GLOBALISATION AND THE IDOL REALITY SHOW FORMAT IN KOREA AND CHINA

Abstract

Idol reality show formats are seeing rising popularity in Asian regions, and this thesis looks at the origins of this trend - the Produce 101 series from South Korea, as well as its adaptation in China, Qing Chun You Ni. By developing theories and explanations about this relatively new phenomenon, this paper seeks to understand how this regionally popular format interacts with forces of cultural globalisation, seeking to contribute to existing theories through an inter-Asian perspective. This paper frames the Produce 101 series as a cultural hybrid, embodying elements from the globalisation of formats as well as the production processes behind Kpop, a growing worldwide pop culture phenomenon itself. By showcasing how Produce 101 culturally converges towards market-centered ideologies in global media industries while at the same time adding local character derived from South Korean popular culture, I argue that the Produce 101 series potentially redefines global imaginations of talent and the word “idol” in idol reality show formats. Furthermore, through investigating the globalisation of the Produce 101 format in the vastly different sociopolitical context of China, this thesis also contends that by turning the Kpop production process into an easily replicable global format, the Produce 101 format both inserts the local into the global while turning it “odorless”, which further aids its spread. Thus, this particular instance of cultural hybridisation demonstrates the rise of inter-Asian nodes and cultural imaginaries, which has the potential to reshape and recenter the globalisation of culture as we know it today.