Nabila, a 21-year-old university student from Semarang, Central Java, routinely posts compilation videos of heart-fluttering and tear-evoking scenes from the K-dramas she has watched to her 249,000 TikTok followers. Her K-drama dedicated account has accumulated more than 1.5 million likes so far.

"I'd wait for an ongoing K-drama [series] every day. I also watch old K-dramas. I can spend four to five hours watching them," said Nabila.

"I have loved K-dramas since I was a child, and I have watched a lot of them [because] they have more interesting stories, not to mention they have better quality acting by the actresses and actors."

Siti is a 28-year-old makeup artist and mother from Purwokerto, Central Java. She curates a K-drama fan account on Instagram under the handle @@infodrakorterbaru. There, she would routinely post updates on new episodes, releases and information relating to K-drama actors and actresses.

Siti started watching K-dramas in 2004, after finding out most of its comedy suits her taste.

Hadissa is a 28-year-old talent operation specialist in Jakarta. As with many other Indonesian fans, her passion for South Korean soap operas stems from their relatable charm.

"One thing that I think is most common and stands out from Korean dramas is [the message of] hard work to achieve something. In almost every show, there are always characters who are fighting for their lives or dreams. That inspires me to work harder."

Addicted and can’t stop watching

K-dramas have caused an undeniable pop culture craze in Indonesia. Twitter's 2020 #KpopTwitter report placed Indonesia on top of its Markets Tweeting About K-pop Ranked by Tweet Volume list, indicating a large presence of K-culture fans in the country and the high engagement between them and the material.

Some fans, like Hadissa, would go so far as to spend the majority of their day watching K-drama.

Hadissa said she used to spend five to six hours binge-watching as a K-drama novice in 2014.

"When I first picked up Korean dramas, I honestly was too obsessed. I spent too much time watching them. I even stayed up late and missed school. I was so obsessed to the point that I even made a list of dramas I must watch and felt like I was being chased by a deadline to watch them."

Hadissa said she finally felt at a certain point that she had “no life of [her] own".

“Because I watched dramas almost every day, I would ‘enter’ the stories and the characters, and think about the conflicts they face and how to resolve them. [I would] share the emotions in each scene, I felt like I was no longer living in the real world."

A lifestyle: Hadissa Primanda used to spend up to six hours a day watching K-dramas. (JP/Courtesy of Hadissa Primanda)

She realized it was too much for her and decided she had to call it quits.

"In 2018, I decided to do a K-drama detox and for almost one year, I didn't watch any shows at all — maybe only one or two [episodes] a year.”

At the peak of her adoration, Hadissan would watch three or four ongoing dramas in succession each week.

"Since then, I have become more in control. I can reduce my watching time, then engage in other activities that are more useful for my personal life."

Hadissa now only spends two to three hours on weekend watching K-dramas.

Siti conceded that she also used to binge-watch.

"Now, I just watch one episode a day for about an hour," she said.

She decided to stop because it also started to interfere with her life.

"I'm a housewife, a mother and a makeup artist. [Binge-watching] takes all of my time, which is better spent on doing chores. But it didn't affect my relationship with my husband."

Regardless, Siti did not entirely stop watching because she has a popular fan account to run, like Nabila. After all, it's become a side job now.

"I'm a business person, so after seeing that a lot of people like K-dramas, I started to make the connection. I thought that if I create an account, maybe I could use it to accept paid promotions. The side money is enough to keep me going."

Siti's account has thousands of followers and a high engagement rate, making it attractive for advertisers and businesses alike.

Nabila also plans to do the same. She will keep running her TikTok accounts, which have given her a little bit of side income.

"I will still watch K-drama because I think I'm still realistic [on perceiving life in general]."

Escapism

Based on a 2016 survey conducted by Jakpat, an online survey platform, 72.72 percent of respondents found K-drama addicting because of the storyline, 51.82 percent were hooked because they felt happy watching them and 46.73 percent said they were reeled in because they liked the actors.

"In addition, it is necessary to look at the perspective of why viewers who are obsessed with K-drama tend to binge-watch," said Anissa Rezy Lestyana, a psychologist working in a private clinic in Tabalong, South Kalimantan.

"Binge-watching is a way to 'escape' from everyday stress. When we binge-watch, the brain releases dopamine, one of the hormones that make us feel happy, which makes us feel like we want to keep doing and repeating the behavior. This is one of the factors that cause us to want to continue watching."

Big fan: Siti SoliahSiti started watching K-dramas in 2004, after finding out most of its comedy suits her taste. (JP/Courtesy of Siti Soliah )

Siti, whose favorite genre is comedy, said she watches K-dramas because they entertained her. Meanwhile, Nabila, who prefers romance, fantasy and action, said, "Sometimes, I learn something that I didn’t know about, and sometimes I get inspired from the show."

Anissa weighed in about the positives and negatives of binge-watching K-dramas. Positively speaking, she believes it will entertain the viewers and inspire them and even raise awareness about several issues, such as mental health issues.

"Excessively watching K-dramas will also disrupt one's daily life, however. Irregular eating or sleeping patterns can be expected," the psychologist said.

She added that the obsession might also lead to financial ruin.

"Of course, anything in excess is not good, especially if this obsession interferes with your daily life. Good self-control is needed so that the audience can still balance their responsibilities and leisure."

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