ethnocultural branding, tourism development and economic recovery. Significantly fewer researchers turn to the internal aspect of this cultural phenomenon, its direct contact with the audience (LAZAREVA, 2018). In view of this, it is important to study the processes of Korean cultural export not only from the perspective of the global economic and political effects but also the impact on personality-forming factors in the process of communication. This approach reveals new perspectives in understanding the specific features of the Korean media product and its popularity in Russia. The main methodological framework for this study included observation, content analysis, document analysis as well as work with analytical data. We chose the method of qualitative data analysis as the key tool of the methodological framework since this method would allow one to determine the presence or absence of something in the research field. The empirical material consists of the media texts by the Russian media, the data was obtained from Internet platforms, social networks of fan communities of Korean dramas and bands. A random sample is determined by the nature of the study when the subject is still little studied, and one must obtain primary information and systematize the data obtained. We considered the object of the research within the framework of an interdisciplinary approach. The material of the study consists of the media texts by the Russian and foreign media, the data was obtained from open Internet platforms, social networks of fan communities of Korean dramas and bands. A random sample is determined by the nature of the study when the subject is still little studied, and one must obtain primary information and systematize the data obtained. RESULTS Soft power as a special resource that forms each country's image includes historical heritage and pop culture, political values as well as the state's national idea and a global project. Therefore, it is the state that is the central link in the implementation of the country's cultural export projects. The special value of national interests in foreign policy was noted by H. Morgenthau (2005, p. 11), the founder of political realism, whose works form the theoretical basis for international relations as an academic discipline. Continuing the ideas of the scholar who asserts that "the state of the political system directly depends on the interactions of the great powers that do what they can, and the other states do what the great powers allow them", we can note the special role of mechanisms manipulation of public attention in political processes. At the same time, considering the theory of the five bases of power by B. Raven and J. French, where the following categories are distinguished: reward, coercive, legitimate, referent and expert, one can assume that "soft power is a kind of referent of power, which is based on attractiveness, and determines the influence in relation to other powers" (MIKHALEV, 2014, p. 63). This, in turn, proves that "soft power" is a complex definition that determines the state's self-identification in the political arena, since the legitimacy of power is based on an individual's feeling of unity with society. The term "soft power" was first formulated and introduced into the academic community by Joseph Nye, a Harvard University professor, in 1990. The American political scientist presented the world with the potential to influence mass consciousness in a different light. During the analysis carried out in the framework of the study, various approaches to understanding the concept of "soft power" were considered, which made it possible to identify the most informative aspects of each approach in the process of their reconsideration. To sum up, there are several key features and substantive aspects of the analyzed academic works, namely: • "cultural diplomacy" is a form of public diplomacy focused on popularizing the national culture of a particular country among the masses to create a positive image of the state for economic and political gain; • "public diplomacy" is an instrument of "soft power" reflecting the activities of subjects Laplage em Revista (International), vol.7, n. Extra D, 2021, p.187-199 ISSN: 2446-6220 Alina V. Fadeeva; Daria A. Puiu; Pavel Y. Gurushkin; Sergey B. Nikonov; Iuliia V. Puiu • 189 of foreign policy communication, capable of supporting the system of intercultural dialogue and ways of organizing the dialogue with the foreign public; • "soft power" is a form of foreign policy communication strategy that presupposes the ability to achieve the desired results based on trust-based interaction between the participants in the political process, as opposed to "hard power" which implies coercion. Currently, the concept of "noopolitics" is being introduced into academic circulation. Noopolitics is an information strategy concept for manipulating international processes through the media by forming the public's positive or negative attitude to the foreign and domestic policies of a state or a block of states to create a positive/negative image of ideas and promoted moral values (Noopolitic) (NIKONOV, 2013; RONFELDT, ARQUILLA, 2020).