B. K-Fashion and Technology-Driven Globalization in the Philippine Setting

Abstract

K-fashion is a manifestation of technology-driven globalization. Globalization, or the process of acrossborders interaction and integration, has been fueled by modern advancements in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Popular culture, of which K-pop would be a good example, is a manifestation of this process. It is likewise fueled by technology, by the internet, by online means of acquiring data. In this globalized age, ICT is an open source of information on the rise and fall of K-pop groups. The access—to these information—that they give also reflects their role in the actual rise and fall of these global groups. In the Philippine setting, technology-driven globalization manifests in popular culture only indirectly. This process of interaction and integration can be visibly seen in the more wearable and more tangible products of K-fashion. With the internet providing means to download free music and videos, Filipinos can instead use their resources to shop for clothes, in both physical stalls and online stores. As a third-world country, the Philippines finds itself not far above the modified poverty-line called the wash-line. Despite this, however, they manage to innovate and find creative ways to participate—become active receivers—of the process that continuously connects the technological world.