Dramas and consumer culture

A few weeks ago, I thought about why some of the Korean Dramas have become so popular in many countries. So I thought about Jewel in the Palace for example and tried to think of a similar type drama in the US. All I could think of was a show called Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman which aired in the late 90s. It was quite popular in the US and other countries as well so I thought that maybe there was some innate desire to watch female-centered stories unfold. However now I think I have a better understanding of Korean dramas and why their content is more generally speaking appealing to consumers.

After the arrival of the drama, "Spark", Korean dramas became increasingly trendy and essentialy transformed into "pop" dramas. They are products in the physical sense but are also products of the popular or consumer culture. I'm currently taking a class in consumer behavior and we always talk about brands wanting to represent the consumer culture. So Nike tries to understand the athlete's culutre: where he goes, which sports he plays, for how long, etc. But ultimately Nike offers just sneakers which although may perfectly fit in with the athlete's culture, are still somewhat separate from the culture itself. Dramas and Korean Pop drams in particular are much different. Not only do they represent the popular culture but often are the pop culture. This is one of the reasons why I think that the dramas have become the most popular korean cultural export. So in Korea, the dramas may have a reinforcing effect. Consumers might watch the dramas and say things like, "Those are the clothes I wear. Those are the foods I eat. Thats how I have fun with friends." In other countries the content does not necessarily reinforce the pop culture but rather activates existing culture which is not expressed explicity. So in Taiwan for example, Spark was very popular especially among woman mainly because it included elements of women-centrism.

So the popularity of these dramas makes sense from a consumer culture stand point, but many dramas often dictate the consumer culture rather than reflect, represent, or reinforce it. Korean dramas especially are highly stylized and very materialistic. I once wrote a paper on materialism being the most dangerous part of American culture. I still believe that statement but it is also often the most profitable part of American culture and now Korean culture as well.