코로나 시대의 한국 관찰 예능: 사회적 거리두기, 정서적/감각적 거리 좁히기

Abstract

Since the Covid-19 outbreak, Korean Reality TV shows have tried to compensate for viewers’ emotional isolation caused by the social distancing measures imposed by the South Korean government. They chose isolated locations to film – places like a small island – to prevent the spread of Covid-19 during production while also carefully reenacting social activities in public places, which remind audiences of the pre-Covid19 era. Emphasized sensory elements such as ASMR, ambient sound, and the sound of eating have been used to facilitate viewers’ personal connection with the characters in the shows. In terms of theme, Mukbang (eating show), Cookbang (cooking show), and collaborations with YouTube creators have played more significant roles in Korean Reality shows since the Covid-19 outbreak on network TV by providing pseudo-intimacy. Viewers have resonated with these Reality TV shows through “compensation watching” to release their stress and console themselves from their isolation in the age of the pandemic.