Memes,gatekeepers,and the dynamics of viral K-pop diffusion on YouTube: Analyzing user engagement and network structures

Abstract

YouTube’s multilayered ecology enables K-pop virality to evolve from grassroots remix to corporate-driven promotion; however, how the meso-level interplay between gatekeepers and memes shapes user engagement remains under-explored. To bridge this gap, we applied an integrated media consumption/choice theoretical approach and a rhizome perspective to commenter-overlap networks for four COVID-era hits—Rollin’, After LIKE, Attention, and Event Horizon. We then estimated exponential random graph models to contrast top-down promotion with bottom-up sharing. Three key findings emerged. First, mid-tier channels act as decisive brokers. Situated between entertainment mega-channels and grassroots creators, they fuse otherwise disconnected subnetworks, a capacity that scales with event magnitude and drives mass virality. Second, meme genres foster engagement, but do so homophilously: commenter overlaps concentrate within the same meme type, confirming that memes are catalysts of participatory rather than top-down, diffusion. Third, traffic is asymmetrical: links probabilities rise when users move from memes to mid-tier channels, but not vice versa, indicating that meme communities pull attention inward rather than gatekeepers pushing it outward. The results show that K-pop visibility is continuously negotiated between platform-level concentration anchored by elite hubs and rhizomatic diversification orchestrated by meme-driven mid-tier actors. By refining political-economy accounts of algorithmic dominance, the study offers empirical evidence for policy aimed at safeguarding cultural diversity within platform-dominated music industries.