K-pop is a global, cultural, and economic phenomenon, that extends beyond popular culture while being closely connected to K-Branding. The idol industry is the “new growth engine“ (Jin 2016) of the Korean wave and plays a central role in the worldwide reception of South Korea. The focus of this dissertation project lies on the spread of K-pop through a variety of distribution strategies and practices, as well as the effect and transformation of these strategies within the addressed audience segments. Central to this work are the different formats the idol industry produces and the K-pop fandom in South Africa, Germany, and South Korea.
The active role of the K-pop fans and their influence on the production and distribution through practices like the collection of photo cards, the use of digital platforms like Weverse, and the participation in TikTok challenges is analyzed through a praxeological approach. This uncovers geographic and cultural differences within the reception and transformation of K-pop formats. The combination of media and fandom studies provides hereby an understanding of the K-pop industry as a dynamic and global phenomenon.

Tabitha Adler is a PhD student in media studies at the Goethe University Frankfurt and a member of the joint research project CEDITRAA (Cultural Entrepreneurship and Digital Transformation in Africa and Asia), which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. She holds an M.A. in media and cultural studies and a dual-major B.A. in English and political science from University Freiburg. Her focus during her late studies was on K-pop, gender, and social media. Tabitha studies the K-pop fandom in South Africa, K-pop fans as cultural diplomats, the political and societal positions of K-pop, and practices of distribution within the Korean idol industry since 2023.