Critical Approaches to Transmedia Storytelling in K-Pop - by Nicholas E Miller (Hardcover)

About the Book

This volume explores how K-pop has evolved beyond a musical genre into a global cultural phenomenon with its own transmedia ecosystem, arguing that the transmedial approach constitutes not merely a marketing strategy, but a sophisticated artistic framework that redefines the relationship between music, narrative, and performance in the digital age.

Book Synopsis

In Critical Approaches to Transmedia Storytelling in K-Pop, contributors present a variety of compelling case studies to argue that K-pop has evolved beyond a musical genre into a global cultural phenomenon with a growing influence on contemporary media practices, highlighting its transmedia ecosystem in which complex narratives unfold and engage audiences across formats and platforms.

An impressive roster of contributors assembled by editor Nicholas E. Miller explore how different artists and companies within the industry have constructed expansive storyworlds through a variety of media to draw fans into participatory, interpretive engagement. These analyses cohere to demonstrate how the narrative universes of K-pop have transformed cultural boundaries, industry economics, and global fan culture by strategically employing non-traditional elements and technologies that establish collaborative meaning-making and emotional investment as the basis of compelling fan experiences. As a result, this volume positions K-pop's transmedial approach as not merely a marketing strategy, but as a sophisticated artistic framework which redefines the relationship between music, narrative, and performance in the digital age.

Review Quotes

"From Marvel Universe Studios to K-pop entertainment houses, one of the key elements behind their global popularity has been the use of unique stories and transmedia storytelling strategies. Unlike previous academic works that primarily focus on screen cultures such as films, dramas, and animated programs related to transmedia storytelling, this book-one of the first academic studies to center on stories and transmedia storytelling in the K-pop world-offers innovative and distinctive approaches. The chapters in this edition coherently and consistently demonstrate the convergence of narrative, K-pop, and transmedia storytelling, making the book both valuable and enjoyable. This is a must-read academic work for researchers, students, and general readers alike." --Dal Yong Jin, Distinguished SFU Professor of Communication Studies, Simon Fraser University, Canada

"Each chapter offers a rich case study that expands the understanding of transmedia storytelling in K-pop and will serve as an excellent material in the classroom." --Areum Jeong, Assistant Professor of Korean Studies, Arizona State University, USA

About the Author

Nicholas E. Miller is an independent scholar and holds a PhD in English and American Literature from Washington University in St. Louis, USA.