Page 109 . Volume 13, Issue 2 November 2016 Developing identities: Gossip Girl, fan activities, and online fan community in Korea Hyunji Lee, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA Abstract: Since the introduction of the Internet, young peoples exposure to international media has increased dramatically. While the precise impact of this media consumption is subject to deďate, it is appaƌeŶt that the ŵedia ĐoŶtƌiďute to LJouŶg peoples eǀolǀiŶg seŶse of identity. This article focuses on non-WesteƌŶ LJouŶg peoples eŶgageŵeŶt ǁith oŶliŶe faŶ culture of American media, including digital practices, communities, and identities they are building, to understand the shift in engagement from television to online screens that are more participatory and collaborative. Through an ethnographic analysis of the Korean online fan community of Gossip Girl, this study shows that the community provides young Koreans with opportunities to construct powerful identities as sophisticated learners and knowledgeable participants in the global culture. Keywords: Online fandom, Media globalization, American media, Korean fan culture, Identity, Fansubbing, Hybridity, Language, Cultural Capital Introduction Today, young people grow up in a world saturated with media that impact various aspects of their lives more so than any other outside influence in history. Particularly, their exposure to global media has increased dramatically since the introduction of the Internet that has literally no boundary of a country (Black, 2008, 2009; Jenkins, Ford, & Green, 2013; Kraidy, 2003; Leaver, 2008; Lee, 2011; Vellar, 2011). While the precise impact of this media consumption and engagement is subject to debate, it is apparent that media is one of the most influential agents of soĐializatioŶ that ĐoŶtƌiďutes to LJouŶg peoples eǀolǀiŶg seŶse of identity, and knowledge of, the wider world (Goodman, 2003; Mazzarella, 2005). The influence of global media may be particularly salient in young people (Jensen, 2003),