A ‘real’ fantasy: hybridity, Korean drama, and pop cosmopolitans.

This study examines the complex, multidirectional process of media transnationalization and online fandom within the new media environment, focusing on the transnational media flows from the East to the West. Based on an online ethnography examining the fan culture surrounding Korean television drama (K-drama) in the West, this study explores the appeal of K-drama to Western fans and its impact on fans’ identities and worldviews. The analysis suggests that scholars should take a closer look at transnational media fandom as a key site for identity creation and embrace of pop cosmopolitanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]