Leiden University Student Repository

Lefering, Isa (2023)

Where online and offline spaces meet: The South Korean PC bang as a third place

Bachelor thesis | Koreastudies (BA)

This work looks at the South Korean PC bang in the theoretical framework based upon the third place theory created by Ray Oldenburg. After an introduction to the PC bang, their role in contemporary South Korea will be explained by comparing them to the characteristics described in the third place theory. Numbers on the PC bang visitors were gained from official records from KOCCA (Korea Creative Content Agency). The research was done in two parts. First, a survey was deployed through online South Korean communities to find data on people’s feelings about the PC bang, and second, personal observations on the Korean PC bang were added. My conclusion is that the PC bang does not fully comply with the third place theory as set by Oldenburg, but that it provides a new form of third place. By bringing both the online and offline space in one place together, it gives way to new forms of socializing, for which revision of the original third place theory is necessary.

PC bang

Third place theory

Oldenburg

South Korea

Social spaces

Author

Lefering, Isa

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Supervisors

Green, C.K.

ECTS Credits

10

Language

en