On 4 June 2026, from 17.30 to 19.00, at the University of Latvia House of Science, Auditorium 203 (Jelgavas iela 3, Riga), Associate Professor at the Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok), Dr. Waraporn Chatratichart, will deliver a lecture titled “‘The Rhetoric of ‘Relatable Labor’: T-Pop, K-Pop, and the Informal Economy of Fandom as a Soft Power Instrument.” All interested participants are welcome to attend!
“In this lecture, I will analyse how global pop culture phenomena such as T-Pop (Thai popular music) and K-Pop (South Korean popular music) transform fan engagement into a powerful and often invisible form of cultural labour,” says Assistant Professor Waraporn Chatratichart. “From idol reality shows to fan-generated content, I will demonstrate how emotional engagement is mobilised in the construction of national image and the promotion of tourism.”
In the contemporary digital environment, the interaction between popular culture and nation branding has shifted from centralised communication to a participatory, experience-based rhetoric. The visiting lecturer will discuss how idol reality shows—particularly the Thai series “Bussing Thailand” featuring the group “BUS (Because of You I Shine)”—as well as global K-Pop phenomena such as BTS performances of “Arirang” in Seoul, contribute to a new discourse of cultural production.
Drawing on Neo-Aristotelian rhetoric and Parasocial Interaction theory, Assistant Professor Chatratichart will analyse how idols are positioned not only as professional performers, but also as “accessible” and informal cultural ambassadors who bridge general tourism narratives with emotional engagement. At the same time, this form of “soft power” is largely sustained by invisible and informal fan labour.
In connection with the PRELAB project’s focus on informal labour, the author argues that fans act as “buzz drivers,” performing unpaid promotional and creative work—such as user-generated content (UGC) production and digital promotion—that sustains both the idols’ public ethos and the host nation’s destination image. The lecture will invite discussion on the precarity and emotional investment inherent in this informal “fan labour,” as well as how digital platforms leverage emotional bonds to advance national economic goals while blurring the boundaries between work and leisure in the pop music industry.
Dr. Waraporn Chatratichart is visiting the University of Latvia with the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Staff Exchange programme under the European Union’s “Horizon Europe” programme (grant: PRELAB, project No. 101129940).
, who will examine the use of pop culture idols as a form of “soft power” in shaping national image and advancing national economic objectives.){kind=link}