The power of social media has made Korean artists’ career no longer like decades ago. With the rise of new media which have shift power like smartphones and laptops, customers can follow their idols whenever they want. I believed this situation provided the artists better careers, in both reputable and financial aspects. First, the innovative technology of streaming music services provide idols and their agency companies platform to publish and sell their digital records. Easy accessibility to these platforms give convenience to both idols and customers. Idols can utilized their social media to make advertisements more efficient. For example, post a purchase link under their twitter post. Customers, are benefited by the low cost of the digital records — — They are more affordable compared to the CD copy. The records are like $9.9 and why not give it a try? Thus quantity produce the profits. Secondly, Korean idols have their specific way to ensure finical substance. They establish official fan-clubs which provide members some profits like early accessibility to concert tickets. However, these members have to pay membership-fee in order to join the fan-club. Nowadays membership fees are basically around ₩20000 and there are over two hundred and fifty thousand members in top 10 fan-clubs! Now you can imagine the finical profit.
However, there are also concerns for idols in this rapid change Internet era. To stand at the peak of trends and make money, they have to do some compromises to avoid being eliminated. Fundamentally, forth-wave groups are not different from the third-wave idol groups, as the basic formula—group format, music and dance styles, visual stylistic emphasis, and multimedia presence—is identical. However, the results are quite different. (Jung EY, 2015, 80) Some groups like GG and BTS can lead trend for over a decade, other groups might not able to produce a second album. One contributing factor is interaction with fans. To ensure idols’ popularity, their agency companies scheduled numerous activities in order to publicize new work and keep fans on flame, like interactive meetings, birthday parties, conferences and so on. Groups or solo artists without persuasive agencies might easily be buried in the numerous works and information published daily online. While Idols have did some compromises like highly exposed to the public in order to keep activeness. They might have to spend more time to interaction and pleasing the fans rather than their personal lives forced by their agency. They even not have any choices for romantic relationships and personal schedules. Like BBC explained: some of K-Pop’s biggest success stories were built on the back of so-called slave contracts, which tied its trainee-stars into long exclusive deals (Lucy Williamson, 2011, BBC news). This is one of the compromises they have to make— —follow the agency company and keep exposing.
In conclusion, Social media has the power to be sustainable financially supportive for Korean idols, but they have to find their way to not be submerged in the stars-explosion Internet environment. And fans interacting activities is a proven-to-work but very exthuasting method.
Bibliography:
Lee, Sangjoon, Nornes, and Abé Markus, 2015. Hallyu 2.: The Korean Wave in the Age of Social Med, edited by Sangjoon Lee and Abé Mark Nornes, 73-88.
Lucy Williamson, “The dark side of South Korean pop music”, BBC News, 15 June 2011, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-13760064
Wenhui has mentioned that social media has the power to be sustainable financially supportive for Korean idols. I do agree with this point of view and believe that the media can make idol closer to domestic and foreign fans, especially foreign fans. Therefore, the media plays an important role in both artists and fans. However, I want to say something negative.
As the idling atmosphere of today’s society intensifies, the entertainment industry and the media continue to fuel this atmosphere to some extent. Many things are blinded, and everyone lives in a world that doesn’t know the truth.
The idols are packaged, and their characters need to be arranged for the audience in the way which the audience like. The new media is eager to chase entertainment hotspots. However, there are only a handful of truly powerful artists. It is undeniable that some of the super hot stars can’t produce really powerful works, but still let many fans scream for them. This circle is becoming more and crueller. Those who are still at the bottom of the circle struggle to fight for real attention, while others have already received very impressive advertising fees.
Furthermore, artists are becoming less and less private, and more and more are directly exposed to the audience’s attention. Media articles are now more and more just to satisfy people’s voyeurism. Various types of entertainment programs are emerging one after another. However, some music and television dramas are in low quality because the funds are mostly spent on the high pay of the idols. Some of the works presented to the audience directly regard the audience as brainless. I don’t know what the meaning of such works is. A star can make a big sensation just because of one sentence or one action. But those who really work for the country, the soldiers who defend the country, and the scholars who create cultural values, do not get the attention of the public, because these can not cause public concern, cannot bring so-called flow and benefits.
Therefore, in my opinion, entertainment is nothing but a spiritual enjoyment. The good works brought by good artists are also very beneficial. I really hope that the entertainment industry will have more conscience artists and conscience productions so that these stars on the screen will bring more rational guidance to the audience rather than blind incitement.
As the professor mentioned in the class, the primary source of income of the Kpop artists is not from performing as part of the group, but from various of other jobs such as producing and writing songs or participate in the commercial advertisements. The artists enjoy the popularity they gain from the group performing and turns the endorsement of the audience to the product that they are advertising, thus adds value to the product and generates considerable income for the artists. I would say, with the help of social media such as youtube, the effectiveness of having a favorable Kpop artist featured in an advertisement has been magnified. Youtube breaks the geographic barrier and allows fans in all around the world to receive the exposure of the ads that feature their favorite Kpop stars. Some hardcore fans may try to research and watch the advertisement that features their idols over and over again on youtube, repetition effect and halo effect will likely influence the audiences when they are making purchasing decisions in the future. However, since the product and the production company is tightly associated with the Kpop idol, it becomes critical for the idol to maintain a favorable public image. The social media platforms do help the idols to gain popularities fast, but it also accelerates the spread of any negative information about the idol. With all the paparazzi and the existing of the social media platform, the idols are living under the surveillance every day with no privacy and personal life. The idols cannot enjoy the life of an average person, such as date whoever they want, say whatever they want and go wherever they want to go. It is like from the day of the debut, they have made a trade with the demon, they will sacrifice their freedom and personal life, in return of fame and financial success. In my opinion, the idols have been objectified at the moment they have been associated with a commercial product. However, this is a path that they have chosen, and everyone has their right to pursue the lifestyle that they want. So, all I can say is, good luck and keep fighting!
Wow, so last minute!
Don’t number the bibliography. And the first entry in the biblio has several very large errors in it.