A Reception Analysis High School Students

Nowadays, Korean culture and Its cultural products have been Influencing every nation, invading Asia and the rest of the world. This trend is popularly known as the Korean wave or Halley, which greatly influenced the way people live today. Korean invasion started first in television dramas which got a lot of fans globally despite of the language barrier. And these television dramas made their viewers love Korean characters and their culture as well, which signaled the birth of Korean wave.Today, Korea is still developing more products that they can introduce to the whole world ND it means more products for the fans who love to watch every single episode of their favorite Korean drama or who go crazy for their Korean Idols. In the Philippines, Just like the Mexican tealeaves that were popular back In the days, Korean television dramas or Cornflakes became a big hit to the taste of Filipino audience, especially the teenagers. Filipino youth in this generation are now changing slowly an d are catching up with what Is the new trend today.Cornflakes and other Korean products have Influenced the Filipino youth and changed their preferences in music, fashion, food, and etc. This study is about the media consumption of Filipino youth in watching Cornflakes and what keeps them watching this kind of television program. The youth have psychological or sociological needs that they want to satisfy by watching programs that are introduced by media. And most of the needs of these young people can be gratified by the Cornflakes that they watch. Their needs serve as their driving force in consuming foreign products. . RATIONALE In these modern times, the youth are creating their new world where they can express their creativity and passion through popular culture. The spread of Korean pop culture or Halley all over the world had influenced the way teenagers live, especially the Filipino youth. This phenomenon changed their taste for music, clothes, hairstyle, food, gadgets, and many more. The youth have their own needs that can be satisfied by Korean cultural products, particularly television dramas, which media has introduced to them.Korean television dramas, or popularly known in the Philippines as â€Å"Cornflakes†, have won the hearts of the Filipino audience, especially the young people. And with that simple appreciation from the viewers, Korean pop culture has been slowly entering In the ivies of many. Some people started as an avid fan of a particular Korean star from the television drama that they watch, and then eventually they imitate everything that ‘OFF media in watching Korean television dramas, the more they are influenced by this kind of media content. Understanding the needs of these young people might lead us to know the reasons of their consumption.This study can give us an opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate the views of young Cornflake fanatics. With this, the side of Cornflake enthusiasts and the side of non-Shoppers can achieve mutual understanding and respect. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE l. Korean Wave or Halley South Korea has been emerging as a source of power for the production of transnational pop culture which spread first to neighboring Asian countries, later to the Middle East and North Africa, and more recently to Europe and the Americas (Park & Change, p. 2).This phenomenon is introduced as â€Å"Korean wave† which refers to the significantly increased popularity of South Korean culture around the world; it is also referred to as Halley, in the Korean language. The term was coined in China in mid-1999 by Beijing Journalists surprised by the fast growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture in China (Lee, 2011, p. 86). The first wave of Halley in China was the invasion of television dramas. Initially, it seemed that the boom in Korean entertainment in China was accidental rather than deliberate (Steinberg, 2010, p. 53). Later, the rave for Korean drama expanded to in clude not only music, dance, and film, but also literature, fashion, and even Korean cuisine and became the driving force in Koreans tourism. The Korean government picked up on this phenomenon fairly quickly and went on a nationalistic campaign to promote Halley in different ways (Park & Change, p. ). The Korean wave portrays an unprecedented frame of Korean popular culture by the Korean media alongside the line with commercial nationalism.As a result, the Korean wave is manifested as a regional cultural trend signifying a triumph of Korean culture (Lee, 2011, p. 85). Korean cultural products have become a catalyst for curiosity about Korean culture and Korea itself. Korean dramas in particular have served as an important bridge for the different countries to encounter Korean culture. The Korean wave has had a marked impact in various ways regarding transaction with other countries. Local sentiment towards Korea has not been respectable in the past, but the Korean wave has fundament ally changed the national image of Korea in a positive way.The Korean wave ultimately improved Koreans image in foreign countries, which in turn created a ripple effect that has extended much farther than Just the Korean economy or peninsula (Lee, 2011, p. 86). Korean Television Dramas