What are the problematic characteristics of current K-pop "fandom"? Would it be possible for idols to begin implementing a different relationship dynamic with their fans, and if so, how?
K-pop fandoms are intense. While fandoms in general do a great job showing love and support to their idols, K-pop fandoms especially go the extra mile to show their love and support, so that they can gain recognition, whether it be through jogong (tributes, for example, buying gifts for idols or a truck selling drinks and refreshments for the crew of a drama set the idol is starring in) or doing acts of service in the name of the idol (tree-planting, rice donation etc.), as we have learned during class. However, this love and support can end up causing problems for other fandoms, when these fans get overzealous in trying to gain recognition from their idols, resulting in the fandoms clashing with one another. This clashing between fandoms, can eventually result in what Tinaliga calls “toxic competitive performativity…[where] fans no longer just support their idols’ music and highlight their successes but in the process demean or even directly attack idols’ or fandoms just because their interests and beliefs don’t align” (2018: 4). I believe that this “toxic competitive performativity” is what results in fandoms being generalized in a non-favourable way. An example of this can be found in a Reddit thread under a post titled “What are aspects of Kpop fans that you can’t stand?”, and a user under the username raisin_ states that “[they] can’t stand those who will judge a groups fans based on the actions of just a few.”
Another problem with K-pop fandom lies within the anti-fandoms. Just like how fans will do everything and anything to support idols, anti-fans will try to find every way to harm these idols, whether it’d be the idol’s reputation or the physical well-being (for example death threats). One example of anti-fans harming an idol’s reputation is Tablo’s incident regarding his academic credentials. Anti-fans created online communities such as Sangchinse and Tachinyo, and through that “[accusing] Tablo of fabricating...evidence of his degree and [displaying] his personal documents” (Shin 2015: 133). By doing this, Tachinyo members “[placed Tablo’s life] under a microscope, and the smallest biographical details faced close public scrutiny” (Jung 2012: [3.5]). Not only did these anti-fans invade Tablo’s privacy, they also “[positioned him] as not only an individual fraud but also a public enemy” (Shin 2015, 140). These anti-fans were able to do this because they are convinced the ability to stay anonymous on an online platform allows them to say whatever they want, and vent out their frustrations (Shin 2015: 136). In some ways, anti-fans are similar to sasaeng fans, except instead of invading an idol’s private life in hopes for intimate relationships, anti-fans invade on an idol’s private life in order to find ways to damage their reputation and ruin their image to the public.
I think it would be possible for idols to begin implementing a different relationship dynamic with their fans, by stating explicitly their hopes and expectations for their fans, and to be aware of what their fans’ behaviour. This way, the idols will know what their fans are thinking, and maybe fandoms will be able to get along and support each other while supporting their idol groups.
Jung, Sun. 2012. "Fan Activism, Cybervigilantism, and Othering Mechanisms in K-pop Fandom." In "Transformative Works and Fan Activism," edited by Henry Jenkins and Sangita Shresthova, special issue, Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 10.
Shin, Haerin. 2014. "The dynamics of K-pop spectatorship." In K-pop- The International Rise of the Korean Music Industry, by Roald Maliangkay JungBong Choi, 133-145. New York and London: Routledge.
Tinaliga, Brittany. “At war for OPPA and Identity: Competitive Performativity among Korean-Pop Fandoms.” Master’s Projects and Capstones (2018): 1-52.
“What are aspects of Kpop fans that you can’t stand?” reddit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/kpop/comments/3eveun/what_are_aspects_of_kpop_fans_that_you_cant_stand/ (accessed 2019/01/22).
There are many instances where the fans see their idol interacting with other idols, staff members, or even other fans, and have felt the sense of betrayal in the actions of their idol. Interestingly, their rage and sense of betrayal is directed towards the other party, not their particular idol, as they believe that they are 'perfect', and therefore, the other person's fault. These near-delusions seem quite far fetched, but happen quite often.
While I mostly agree about what you said, Venice, about how idols should explicitly their hopes and expectations for their fans, and to be aware of what their fans’ behaviour, I believe that this method will not always be the best. In cases like when Xiumin told his fans that he was receiving too many gifts, an idol explicitly stating what they want (or do not want) from fans is effective. However, in other cases, this method might be ineffective, and perhaps even backfire. For example, in the case of fandoms fighting with each other, if an idol tells their fans directly that they do not enjoy being supported by fans that demean other groups, the fans might revolt and accuse the idol of being non-appreciative of their love. On the other hand, if the idols simply show friendliness towards the rival group by mentioning the group in a good light on say, a variety show, then the fighting fandoms are more inclined to get along because of their idols’ friendship with each other.
