Perceived Media Portrayal of K-Pop Idols and Its Potential Impacts On Audiences' Perception Of Masculinity In China: A Comparative Study Of Different Generations

Abstract

The proliferation of K-pop culture has sparked controversy in China over its impact on the perception of masculinity, therefore the Chinese government has banned all K-pop content on TV and social media. This research intends to investigate the perceived media portrayal of masculinity by K-pop idols on TV/online TV and its impact on the perception of masculinity by two generations: Millennials and Generation Z and compare the difference between them. This study adopted the quantitative approach and surveyed with an online questionnaire due to Covid-19. As many as 425 valid results were collected from respondents of both Millennials and Generation Z groups. The data collected were utilized to test the hypotheses on SPSS. Hypothesis 1 was tested with linear regression analysis and hypothesis 2 with independent sample t-test. The findings show a significant difference between Millennials and Generation Z in the perception of masculinity under the impact of the perceived portrayal of masculinity by K-pop idols on TV/online TV in China. Millennials strongly agreed with the impact while Generation Z disagreed. The findings of this study could serve to improve the regulations on intercultural communication activities in China. It is recommended to proceed with ongoing comparative studies on the perception of masculinity between the current target audience and the coming younger generation to draw a better conclusion about the cultural trends in China.