Revisited the dream society

Abstract

The Korean wave has been expanding at an unprecedented rate across the world. As an emerging issue that started from the late 1990’s, noticeable evidences present that Korean wave recently has become a global megatrend. Discourses to explain this transnational cultural phenomenon has been made from numerous researchers, but not many significant attempts have been made to interpret the Korea wave in the perspective of social change. In this respect, this paper attempts to explain the success of the Korea wave from the perspective of technological determinism and social change theory. To begin with, it identifies the key driving force that led the Korea wave to the global megatrend. Then, it presents evidences that the Korea wave phenomenon is a sign of a social change leading from hunting and gathering, agricultural, industrial, information to a Dream society which was claimed by futurist Rolf Jensen. Finally, through the ‘four generic alternative futures’ method of the Manoa School at the University of Hawaii, it explores the Korea waves alternative scenarios of ‘growth’, ‘collapse’, ‘conserved’, ‘transform’ and suggest strategies to realize the preferred future of the Korea wave.