From Camcorders to Fan Platforms: K-Pop’s Emerging New Fan Culture Ecosystem

As K-Pop evolves beyond music to become a central pillar of global fan culture, new industries and trends are emerging simultaneously, including cover dance videography, fan platforms, and the use of analog media. Yu-Rong, a K-Pop cover dance videographer in Taiwan, has been an invisible driving force behind K-Pop fan culture by shooting over 1,400 cover dance videos in the past six years. Before filming, she analyzes official performance videos of the original songs, conducts rehearsals on the day of shooting, and then handles post-production tasks such as video editing and thumbnail creation. During peak seasons—summer and winter vacations—Yu-Rong completes 70 to 80 shoots per month, generating a monthly income of 100,000 New Taiwan dollars (approximately 4.4 million Korean won). Even outside peak seasons, she maintains a monthly income of at least 50,000 New Taiwan dollars (about 2.2 million Korean won) to support herself. She has invested 150,000 to 200,000 New Taiwan dollars (roughly 6.6 million to 8.8 million Korean won) in Sony cameras, DJI stabilizers, and lighting equipment. Most of Yu-Rong’s works consist of cover versions of girl group choreographies, as these are relatively easier to perform compared to the powerful choreography of boy groups, allowing both men and women to participate. In particular, requests for dance cover shoots of SM Entertainment’s four-member girl group aespa have surged in the past two years. Yu-Rong has been organizing K-Pop random dance events since Halloween 2019. Starting with around 30 participants initially, this event has grown into a major party in Taiwan’s K-Pop cover dance community, attracting hundreds of participants per event. In South Korea as well, startups have emerged recognizing the scale and value of K-Pop fan culture. “Kooky,” a fan platform operated by Writers Company, is an interactive platform that connects global K-Pop fans with artists, boasting 2.2 million registered users. Based on O2O services, Kooky runs local micro-communities where users voluntarily gather at more than 20 locations across different cities each week. Fans can create and participate in events directly through Kooky, and utilize location-based social features and ticket commerce to conveniently purchase concert tickets and attend events. Kooky has also distinguished itself in data-driven global concert planning. In October 2024, it successfully organized American tours for artist Babylon, earning strong responses from fans in 10 cities including New York, LA, and San Francisco. After receiving seed funding and selection for the TIPS program, Writers Company recently secured 1 billion Korean won in Pre A round investment from Levenchers and IBK Enterprise Bank. Another pillar of K-Pop fan culture is the revival of analog media. When girl group NewJeans modernly reinterpreted the vibe of camcorders in the music video for their 2022 single “Ditto,” 1990s analog video aesthetics became a new trend among the MZ generation. NewJeans’ music video featured analog characteristics such as the unique noise of camcorders, soft color tones, and excessive light exposure. It also adjusted the video aspect ratio to 4:3 and the resolution to 720×480 pixels to match the aesthetic of “tube” TVs. Camcorders frequently appear in music videos and vlogs, providing fans with a casual and intimate feeling. This trend has translated into actual market changes as well. With the growth of the used camcorder market, cameras once considered junk are now traded for hundreds of thousands of won. The MZ generation views camcorders not as relics of the past but as creative tools, using them on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to express their personal brands. Video creators are also buying camcorders to add a retro vibe to their content. The shaky footage, natural lighting effects, and ability to capture unexpected moments of camcorders offer modern digital generations both a sense of nostalgia and new creative possibilities. LP records are also seeing a revival in the way music is consumed. Once regarded as relics of an older era, LPs are now being reevaluated as important mediums that provide artistic experiences. Unlike the clean sound of digital audio, LPs deliver a warm and smooth acoustic depth unique to analog technology. The sound of the needle moving across the record and the texture of the rotating disc offer unique physical experiences that cannot be replicated digitally. Additionally, LP album covers possess visual value that is unavailable in digital audio formats. In this way, centered around K-Pop, a multi-layered fan culture ecosystem is being formed, including fan platforms, professional filming services, and the use of analog media. This demonstrates that even amid technological advancements, human emotional needs and aesthetic sensibilities remain important, and new cultural values can be created when past and present forms of creativity are combined.