K-Pop Hegemony and Ambivalent Digital Resistance: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the SEAblings–Knetz Conflict

Khayranil Ula; Kamaruzzaman Kamaruzzaman

doi:10.12928/channel.v14i2.2205

Authors

Khayranil Ula Universitas Islam Negeri Sultanah Nahrasiyah Lhokseumawe
Kamaruzzaman Kamaruzzaman Universitas Islam Negeri Sultanah Nahrasiyah Lhokseumawe

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12928/channel.v14i2.2205

Keywords:

K-Pop hegemony, Digital resistance, Critical Discourse Analysis, Digital racism, SEAblings

Abstract

Cultural hegemony and digital resistance intersect in the 2026 SEAblings–Knetz conflict, a transnational online dispute between Southeast Asian and South Korean netizens concerning racism, cultural superiority, and K-Pop fandom. Drawing on Gramsci’s theory of hegemony, Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic violence, and Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this study examines how K-Pop operates as both global popular culture and a mechanism of symbolic domination in digital communication. Using a qualitative approach, the study analyzes comments, hashtags, viral posts, and memes circulated on X, TikTok, and Instagram between January and March 2026. The findings reveal that social media platforms function as contested discursive arenas where engagement-driven circulation amplifies racial stereotypes, conflict narratives, and nationalist sentiment. Racist discourse targeting Southeast Asian netizens reflects asymmetrical power relations associated with the global dominance of Korean popular culture. In response, SEAblings mobilized digital solidarity, counter-discourses, boycott campaigns, and platform-based activism. However, this resistance remains ambivalent, as some counter-discourses reproduce the stereotyping and symbolic violence they challenge. Theoretically, this study extends CDA-based research on cultural hegemony by demonstrating how domination and resistance coexist within digital discourse, challenging binary understandings of online activism. Practically, the findings highlight the importance of platform moderation, media literacy, and ethically reflexive fandom practices in addressing symbolic violence within transnational fan communities.

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