온라인 적대 담론의 형성 기제와 정동의 재배치 : ˂인어공주˃ 수용자의 문화적 소외감을 중심으로

초록

Using the online controversy surrounding Disney’s live-action film The Little Mermaid (2023) as a case study, this research explores how audience backlash against Political Correctness (PC) discourse and casting changes is organized through the language of ‘cultural alienation’ and ‘original source fundamentalism,’ eventually solidifying into collective hostile discourse. Drawing on Nietzsche’s concept of ‘ressentiment’ as a conceptual framework and affect theory as an analytical foundation, this study systematically illuminates the transformational process by which minor subjective grievances of audiences are transmuted into critical discourse cloaked in moral justification within the unique environment of online platforms. For this analysis, qualitative discourse analysis was conducted on top comments from official YouTube trailers and posts/comments from Efem Korea during the peak of the controversy (September 2022 to June 2023). The key findings are as follows: First, the departure from the traditional visual image of the Little Mermaid was expressed through discourses of ‘infringement on memory and identity’ and ‘reverse discrimination,’ transcending mere aesthetic preference. This confirms that the cultural alienation experienced by individual audiences operates as a core point where ressentiment-driven dissatisfaction manifests. Second, these fragmented affects are reorganized through the creation of parodies, memes, and fake narratives on YouTube, and the repetition of recommendations and fragmented appropriation of professional criticism on Efem Korea. In this process, ‘individual discomfort’ is rearranged into a collective affect of ‘justified communal anger’ through algorithmic reinforcement and community solidarity. Third, ‘original source fundamentalism’ functions as a key rhetoric that converts racial aversion into ethical legitimacy under the guise of ‘aesthetic historical accuracy’ and ‘preservation of the original.’ This discourse, intertwined with external information such as foreign media reports and fake news, solidifies into an ideology that rationalizes itself as a ‘common-sense act of resistance against enforced PC.’ This study proposes a three-stage model of ‘Emergence of Utterance → Rearrangement of Affect → Justification of Original Source Fundamentalism,’ illustrating the specific mechanism by which ressentiment is structured into ‘rationalized hate’ in the digital environment. By framing contemporary online hate discourse not as an impulsive emotional expression but as a systematically organized discursive act, this study provides a conceptual foundation for the formation of a healthy media public sphere in the future.

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