공연예술분야의 새로운 문화 권력의 생성- 뮤지컬 관객을 중심으로

Abstract

Along with the development of technology, both the quantity and quality of information have been increasing. Those who are not professional are also producing their own discourse, and the democratization of culture consumption is being realized these days. As a result, the power of culture is moving to individual consumers from universities, the press, the republic of art critics, or senders. Here, this author will refer to ordinary consumers influencing people through their cultural experiences or knowledge just like experts as ‘everyday cultural intermediaries’ and examine the substance of cultural power they exert in online space and the cultural and social implications of it. In order to look into how consumers’ activity of cultural mediation is being done in online space in the area of performing arts grounded on Bourdieu’s concept of cultural intermediaries with the cases of two musicals, <Frankenstein> and <Thrill Me>. According to the analysis results, consumers of performing arts are a group of people equipped with great cultural capital, and “they are a group of people with ‘a discerning eye of culture’ regarding performing products accumulating cultural capital and influencing the market based on that by forming social networks around them”. Also, as they are sharing their reviews about performances in online space aggressively, they are reproducing the meaning and value of them. ‘DCINSIDE-A Gallery for Plays & Musicals’ is in between the private area for individuals’ activity for hobbies and the public area to generate discourse online. It is becoming a space for mediating activities as a place that can satisfy individuals’ need to enjoy culture and also induce critical behavior from nonprofessionals, consumers of performances. This is the case that shows that in the process of the producer-oriented industrial structure that was dominant in the market of performing arts changing into one centered around receivers, ‘those actively involved in intervening with the process of cultural production and acceptance in the middle’ who are ‘cultural intermediaries’ are exhibiting tremendous influence. They are no longer mere consumers but are ‘everyday cultural intermediaries’ playing roles in receiving and sending contents both at the same time and being positioned as new cultural power in the circles of performing arts.