NYT on Using Social Media to spread Korean Culture (Including literature)

KTLIT Logo An interesting article in the New York Times, from some time ago, on K-Pop using social media in its attempt to expand. This obviously has some implications for literature as well.

The money quote is:

“Thanks to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, Jay Park is not just an artist but also his own P.R. agent, fan club president and TV network,” said Bernie Cho, president of DFSB Kollective, a digital music distributor and branding company based in Seoul that also distributes Mr. Park’s music. “He is bypassing traditional media gatekeepers locally and gate-crashing his way globally onto overseas charts via social media.”

I’d also note that the kpop folks have taken advantage of digital distribution (ebooks, anyone?):

The Korean music industry regrouped by focusing more on digital distribution and touring. As the use of social networks spread globally in the last few years, K-pop bands began to gain more traction in the West.

There are some other interesting, and applicable, arguments/observations in the piece. Check it out.