Watching too much K-drama? Actually, that can be considered a full-time job.

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Watching too much K-drama? Actually, that can be considered a full-time job.

Published: 30 Oct. 2024, 17:15

LEE JIAN
lee.jian@joongang.co.kr

A picture taken on October 5, 2021, in Toulouse, France, shows the logo of Youtube social media displayed by a tablet. [AFP]

Being a fan can be a full-time job if you post on YouTube, according to findings from the streaming platform released on Wednesday.

Google and market researcher SmithGeiger jointly surveyed 732 Korean online fans aged 14 to 44 in May and found that 90 percent consumed content related to their interests at least once a week on YouTube.

Among young Korean fans aged 14 to 24, half identified as "casual fans" who solely consume fan content, while the other half strive to create something from their fan activities. Eight percent identified as “professional fans,” creating their own content about their interests and profiting from it.

This includes YouTubers who post reaction videos about their favorite stars' work or shows. In Korea, reaction videos to K-dramas like “Lovely Runner” (2024) and reality shows like “Transit Love (Exchange)” (2021-23) have garnered particularly high view counts.

The study also found that 53 percent of young Korean fans enjoy discussing and analyzing their passions. Fifty-seven percent stated they sometimes feel more connected to other fans who share their interests than to the things they are fans of.

The influence of professional fans is accordingly growing. YouTuber CharlesEnter, with 343,000 subscribers, is well-known for reviewing Korean shows. Comments under his reaction video for the last episode of season three of “Transit Love (Exchange)” indicated that viewers watched the dating reality show primarily to see his review.

A total of 68 percent of young Korean respondents in the YouTube survey identified themselves as “video content creators.”

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]