This paper theorises ‘transculturing’ as a framework for understanding how cultural meanings are imaginatively reworked through fandom in the age of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). Drawing on the concepts of small culture (Holliday, 1999) and moment analysis (Li, 2011), transculturing conceptualises culture as a situated process that emerges in specific communicative moments where linguistic and semiotic resources are orchestrated to remake cultural meaning. The framework introduces two complementary mechanisms: transcultural imaginativity, the capacity to envision alternative cultural possibilities across contexts, and transcultural productivity, the semiotic labour through which these possibilities are materialised, circulated, and shared. Inspired by fandom as a humanistic and communal practice, this perspective moves beyond conventional human–computer or human–machine dyads towards a relational ecology of human–community–machine assemblages, in which cultural production emerges from interactions between individuals, networked communities, and algorithmic systems.
Empirically, the study examines fan reinterpretations of the Netflix series Squid Game within the global Korean Wave (Hallyu) mediascape. Using a combination of digital discourse analysis and multimodal discourse analysis, the study focuses on Instagram Reels circulating after the release of the series’ second season, where fans remix and reinterpret the series through humour, parody, cultural stereotypes, queer meme culture, and low-budget recreations. Particular attention is given to GenAI-enabled practices such as deepfake performances, AI-generated voice covers, and algorithmic remixes that insert new linguistic, cultural, and political contexts into the original series. These practices illustrate how GenAI expands the semiotic range, speed, and accessibility of fan productivity while also complicating questions of creativity, authenticity, and ethics.
The paper argues that transculturing offers a useful lens for understanding participatory culture in the GenAI era. Cultural meaning emerges not solely from individual human creators but from assemblages in which human intention, community circulation, and algorithmic systems jointly shape cultural production. These practices illustrate transculturing as a dynamic negotiation between imaginative projection and practical semiotic work.