Pop Culture Pulse Aug 25: KPop Demon Hunters, Instagram Maps & Neutrogena’s Steamy Stories
Our Pop Culture Pulse is a monthly download of the buzziest cultural developments, emerging fandoms and audience trends. This month, we’re looking at how KPop Demon Hunters, Netflix’s smash-hit musical animation film, is inspiring a devoted fandom, why some users are reacting with worry and frustration at Instagram’s new Maps feature, and how Neutrogena is confidently stepping into #steamybookTok with its own short stories.
Entertainment: Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters’ Music & Magic Win Devoted Fanbase
Social Media & Internet Culture: Instagram Maps Pushes Limits of Location-Sharing Socials
Publishing & Broadcasting: Neutrogena’s Steamy Wattpad Literary Strategy
Netflix’s musical animated feature KPop Demon Hunters (KPDH), a mythology-inspired tale of Korean pop stars fighting monsters, has become a smash hit. As well as drawing devotees from K-pop and anime fandoms, the film is charming adults and children with its original world-building, signalling the space for new, culturally attuned stories on a crowded entertainment roster.
Netflix’s musical animated feature KPop Demon Hunters (KPDH), a mythology-inspired tale of Korean pop stars fighting monsters, has become a smash hit. As well as drawing devotees from K-pop and anime fandoms, the film is charming adults and children with its original world-building, signalling the space for new, culturally attuned stories on a crowded entertainment roster.
Summary
Entertainment: Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters’ Music & Magic Win Devoted Fanbase | Netflix’s musical animated feature KPop Demon Hunters (KPDH), a mythology-inspired tale of Korean pop stars fighting monsters, has become a smash hit. As well as drawing devotees from K-pop and anime fandoms, the film is charming adults and children with its original world-building, signalling the space for new, culturally attuned stories on a crowded entertainment roster. |
Social Media & Internet Culture: Instagram Maps Pushes Limits of Location-Sharing Socials | Meta’s new Map feature lets US Instagram users share and view their and friends’ live and previous locations. But thanks to old, pre-Maps location tags, even users who opt out of the feature say they’re finding themselves publicly visible on the new map, leading to concerns about safety and sparking another round of discourse about what users want from their social media platforms. |
Publishing & Broadcasting: Neutrogena’s Steamy Wattpad Literary Strategy | Tapping into internet culture’s immense appetite for sultry romantic fiction – as of August 2025 TikTok’s #steamybooktok hashtag has more 4.7bn views (WWD, 2025) – US skincare brand Neutrogena has partnered with American writer and actor Serena Kerrigan to promote its recently-launched Collagen Bank Serum via a series of short romance stories on Canadian self-publishing platform Wattpad. |
Pop Culture Pulse Aug 25: KPop Demon Hunters, Instagram Maps & Neutrogena’s Steamy Stories
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