Digital Media-Driven Korean Popular Culture Consumption among First-And-A-Half Generation Korean Immigrant Children

ABSTRACT

Using photo-elicitation interview (PEI), this paper demonstrates how twelve first-and-a-half generation children of Korean immigrants in the U.S. engage in digital media-driven Korean popular culture consumption, which underscores their ethnic identity formation. The result shows that frequent cultural interactions via digital media help them maintain their ethnic distinctiveness. Thus, the findings of this study support claims by segmented assimilationist scholars that adopting American ways of life and learning to identify as an American is not inevitable for all immigrants and their descendants despite their long residence in the U.S.

KEYWORDS:

• Digital media
• ethnic identity
• first-and-a-half generation children of Korean immigrants
• Korean popular culture
• social media

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jiwoo Park

Dr. Jiwoo Park is an assistant professor at the Department of Communications at California State University, Fullerton. Prior to her current academic position, she taught as a full-time faculty in Marketing Communications at Northwood University. Her research focuses on investigating roles of digital media (Internet, mobile devices, etc.) and digital media practice patterns that are influenced by individual users of diverse cultural backgrounds. Her prior research papers were presented in the national/international conferences in AAA, ICA, AEJMC, and NCA. Also, her publications appear in International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Children and Media, Journal of Business Ethics, Computers in Human Behavior, and International Communication Gazette. In 2012, she was awarded with James Carey Award as “Top Student Paper” at AEJMC. Again in 2019, she was awarded with James Murphy as “Top Faculty Paper” at AEJMC. Degree and University: Ph.D. in Mass Communication, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | M.S. in Advertising, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | B.A. in Advertising, Michigan State University