게임화하는 플랫폼, 장르화하는 드라마 넷플릭스 오리지널 한국 시리즈를 중심으로

Abstract

This article aims to draw attention to the new phenomenon that arises from the encounter of television dramas, Korea's representative video content, with OTT. In the era of OTT, including Netflix, original series are more than just a change from television dramas, and there are still a long ways to go about how platforms survive through the mediation of dramas. Therefore, understanding the original series in terms of individual texts is limited in understanding the overall context of the drama chapters. In order to overcome this, this discussion discussed the characteristics of the non-linear structure surrounding Netflix, reexamination of the binge-watching method, and discussion of genreization. First of all, since the 2000s, home theaters have faced disturbances and backlash from viewers against the linearity of television through the expansion of cable channels and the spread of mead. In this process, Korean viewers were able to actively accept the intersection of global and local, and they led one of the pillars of cultural consumption in the form of participants in file sharing and subtitle production. In this context, binge-watching via OTT can be seen as a pattern that has been 'already' learned by viewers who have been willing to consume television dramas voluntarily since the 2000s. This is because conventional TV viewing is limited to turning the dial (channel) and selecting the screen provided by each channel. Netflix, on the other hand, encourages users to check and choose information on their own in a visualized interface space to watch content. The extensive content library they have built provides a virtual spatial experience, and it is more like a collaboration in which users build content based on their tastes together through communication with the platform. At the end of the day, Netflix focuses on making people experience the playful act of exploring tastes they don't know they know about through algorithms. This is an overall feature of content that travels through the web, but it's also Netflix's strategic choice to allow content to stay on the platform for extended periods of time. In this context, the characteristics of Netflix original Korean series are summarized as follows. First, there is the emergence of cinematic television dramas. Netflix's original series push the boundaries of television drama thanks to the intervention of big capital and autonomous expression. As a result, short episodes and a rating not suitable for young people emerged as a box office condition for the original series, attracting subscribers. This shows a differentiated characteristic from television in that it creates a connected narrative unlike the existing television dramas that are divided into episodes and provides an opportunity for users to secure and interpret the segments themselves. As a result, OTT original series are characterized by blurring the line between film and television drama. Second, it is a focus on genre works. Netflix's original series offer an imaginative connection between Korea and the rest of the world through specific genre conventions. This is more of a reconstruction of the experience of drama consumption by presenting a world of individualized tastes rather than a single world. At this time, the specific representation given by the genre organizes a process of new taste consumption in that it functions as a factor of exploration and interaction of tastes presented by the algorithm. However, it is important to remember that the personal tastes inscribed on the platform are not fully reflected. The act of exploring unseen tastes through the set of content shown means that consuming drama is achieved through specific participation and experience. What will be formed in this process will be a field of communication that crosses the boundaries of the state and society as if it were streaming. The desire of OTT platforms around original series requires a new understanding in that it is built through communication between users and systems.