Gangnam Style — the
viral music video from South Korean pop star Psy — has reached the Youtube
summit as the most viewed video in the site’s history and is finding its way
into the heart of American culture: its
sports stadiums (wow).
But don’t expect this to be a one-hit wonder for Asian cultural influence
worldwide.
According to
researcher Stephen Epstein, the director of Asian studies at Victoria
University of Wellington, in New Zealand, we’re experiencing a global shift in
the cultural influence of Asia/Pacific regions. “It’s the first time an Asian
video has captured the world and may well become, in cultural terms, the point
where the Asia/Pacific century started,” said Epstein, in a statement.
Epstein is currently
researching how information and communication technologies (like Youtube) are impacting
the national identity of South Korea. According to Epstein, technology is
clearly allowing for the spread of cultures worldwide.
“[Gangnam Style] is
visual and catchy and made by an artist who typifies an aspect of modern
identity,” Epstein said. “He’s strongly Korean but studied in the U.S., speaks
English well and can take advantage of media opportunities with style and
flair.”
It’s an interesting
addition to what we already expect about the continued rise of Asia’s economic
and political influence worldwide in the coming years.
The
National Intelligence Council in the United States says that Asia
will surpass North America and Europe in terms of GDP, military size,
technology spending and population by 2030. “The health of the global economy
increasingly will be linked to how well the developing world does—more so than
the traditional West,” the NIC said. Will we say the same about Asia’s cultural
influence in the next two decades?
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