As Emily has stated, this is an issue that must be delicately handled. Fans even go at it amongst themselves trying to defend their respective idol/group, without either side backing down. Although in this case, the idol may not be directly involved, the virtual 'fanwars' can bring their image down, and even cause a bigger misunderstanding.
I definitely agree with what you’ve mentioned in your discussion, Venice. Fans do a great job of showing various kinds of support for their idols! However, as you mentioned, fans and fandom can definitely be a toxic environment. I’m part of some fandom’s online and I do see quite a lot of “fandom wars” because people disagree with what others say, which then results in users fighting with each other and even then insulting the idols they adore.
In terms of the second part of the question, I don’t necessarily agree that the idols should be aware of their fans behaviour. What I mean by this, is that how people act online (interacting with other fans from either the same or other fandoms) is something that no one can control. A lot of the negative interactions I see online stems from the fact that a lot of these people don’t understand how to have a healthy debate with each other. Like Emily noted in her comment, if an idol chooses to address things that happen between fandoms then it could lead to the fans turning their backs on their idols.
I do agree that idols need to change the dynamic between themselves and the fans; however, I think it will be very, very challenging thing to achieve and highly impossible.
Referring back to Emily’s comment regarding rival groups, Kirin’ comment on online behaviour, as well as fandoms fighting with eachother, I would like to point out the difference of fandom behaviours in real life, compared to those online. When fans are congregated in the same environment- for example, in our ASIA 327 classroom- even though everyone may be different in their favourite groups, we do not often see people fighting in the classroom regarding which K-pop group is more superior. It is rather interesting to notice that K-pop fans often behave more aggressively on the internet, when it comes fighting with those from rival groups, or expressing their own ideas. In real life, however, fans seem to be more quiet, and sometimes might act as if they respect their rival groups, when they actually think the opposite.
A little off topic, but I think there’s also a difference in how people interact on the internet versus in real life, since on the internet you can be anonymous, which could explain this dissonance -- this may allow for people to voice more “problematic” opinions and bash other groups to make their biases look better, etc. more easily as they are hiding under a ‘mask’, rather than, for example, (especially) in a classroom setting with an authority (the teacher) overlooking discussion where they may not feel as comfortable voicing these opinions in real life. Also people just enjoy reading drama on the internet so these opinions tend to just get more attention in the form of retweets and the like.
Because no one has done this yet, I would also like to present the relationship, viewpoints and actions of sasaeng fans in the K-pop fandom. (In text citations, as well as bibliography for quotes and examples I use will be attached as well.)
Everyone wants to be noticed by their idols, thus for some very devoted fans, they buy expensive, front row tickets to concerts, or spend huge amounts of money to buy bulks of albums, in order to attend fansigns; however, many groups with huge domestic and international fan base, such as EXO or BTS, have countless fans worldwide that not everyone could be remembered by names, not even close to becoming close friends with their beloved stars. In addition, K-pop idols are often busy and packed with schedules that they do not have time to notice each and every one of their fans, even though they might wish to. One problematic characteristic of the current K-pop “fandom” is fans intruding their idols’ personal lives, in order to become remembered by them, even in a bad way. These are called Sasaeng fans.
Sasaeng fans’ behaviors began by the hypothesized desires for bodily connection to kpop idols, as well as being recognized by them (Williams 2016, 85). Sasaeng fans feel that if they attend a concert, there will be thousands of other people attending, and that their favorite stars would not know who they are. But as sasaeng fans, they will be recognized and noted by their idols (Park et al 2012).
On November 1st, 2018, an article in Allkpop stated that, GOT7 Yongjae’s fans were sending him messages to his personal social media account. They wanted to be recognized by Yongjae, and I think that they indeed have achieved their goals; however, not in a good way. Yongjae posted these photos onto his Instagram account, reminding his fans to give him personal space and privacy.
An article in Allkpop, published July 21st, 2018, stated that a Sasaeng fan called Baekhyun during his Instagram live. Instead of spending some time chatting with his fans during his busy schedule, it was interrupted by the sasaeng fan, and we could infer that he or she called Baekhyun only during the Instagram live, so it would be paused, thus he or she could be recognized by Baekhyun.
Thus, comparing to Venice’s discussion above, I rather think it would not be possible for idols to implement a different relationship with their fans. However, many idols still have different ways of recognizing their fans. In a safe way, of course.
