I don't agree exactly with this. People in the west need to use VPNs to bypass bans, Chinese do too. Choice is said to be done of free will, but what is free will, and if you don't think outside influences can affect it, I disagree. If I have a subscription to videos, I am being given an illusion of choice, they are serving me what they choose for me, that is the same effect in China. Spotify, Apple, Pandora, Deezer, and Youtube are made of algorithms that give you their choices, you don't really have a choice, and now that YT took away dislike, its harder to even affect it.

>Put another way, Americans listen to K-pop and watch Parasite because it's good and they want to.

People listen to kpop because its played everywhere, its recommended in playlists, others play it, not because its good or they want to.