[Jihye Choi's Trend 2023] The Power of "True Fan" Consumers: Time to Focus on Digging Power

Recently, the number of people who are "genuinely passionate" about something has been increasing. According to a survey, 55% of Korean Generation Z respondents identified themselves as true fans of something or someone. In fact, people who are deeply devoted to specific fields have existed before. For example, Japan’s ‘otaku (オタク)’, who indulge in certain subcultures like animation at an expert level, and the United States’ ‘nerds’, who are enthusiastic about studying or scientific knowledge but often lack social skills, show that the act of sincerely pouring affection into particular interests is not a completely new phenomenon.

However, unlike in the past, there are several characteristics recently observed among these passionate individuals. First, with the spread of a one-person multi-screen environment, the objects of immersion have expanded to media content categorized as ‘Deu-Yeong-Man-So’ (an abbreviation for Drama, Movie, Manhwa, and Novel). They not only watch original broadcasts and reruns across platforms but also capture moments down to 0.1 seconds and share rare ‘jjal’ (photos or short videos) with fellow diggers, forming a sense of community. Moreover, their immersion is not merely for self-satisfaction. They find enjoyment in having devoted themselves more than others and communicate and boast about it. This recent immersive consumption phenomenon is expressed as ‘digging’ using the English word dig, meaning ‘to dig deeply.’ The culture and ecosystem formed through this sharing and showing off possess the power to lead mainstream trends, known as digging power.

The objects of digging are very diverse, and recently, concept digging has become interesting. The concept currently dominating web dramas and web comedies is hyper-realism. A representative example is the YouTube channel ‘PICKGO,’ which deals with ordinary, familiar episodes but averages over one million views. For instance, it depicts everyday topics such as ‘Characteristics of people who have never worked in society,’ ‘Traits of serious people,’ and ‘Features of low self-esteem relationships’ in a very realistic way, naturally increasing immersion through relatable reality. The content creator ‘Shortbox,’ famous for reality-checked content, is similar. Short sketch comedy content under 10 minutes, such as ‘Long-term relationships,’ ‘True siblings,’ and ‘Drunken confessions,’ has gained great sympathy and grown rapidly.

If concept digging is the play of Generation Z, digging based on interests has a much broader scope. For example, ‘fan-jil’ (fan activities) for specific celebrities is no longer exclusive to teenagers. In fact, fan clubs of BTS or Lim Young-woong include many passionate older fans. Publicly admitting oneself as a ‘deokhu’ (enthusiast) is called ‘deokming-out,’ and by revealing their digging interests, people can find others with similar tastes and deepen their immersion by communicating with them.

The reason why this immersive consumption phenomenon deserves attention is that communities are created as relationships expand around shared interests. One example is the spreading trend of ‘Social Viewing,’ where people watch dramas not alone but while communicating with each other. The so-called ‘party’ culture is developing, and such communication is also being attempted in webtoons. An example is ‘Manhwagyeong,’ a webtoon platform operated by Woowa Brothers, the company behind Baedal Minjok, which added remote communication features to snack content webtoons. The new feature ‘Gureum Talk’ allows readers to leave feedback on each webtoon scene, with the comments visually passing over the scene to confirm shared enjoyment. Another feature, ‘Tag Talk,’ lets readers write their ideal personality and appearance to request a character drawing, called ‘self-character application,’ fostering a community among readers. These social viewing spaces are meaningful as they provide a communication platform where diggers can gather and freely express their affection.

Ultimately, these communication spaces are important because they can expand into business models. Naver launched its ‘Community’ service in September 2022. Currently focused on sports communities, it plans to expand topics to dramas, stocks, and trending keywords, attracting attention as a next-generation growth engine connecting blogs and bands. Other platforms like Genie TV and Afreeca TV are also strengthening services emphasizing community functions centered on content.

Digging consumption, involving immersion and fandom in specific fields, is no longer the privilege of a minority. As diggers rise to mainstream market players, growth in related industries is expected. Especially, as mentioned earlier, companies and brands should note that these individuals have begun forming communities based on interests and tastes. When information sharing and related consumption occur within communities, it can lead to new business opportunities. Furthermore, the cohesion within communities can be linked to positive corporate and brand images, highlighting the need to discover and grow with consumers who are ‘genuinely passionate’ about the industries we handle.

Choi Ji-hye, Research Fellow, Consumer Trend Analysis Center, Seoul National University