A Study on the Global Reception of Squid Game : Focusing on IMDb Audience Reviews

This study investigates, on an empirical basis, why the global success of Squid Game (2021) was possible by collecting and analyzing audience reviews posted on IMDb (Internet Movie Database) as textual data. To identify recurrent tendencies in global viewers’ responses, the study applies five complementary text-mining methods: (1) frequency analysis, (2) TF–IDF analysis, (3) similarity analysis, (4) keyword network analysis, and (5) topic modeling (LDA). Focusing specifically on high-rating reviews on IMDb, the findings suggest that the worldwide popularity of Squid Game cannot be attributed solely to the series’ perceived quality. Rather, viewers’ evaluations were also shaped by multiple interacting factors, including a narrative structure that encourages binge-watching and the reception conditions that enabled such viewing practices—most notably the pandemic-era media environment and platform-related accessibility features such as dubbing and subtitles. In sum, the study highlights how textual appeal and platform-mediated reception contexts jointly contribute to the global circulation and valuation of OTT series.