Korean television dramas (K-dramas) have enjoyed immense popularity all over the world. It is part of the phenomenon known as Halley or Korean Wave, in which all things Korean from television dramas to popular music to fashion are consumed by audiences all over the world. K-dramas ushered the Wave, beginning in China in the late sass through hit TV shows such as â€Å"What is Love? Which aired in China Central Television (CATV) in 1997 (chorea, p. 1). Which view Asian â€Å"family-friendly' values as the main reason for the success of the shows. As many Korean television dramas have won the hearts of fans in China, Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia, and overseas Asian communities worldwide, prominent cu ltural scholars like Chichi Buckish and Chug Been Heat began to analyze the penetration of Korean television dramas into Asian markets and defined he process as newly â€Å"emerging intra-Asian popular cultural flows under globalization forces† Nouns, 2009, p. 9). Many fans of Korean television dramas talk about the physical attractiveness of the Korean actors and actresses and their modern and glamorous fashion, make-up and hairstyles. They also point to the lavish productions, including their skillful editing, beautiful cinematography, good acting, captivating storyline, and accessibility. Thanks to recent IT and digital-media developments, versions of these dramas are available for little or no cost with various subtitle options, includingEnglish, Japanese, Thai, Indonesian, Turkish, Spanish, and several Chinese dialects (Jung, 2009, p. 72). Viewers from various countries and backgrounds are drawn to Korean dramas of various reasons. For Americans, these dramas are â€Å" relaxing and cheerful† while for Europeans, the appeal rests on â€Å"uncomplicated and romantic† plots. Middle East an Muslim audiences, meanwhile, are drawn to the â€Å"subtle repression of emotions and intense romantic passion without overt sexuality' (Chorea, p. L).For Asians, the appeal of Korean television dramas rests on its so-called emotional power† which comes from the â€Å"interwoven themes of family, romance, friendship, martial arts, war, and business† as well as the way the characters face issues on love in a â€Å"tender, meaningful and emotional than sensual† manner. The Asian sensibilities of proportioning family and of expressing emotions in a subtle manner also appeal to Asian viewers across generations (Chorea, p. 1). II. Korean Wave in the Philippines Even before the Korean wave, Filipinos were long fans of imported dramas.Soap operas and drama series have become a staple for daytime and primetimes viewing I the Philippines. I n the sass, Mexican tealeaves became the mania, with huge hits like â€Å"Roseland† and â€Å"Marimba† attracting ratings above 50 percent. Asian dramas, including Korean, have become hits in the sass (Hiccup, 2009). In the Philippines, Korean dramas are fondly called â€Å"Cornflakes†, a term coined by Philippine television channel GAMMA 7 as a marketing buzzword for the growing popularity of K-dramas, following the past successes of the Mexican â€Å"tealeaves†, Taiwanese â€Å"chi-novella† and Japanese J-drama trends.Since Bright Girl, the first Korean drama shown in the Philippines through GAMMA 7 in 2003, K-dramas have bee deadly gaining popularity among Filipinos. But Korean drama's popularity picked u its pace when Endless Love: Autumn in My Heart was shown in the same year in the same channel (Chorea, p. 1). Rival network ABS-CB was quick to latch on to the trend and aired its own set of Korean television dramas. In fact, in 2005, the Phili ppines was counted among major importing countries of Korean dramas in Asia, with Japan leading at 60. Percent, China at 9. 9 percent, Philippines at 3. 7 percent, and Taiwan at 1. 4 percent. The dramas. Often, these dramas are dubbed in the Filipino language. Characters are also given names that are familiar sounding to Filipinos, such as Vivian for the lead female character and Carlo for the male lead character in Lovers in Paris. Soundtracks and background music are given a Filipino touch through the inclusion of local music artists, an example being Kitchen Naiad's Wag an Wag Mongo Scabbing, also in Lovers in Paris (Chorea, p. ). Filipinos love Cornflakes because they can relate to the stories. The Korean dramas are quite escapist and moving. Aside from the touching pipelines, the production is really a visual experience of places that most of the Filipinos are not accustomed to seeing. Filipino people are very easy to please and so the theme of the Korean drama has touched thei r hearts easily. They can relate with the story and at the same time looking and familiarizing on the tangible cultural manifestation of that country.This is a form of metasyntactic translation/dubbing. This method, a technical aspect of understanding a foreign drama is the tool or bridge of Korean drama that the Filipino understands. It makes them interested on a drama that offers something new and at the same time something informative which are all pleasing to their consciousness (Rexes, p. 4). Indeed, in the past several years, Filipino viewer tastes for dramas have evolved. They are no longer content with Filipino-made drama series, but welcome Essentials, including Korean drama series.As long as they appeal