Polish K-Pop Fandom: Phenomenon, Structure & Communication

The book was written for people who would like to learn more about Polish K-Pop fandom, but it can also be of help for those who are looking for some basic information about fan studies or K-Pop in general. It is not only meant to provide a set of basic information on Polish K-Pop fandom, but also to connect Polish and international fan studies, which at this point are often focused on products of English-speaking cultures. There are many publications on fans of sports, celebrities or TV shows but K-Pop is different from these fields as it is something between a celebrity fandom and a music fandom, with many cultural elements influencing its shape. Some fans call K-Pop a “complete product” as it provides music, choreographies and visually refined music videos, but also a type of lifestyle, with elements of food, cosmetics, and everything South Korea has to offer. It is also a phenomenon that can be analyzed from many different perspectives – not only sociological or related to culture studies, but psychological or connected to political science or media studies as well. This text will focus more on people who form Polish K-Pop fandom, how they communicate within those communities and how they establish structures, instead of the media text itself and its interpretation.