Abstract:  This work builds on the legacy of feminist reception studies by expanding the research focus from mass media to digital platforms, particularly YouTube, and from media use to the practices of consuming and engaging with media in the context of Korean middle-aged women. The research also integrates Hartmut Rosa’s theory of resonance with the digital media environment: It suggests that while Rosa may reject digital technology in his view of resonance, digital technology, or YouTube in this case, can contribute to enhancing resonance, but only depending on how people practice it. Furthermore, our analysis highlights the importance of middle-aged women, who are not merely viewers, but rather active participants within the burgeoning YouTube scene. Lastly, we expand the current understanding of how audience groups may potentially exert agency, moving beyond the ideological binaries of submission versus resistance in the process of interpreting media texts. Our emphasis lies in the creativity embedded in Korean middle-aged women’s platform practices within their daily lives. This process is fuelled by a deep desire and will to find resonance with themselves, others, and the world.

Keywords:  digital platforms; feminist reception studies; middle-aged women; resonance; South Korea; YouTube

Published:   Ahead of Print

Issue:   Vol 13 (2024): Gendered Cultures in Platform Economies: Entertainment, Expertise, and Online Selfhood (In Progress)