to the taste of TV audiences, Cornflakes will continue to warm the hearts of Filipinos (Hiccup, 2009). Ill. Korean Wave influencing youth culture According to the paper entitled â€Å"The Impact of K-pop to the Filipino Youth† by students from Polytechnic University of the Philippines, the K-pop fever or Halley can be easily spotted in the country in terms of Filipinos' clothing nowadays, music, behavior, attendances and even in television industry. Here are some examples that they stated with regards on how the Koreans are affecting the country, most especially the Filipino youth: A.Restaurants & Food Several Korean and Korean-inspired restaurants have popped up like mushrooms all over Metro Manila, from those serving traditional banana (assorted sidedness) and bulldog (grilled marinated meat) to those specializing in â€Å"double-fried† chicken. Because a lot of Korean has moved here in our country they tend to bring their own set of food like those mentioned from above. One of the most liked aspect of Halley is their Korean Dramas, when a teenager see or learn that his or her idol's favorite dish is Chime he/she will search for this food Just to learn why his/her idol love this particular dish.Another reason is that for them to connec t with their idols in simple ways in this instance they want to connect in terms of the food they eat. B. Music Korean shows a great way to introduce Filipinos to the country's mainstream music, which is collectively called K-pop. After listening to intros, ending songs and official sound tracks of their favorite series, these Cornflake Junkies begin to search about different k-pop artists and bands, with most popular of them in Junior, which has held two Jam-packed concerts in Manila.Of course, Filipinos also have a soft spot for the four-member NINE , which includes former ABS-CB talent Sandra Park. And after making the whole world do his hilarious horse dance, it is safe to say that Psych of â€Å"Kananga Style† fame is included in every Filipinos K-Pop play list. Nowadays a lot of teenage groups of boys and girls are popping up like mushrooms after the rain. The manner of their performance and even the way they Reese is obviously influenced by the Korean pop stars. A lot of teenagers play list is mostly composed of different Korean songs from their favorite series or their favorite K-Pop bands.Thus it is safe to say that the youth of today is greatly influenced by the K-Pop fever. C. Beauty and Fashion Nowadays, Korean hairstyle is very popular in the Philippines. Along with the fascination for Korean Stars is to achieve their unique hairstyles and flawless complexions, thus the sudden popularity of Korean salons and other beauty and fashion items. Every Filipinos cut their hair Just to feel them comfortable and infinite, and the Korean hairstyle is now at the top of young Filipino hairstyle choices. Sometimes they risk school by violating the school policy on proper haircut but this does not matter.Again, what matters is they look like Koreans. The youth in the Philippines tend to immortality their idols, to think that their idol is perfect thus their will to imitate them based on their clothing, hairstyles, and whatnot. Most of the youth today is using their idealization for these Korean Pop stars as a way to live, or as their coping mechanism if they have family problems or arsenal issues. By living for their idols they have a purpose and excuse to be someone else. The Filipino fans not only developed an interest in the Cornflakes or KOP music but also the likeness towards the Korean Fashion.This Korean fashion trend exploded among the students who love to be hip and chic and â€Å"In† with the new. Even sometimes they may look weird, as long as they tried to imitate the Korean hair, clothing style and shoes, to them the idea that they copied the Koreans perfectly is what matters. Indeed, the Korean fashion is now trending in the Philippines and it is big influence to the Filipinos who are very obsessed to the fashion because with the fashion, they learn how to mix and match dresses with different styles and colors.One factor that may lead to this influence is not the television but the Korean presence in the country since a big number of them are studying in the Philippines. In their presence, they have influenced their Filipino classmates and friends to dress and look like them. Because of this, some Filipinos have lost their originality for trying to imitate everything from the Korean culture (Rexes, p. 5). Apparently, Filipinos have been disgusted by their own brand of fashion. The flashy and overly stylish Korean fashion has now affected not only the look but the way of life of the Filipinos. D.Gadgets and Appliances The Philippines has been home to several Korean made gadgets even before the age of Halley in the Philippines. One of the biggest brands here and globally as well is Samsung, which sells anything from appliances to mobile phones. LEG is also a perfect example, which is endorsed by Lee Min Ho. Here in the Philippines teenagers can easily acquire these said gadgets because of their allowance. In the world of robbery the youth will buy this brand or line. Solely because it is end orsed by their idol, not considering if the said product is really functional wise or if they really need it in some case.