『오징어 게임』 어펙트, 마주침의 윤리와 연결성의 에톨로지

Abstract

The meaning of “Squid Game” is not only triggered by the internal characteristics or marketing strategies of the original drama, but also by the encounters and emotions of various actors involved in text production, reactions, and emotions. Through this process of affective encounter, the sub-sense of meaning surrounding the text has been created and is still being created. This assemblage is also an arrangement of struggles and contention encountered by heterogeneous or sometimes hostile interpretations and political directions. This study approaches the interpretation of the “Squid Game” as a problem of affective politics that arises between the simplicity of text and the complex system of biomediated bodies intervening in the generation of interpretation. In addition, this is linked not only to the interpretation of the text of “Squid Game” but also to the analysis of the unique affective politics of a platform called Netflix. Netflix is based on a system that recommends works based on the user's associated response, and the operating system itself modulates the user's emotions. Jeongdong coordination is not only a system but also a major feature of Netflix content, especially text that has recently risen to the top. This study does not aim only at interpreting the Squid Game. “Squid Game” is an example of the process in which the “Me Too Era” was transferred to content and became the dominant flow in the global cultural industry market, and how the exclusions and reactions to it are formed in content production. In other words, it is an example of a transnational anti-feminist backlash trend. The global feminist trend, symbolized by “Me Too,” has brought about a major change in the production of literature and cultural texts. In particular, the cultural trend of criticizing gas lighting and exclusing gas lighting narratives as female-subjected narratives has become a global trend. In the United States and Europe, these narratives were also called domainic noir. Netflix has also become a major platform for producing and distributing domainic noir according to the context of each region. Domestic Noir was also a narrative style that fits Netflix's service and viewing style very well. “Squid Game” exclusively introduced the globally popular DOMESTIC NOIR as a game narrative of a middle-aged male Gajang, trapped in a closed control environment. In this narrative appropriation process, the negative reaction to feminism is also composed of narrative units. As a basic work to examine transnational anti-feminist backlash and changes in Korean content, this paper first examines the viewing pattern of transnational television viewing and the politics of affect surrounding the Squid Game.