How to hard sell China's soft power
A South Korean music video, Gangnam Style, has become a global rage. Even UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reportedly tried singer Psy's dance steps at the UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday. The music video (MV) has been viewed more than 530 million times on YouTube since it was released in mid-July and is the top-ranked single on iTunes in 35 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Belgium.
It's a different matter that most of the people around the world are not familiar with singer Psy and don't understand the lyrics that satirize the extravagant lifestyle of South Korea's upper class. That the funny horse-riding dance in the MV has drawn a large number of people to the Internet carnival is not so important either.
Social networking has played a vital role in popularizing Gangnam Style. The MV was not a big success on the Internet when it was released. It drew the wider audience's attention only after pop star Justin Bieber's manager Scooter Braun and rapper T-pain praised it. Subsequently, celebrities such as Britney Spears, Anne Hathaway, Katy Perry and Tom Cruise recommended it on Twitter, and the MV soon became another case of viral communication on the Internet. The MV has also inspired local versions.
