Squid Game: The Hall of Screens in the Age of Platform Cosmopolitanism
The nine-episode Korean-language series Squid Game became a global sensation immediately upon its premiere on Netflix in September 2021. The show’s popularity and critical acclaim in the anglophone world had been unprecedented for a non-English series. This review provides a symptomatic reading of S...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Michigan Publishing
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Global Storytelling |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/gs/article/id/4156/ |
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| author | Mei Mingxue Nan |
| author_facet | Mei Mingxue Nan |
| author_sort | Mei Mingxue Nan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The nine-episode Korean-language series Squid Game became a global sensation immediately upon its premiere on Netflix in September 2021. The show’s popularity and critical acclaim in the anglophone world had been unprecedented for a non-English series. This review provides a symptomatic reading of Squid Game’s global success and a short analysis of its visual appeal. It also explores the tension between Squid Game’s smooth and flat aesthetics that enables the show to travel and the culturally specific contexts it references. Some argue that the aesthetics lead to an ahistorical and superficial cultural understanding that overlooks the complexities of Korea’s history and US imperialism. Others argue that they challenge cultural hierarchies and democratize interactions. This reflects a broader challenge of balancing global accessibility with cultural specificity faced by East Asian serial dramas in the era of global streaming services. This review concludes by highlighting the role of platform cosmopolitanism in bridging cultural and linguistic barriers in meaningful ways. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-754a512e4a094e87b0936c8ed3d93d25 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2769-4941 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Michigan Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Storytelling |
| spelling | doaj-art-754a512e4a094e87b0936c8ed3d93d252025-08-20T01:52:41ZengMichigan PublishingGlobal Storytelling2769-49412023-07-013110.3998/gs.4156Squid Game: The Hall of Screens in the Age of Platform CosmopolitanismMei Mingxue Nan0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9789-2268Comparative Literature, Harvard UniversityThe nine-episode Korean-language series Squid Game became a global sensation immediately upon its premiere on Netflix in September 2021. The show’s popularity and critical acclaim in the anglophone world had been unprecedented for a non-English series. This review provides a symptomatic reading of Squid Game’s global success and a short analysis of its visual appeal. It also explores the tension between Squid Game’s smooth and flat aesthetics that enables the show to travel and the culturally specific contexts it references. Some argue that the aesthetics lead to an ahistorical and superficial cultural understanding that overlooks the complexities of Korea’s history and US imperialism. Others argue that they challenge cultural hierarchies and democratize interactions. This reflects a broader challenge of balancing global accessibility with cultural specificity faced by East Asian serial dramas in the era of global streaming services. This review concludes by highlighting the role of platform cosmopolitanism in bridging cultural and linguistic barriers in meaningful ways.https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/gs/article/id/4156/Squid GameGlobal Streaming ServicesK-dramaSurveillance and SpectatorshipPlatform Cosmopolitanism |
| spellingShingle | Mei Mingxue Nan Squid Game: The Hall of Screens in the Age of Platform Cosmopolitanism Global Storytelling Squid Game Global Streaming Services K-drama Surveillance and Spectatorship Platform Cosmopolitanism |
| title | Squid Game: The Hall of Screens in the Age of Platform Cosmopolitanism |
| title_full | Squid Game: The Hall of Screens in the Age of Platform Cosmopolitanism |
| title_fullStr | Squid Game: The Hall of Screens in the Age of Platform Cosmopolitanism |
| title_full_unstemmed | Squid Game: The Hall of Screens in the Age of Platform Cosmopolitanism |
| title_short | Squid Game: The Hall of Screens in the Age of Platform Cosmopolitanism |
| title_sort | squid game the hall of screens in the age of platform cosmopolitanism |
| topic | Squid Game Global Streaming Services K-drama Surveillance and Spectatorship Platform Cosmopolitanism |
| url | https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/gs/article/id/4156/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT meimingxuenan squidgamethehallofscreensintheageofplatformcosmopolitanism |