On November 12th, 2018, an article on Kstarlive stated that Chanyeol sat beside a crying fan during a fan sign. This shows that Chanyeol deeply cares about his fans and acted rather like an older brother by sitting beside the crying fan, comforting her.
Also, even if fans did not spend huge amounts of money on front row seats in concerts, or go to fan signs, Baekhyun also replies to his fans on his twitter account!
I look forward to hearing more about everyone’s views on this topic!
Similar to Lily's opinion, I too concur that it will be near impossible for the existence of these types of fans to cease. There always will be people who have their own views and opinions as to their methods of showing their love. I do believe that it is possible to keep these sorts of actions and incidents to a minimum with through the constant mutual understanding and abidance of common sense by the other fans. This sort of behaviour is certainly more memorable, but it is possible to overshadow these negative instances with a larger number of positive ones.
One thing with fandom I think worth discussing, which I think is related to Lily’s response but to a far lesser extreme, is the sense of entitlement that often comes with supporting idols. Many fans dedicate and invest hours upon hours on end, and huge sums of money to support their “bias”, which often creates feeling as though they’re entitled for something back. Of course, that is not to say that fans do not deserve ANYTHING back. Oftentimes it is enough for fans to see their idols happy and successful. Usually, efforts to work hard on stage, act cute or charismatic and engaging with the fans in a healthy way is suffice to “repay” that sense of entitlement. It only becomes problematic when this sense of entitlement becomes delusion.
Many fans fall in “love” with their bias. I for one am guilty of this, often referring to my bias as my “husband” out of affection for example. But sometimes, when this gets coupled with entitlement, fans may feel like they actually deserve to date or marry their idol, and that the idol should not be romantically involved with anyone else. They begin wanting to know everything of their personal lives, and creating almost a fantasy wherein they are in a relationship with that idol, and when the idol does something to break that fantasy (dating scandal, etc) it creates anger for the fan. This can lead to dangerous behaviours, even going as far as situations such as death threats (as seen in APink). This is also often why fangirls get such a bad reputation, as those outside of fandoms see them as delusional and perhaps crazy.
Another issue about this is that this sense of entitlement is often reinforced by idols. When asked about their “ideal type” or if they have a boyfriend or girlfriend, many idols will attempt to please their fans by saying stuff such as “my ideal type is (insert their fanclub name here)” or “my fans are my boyfriends!”. While these playful, albeit somewhat cringey responses seem harmless to most, to some it may reinforce these feelings of entitlement and delusion, further causing them to feel like they and the idol are soulmates and MUST get married or whatnot.
Another side of the issue of entitlement is when fans perceive an idol to not do enough for their fans. An example of this is BlackPink’s Jennie’s controversy of being lazy on stage. While a number of fans tried to provide reasons for her lack of energy on stage, it still caused many people to feel upset as Jennie did not perform during their concerts nearly as energetic or as well compared to her group members or as well as she has in the past. She would on occasion forget her lines, despite only having like 4 songs to remember, causing more criticism. Whether or not she was being lazy, or had some ongoing issue to cause this, we don’t have the answer, and I’m not trying to bash Jennie. However, would you pay $100+ for an idol to not even try to give a good performance? Situations like these often justify fans’ feelings of entitlement.
Bibliography (Lily’s Responses):
“EXO’s sasaeng fan admits to calling Baekhyun during Instagram live after multiple denials.” Allkpop.
https://www.allkpop.com/article/2018/07/exos-sasaeng-fan-admits-to-calling-baekhyun-during-instagram-live-after-multiple-denials/ (accessed 1/20/2019).
“GOT7’s Yongjae reveals more of the messages he received from sasaeng fans.” Allkpop.
https://www.allkpop.com/article/2018/11/got7s-youngjae-reveals-more-of-the-messages-he-received-from-sasaeng-fans/ (accessed 1/20/2019).
Park, S.Y., Park, J.I., & Yang, S.M. “[ENG SUB] In Depth Look of Sasaeng Life”, YouTube video, 9:45, posted by “JVD”, March 23, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QEDhh89ZLs&feature=youtu.be
“This One Fan Could Not Stop Crying for the Whole Fan Meeting… This is What Chanyeol Did to Her.” Kstarlive.
http://www.kstarlive.com/This-One-Fan-Could-not-Stop-Crying-for-the-Whole-Fan-Meeting----This-is-What-Chanyeol-Did-to-Her-602328/ (accessed 1/20/2019).
Williams, J. Patrick. "Negotiating Fan Identities in K-Pop Music Culture." Symbolic Interactionist Takes on Music (Studies in Symbolic Interaction), no.47 (2016): 81-96.
