The Parasocial Interaction of Filipino Male Adolescents Consuming Korean Drama

Abstract

The study aimed to describe the realities of Parasocial Interaction (PSI) on the identification of the self among adolescent males. Specifically, this study focused on the following areas: (1) PSI experiences of Filipino male adolescents as they consume Kdrama, (2) the experience of identification of the self as Filipino male adolescents consume Kdrama, and (3) utilization of the findings to create an educational material for the improvement of teaching Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics. This study was anchored on George Herbert Mead’s theory of the self as represented by the “I” as the active self and the “me” as the social self. The research design utilized was a qualitative paradigm, a collective case study method. The sampling procedure utilized was purposive, snowball-criterion sampling technique. Participants are 10 Filipino male adolescents, 15-18 years old, and active consumers of KDrama for the past 12months. This study found out that Filipino male adolescents mostly started to consume Kdrama at a very early age while a minority consumed such media recently. The romantic comedy was the dominant genre for male teenage consumption. These males consume Kdrama because of individual and social reasons from which they were able to derive certain benefits. On the actual PSI experience of Filipino male adolescents, they were able to identify elements of “aesthetics” of the media, influenced by the media itself in various ways, developed a “K-girlfriend” relationship and have their thoughts and behavior modified. Filipino male adolescents’ conception of certain subjects such as education, economy, justice, politics, and family were influenced by Kdrama. The identification of the self, through the lens of the negotiation between the “I” and the “me”, perceived the above-mentioned subjects having agreements, compromise, and disagreements. The above-mentioned subjects were also depicted in various manners by Kdrama mirroring realities in social, economic, and political contexts. This study suggests the utilization of localized lenses in understanding the self and broader standards for media content scrutiny.