Rethinking National Narratives Through Genetic Ancestry Reveal Videos

Since the completion of the Human Genome Project at the beginning of the 21st century, interest in genetic testing has skyrocketed worldwide. In the past few years in particular, people have been fascinated by the possibility of tracing one’s ancestry or lineage. This paper continues the work started by Leah Lowthorp in her study of genetic ancestry performance among YouTubers in the United States by examining such performances among YouTubers in Korea. The paper begins by examining some of the problems with using genetic testing to trace ancestry, but as this study is primarily interested in beliefs regarding genetics, ethnicity, race, identity, and other issues, the focus is on the vernacular performances and narratives of the YouTubers rather than the veracity of the test results. After a brief introduction to the thirty videos examined in the study, the paper addresses five research questions. 1) What authority do YouTubers attribute to the results of their genetic ancestry tests? As was seen with YouTubers in the United States, YouTubers in Korea also perceived the genetic ancestry tests to be “objective” and “scientific.” 2) What role did the genetic tests results play in the (re)formation of identity? While YouTubers in Korea did recognize the authority of the tests, unlike YouTubers in the United States, they generally placed more importance on national and family narratives regarding ancestry and did not attempt to create new identities for themselves. This seems to be connected to 3) Is the theory of an ethnically homogeneous nation still valid in Korea? Since genetics revealed that there is no such thing as a “100% pure” Korean, people have tended to redefine this theory rather than discarding it completely. That is, someone with only East Asian DNA is now considered to be a member of the ethnically homogeneous nation. 4) Can racial or ethnic essentialism be found in the reactions to the genetic tests? Seeing that YouTubers did equate DNA to “blood” and link DNA to “ethnic characteristics,” it is clear that there is indeed essentialist thinking to be found. 5) What sort of influence do institutions have on these vernacular expressions? While it is true that the YouTubers exhibited essentialist thinking, institutional forces such as the genetic testing companies, the media, and the platform of YouTube itself played a role in encouraging such thinking. This does not necessarily mean that these vernacular expressions have been disempowered, merely that they must be recognized as existing in a hybrid relationship with the institutional.