French Influencers and the Construction of Korea's Superiority: Social Media Content Analysis and Follower Responses

Abstract

This study examines how French content creators engage in France-bashing kukppong — systematic criticism of French systems while positioning Korea as superior — through their social media content about life in South Korea.

Based on digital ethnographic analysis of content from 15 French influencers across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitch, along with audience responses, the research reveals how France-bashing kukppong operates as a form of comparative nationalism that positions Korea as superior to France across three consistent domains: safety, convenience, and infrastructure.

Through performed authenticity markers — extended residence, cultural integration, and insider access claims — influencers gain authority to make comparative cultural statements that inadvertently contribute to Korean nation branding without direct government coordination. Even critical “deception videos” that challenge idealized Korea representations operate within the same comparative framework, serving similar audience functions of vicarious cultural engagement.

The analysis demonstrates how individual lifestyle content aggregates into collective nation branding efforts, extending existing theory by revealing mechanisms through which social media influencers participate in informal cultural diplomacy. This research contributes to understanding how digital platforms create new forms of comparative nationalism that shape cross-cultural migration aspirations among young Europeans.