Dr. Jun Lee of Hanyang University Presents Study at the 5th International Conference on Media Science & Digital Communication 2025

Hanyang University announced on November 20 that Dr. Jun Lee, PhD in Culture Contents and lecturer in the Department of Culture Contents at Hanyang University ERICA, presented his research titled “Mediating Effect of Funnel Content Condition on Fan Conversion: The Case of ILLIT’s ‘Magnetic’ Short-Form” at The 5th International Conference on Media Science & Digital Communication 2025 (MSDC 2025), held November 20–21 at the Ambassador Hotel Bangkok in Thailand.

MSDC 2025, themed “Media and Communication in a World Reimagined,” is an international academic conference that explores how digital technologies and shifting communication environments are reshaping media use and social interaction. The conference was co-chaired by Prof. Wang Changsong, Dean at Xiamen University Malaysia, and Prof. Kenneth Chi Ho Kim of Hanyang University ERICA, with Isanka P. Gamage, Managing Director of TIIKM, serving as conference convener.

In his presentation, Dr. Lee demonstrated empirically that unplanned viewing on algorithm-driven short-form platforms such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels may generate initial awareness and interest, but does not directly lead to fan conversion. He explained that “unplanned viewing can create awareness, but the factor that drives conversion is the Funnel Content Condition (FCC).”

Dr. Lee described the FCC as a structural condition that shapes user behavior in the short-form environment, “much like how market conditions—such as pricing, supply, and demand—determine consumer behavior.” In short-form ecosystems, he emphasized, internal content cues—including emotional triggers, immersion, and participatory affordances—serve as the core environmental factors that determine whether viewers transition from accidental exposure to actual fan-like behavior. Thus, content-internal design, rather than exposure alone, becomes the decisive mechanism guiding behavioral change.

The study analyzed how unplanned viewing leads to fan conversion only when mediated by the FCC, using ILLIT’s highly viral 2024 short-form content “Magnetic” as the focal case. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was conducted on data from 100 Korean adults who had viewed “Magnetic” short-form videos, and all analyses—including factor analysis, reliability and validity testing, discriminant validity, bootstrapped mediation testing, and multi-group analysis based on fan status—were completed using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 25.0.

Results showed that unplanned viewing had a significant positive effect on the FCC (β = .610, p < .001), and the FCC in turn had a strong positive effect on fan conversion (β = .871, p < .001). Unplanned viewing alone did not directly influence fan conversion (β = –.140, ns). Bootstrapping confirmed that only the indirect pathway—from unplanned viewing to fan conversion through the FCC—was statistically significant, with an indirect effect of .531 and a 95% confidence interval of [.386, .736], thereby establishing full mediation.

A moderation analysis showed that the direct pathway from unplanned viewing to fan conversion was significant only among existing fans (fans: β = .509, p < .001 / non-fans: β = –.186, ns). In contrast, the FCC → fan conversion pathway was significant for both fans and non-fans, confirming that the FCC functions as the core driver of conversion across all audience segments. The findings collectively indicate that the initial awareness created by algorithmic exposure leads to fan behavior only when strong FCC elements are present, demonstrating that content design is a more decisive factor than exposure itself on short-form platforms.

According to Dr. Lee, “short-form content compresses the AIDA model—Attention, Interest, Desire, Action—into just a few seconds. Because of that compression, internal hooks, emotional immersion, replayability, and participation cues ultimately determine whether viewers move toward fan conversion.” He added that the viral spread of ILLIT’s “Magnetic” especially among non-fans illustrates the strength of the FCC mechanism and offers valuable insight for future K-pop digital marketing and fan acquisition strategies.

This study is considered academically and industrially significant for identifying the structural role of short-form content in digital fandom formation and for defining the design conditions necessary for algorithmic exposure to translate into actual fan conversion. Hanyang University noted that it plans to support follow-up research comparing funnel content conditions across platforms and genres.