Social distribution: K-pop fan practices in Indonesia and the ‘Gangnam Style’ phenomenon

Abstract

Global consumers are increasingly enjoying popular cultural products such as music, film, television and other audiovisual media content through online social media community networks. Recently, Korean pop music, or K-pop, has become one of the most dynamically distributed forms of pop culture in the global pop market through these ‘social distribution’ networks. This article explores the ways that this new mode of social distribution is characterised by bottom-up grassroots aspects as well as corporate-controlled top-down aspects by analysing the recent dynamics and practices of K-pop consumption and circulation on social media, using a case study of K-pop fandom in Indonesia and the ‘Gangnam Style’ phenomenon.