Foreign pop-culture and backlash: the case of non-fan K-pop Subreddits during the pandemic.

Communication research establishes that when confronted with information contradicting their beliefs, people tend to 'backlash' by doubling down on their prior. Can international popular culture be the context of backlash? This paper analyzes two K-pop Subreddits ( and ) populated by non-fans. A particular focus is given to their attitudinal changes upon being exposed to news stories about South Korea.