Report on the extent of kpop’s presence in /hr/

Report on the extent of kpop’s presence in /hr/

Method and Data
Various data was collected over the course of three 24-hour periods on May 23, 24, and 25 of 2013. The data collected included the number of posts made in three kpop threads (SNSD, KPG and Darth’s), the number of posts in non-kpop (referred to hereafter as other) threads as a group (i.e. not individually thread-by-thread but collectively), the number of threads in /hr/ that were posted in during the studied time period, and the total number of posts made in the board. That data was recorded in a table and additional statistics were then created from it. These additional statistics included the average number of posts made in each other thread (because acquiring the real number of posts made in each and every thread that wasn’t kpop would have been impractical), and the percentage of activity on /hr/ that posts from kpop threads and other threads composed. The statistics were added to the data table, which can be viewed here: http://imgur.com/a/mtva7#0

Results
The data paints a fairly clear picture of the disproportionately large presence of kpop in /hr/. It’s rather staggering to compare the average posts for any of the kpop threads to the average posts of the other threads. For a visual depiction of this comparison, a bar graph can be viewed here: http://i.imgur.com/vwDhB30.png. For example, the data tells us there are 2740.6% more posts in the average SNSD (196) thread than the average other thread (6.9). Even Darth’s thread, by far the least active of the three kpop threads , is still 653.6% more active, with 52 posts per day, than the average other thread. The post totals are similarly astounding, considering that we’re comparing three threads to the entire rest of the board. These three surpassed the other threads combined two of the three days studied (Sunday May 25 was the exception) as well as in the three-day total sum. Looking at /hr/ composition by percentage, the kpop threads represent an average of 51.2% of the board – a slim majority, but an impressive number nonetheless. The significance of a majority board share is best described visually. Five pie charts were created and can be viewed here: http://imgur.com/a/e0Uaf. The first three show relative board share for each 24-hour period studied. The fourth shows the averaged total for all three days. Finally, the fifth pie chart demonstrates an approximation of what it might look like if every active thread on /hr/ were included as a separate slice. That last chart especially demonstrates more than could be put in words how large a presence kpop has in /hr/.

Analysis and Conclusion
Clearly, kpop dominates the board. Sorting the catalog by Reply Count and Last Reply on any given day will confirm as much. Not only do each of the three kpop threads experience more activity than every individual other thread, but out of the ~165 total threads and on average ~70 that are active on any one day, those three alone represent a majority of the posts made in /hr/. If kpop disappeared from the board, the resulting vacuum would be extremely noticeable; /hr/’s ~1000 posts per day would be cut in half. Therefore, a formal conclusion can be made that the extent of kpop’s presence on /hr/ is both widespread and deep-rooted. The greater implications of such a conclusion suggest that kpop has become an integral part of not only the board’s composition, but its community and culture as well.

Disclosure
There is one bit of disclosure necessary for a third variable that could have affected the data. During the course of the study, the KPG thread experienced multiple deletions and recreations for unclear reasons. While every effort was made to record the number of posts in each thread, even if it only lasted a few hours, the total posts in the KPG may either be inflated or deflated as a result. Inflation is possible because of the large number of image posts made at the beginning of each thread as is custom and required on /hr/. Additionally, the excitement and frustration of threads being deleted may have caused more non-image activity than normal, as well. However, deflation is another (though much less likely) possibility that could be the result of several gaps in time between when a thread was deleted and when a new one was created, gaps that by their nature imply gaps in posting [Edit: To clarify, these gaps when they occurred were minor and in all likelihood had a negligible effect on the data; still, it is prudent to identify and disclose the possibility of a spurious variable when practical, even if unlikely]. In addition, there were several self-reports of posters leaving the KPG until the problem with the thread was resolved, which could have reduced the number of posts made.
The question, then, is whether the above conclusion could be erroneous as a consequence of any inaccurate data from KPG. The likely answer is no. There is a safe assumption that even if KPG’s numbers were adjusted to reflect a more “normal” thread, the conclusion that kpop dominates /hr/ would remain the same. For that conclusion not to hold would require such an adjustment tantamount to removing that thread entirely and then some.  Put another way, the disproportion between kpop threads and other threads is so dramatic (see above bar graph and pie chart), that even overly liberal adjustments wouldn’t account for more than a dent. In short, the conclusion is safe.

Tl;dr
Half of all the posts made in /hr/ come from three kpop threads.

Visuals referenced above
Data Table: http://imgur.com/a/mtva7#0
Bar graph showing post disparity between kpop and other threads: http://i.imgur.com/vwDhB30.png
Pie charts showing percentage board share: http://imgur.com/a/e0Uaf