This study ventures into a new realm of research, delving into the influence of social media influencers (SMIs) in Brazil in promoting transnational migration based on popular culture, specifically Hallyu. We are particularly interested in the potential of these SMIs to engage in socially impactful for-profit activities that could significantly influence female empowerment and self-esteem. Our research questions specifically focus on the role of Hallyu SMIs in Brazil in encouraging their followers to migrate to Korea and how they are fostering gender empowerment by building communities and networks among women. We will also explore how their new media role is shaping social subversion in Brazil among female and LGBTQ+ communities on the one hand and encouraging radical migration to Korea in search of the ‘safest’ haven for women on the other. Using grounded theory, we aim to replace the less relevant concepts of ‘commercial endorsing’ and ‘social comparison’ in Hallyu migration with ‘radical female migration’. Our unique contribution to literature is to demonstrate how pop culture can catalyse underrepresented populations toward radical female migration.
Oh et al. (Mon,) studied this question.