Discussion #3 Question 2b
We all understand that without fans, there would be no stars — but how much power do fans really have? Discuss the power of a fan/consumer and what this could entail (how much impact do we have)?
The amount of power fans have to Kpop star is enormous.“Selling singles is no way for a pop star to make money these days. Most artists find that touring and merchandise sales are more lucrative.”(Williamson ,2011) We understand that Kpop stars get their income from their agent companies. Therefore, if a group has a huge amount of fans going to their cncerts,the compnay gains a lot of money. However, if a group is not making money for the company, then the group may disband since the company usually wants to make money from these groups.This shows that we can say that Kpop star’s living is based on their fans. In class, we discuss an example that one kpop star says to fans that they are his bread band butter. Basiclly he is saying that fans is the resaon why he can afford to buy rice.
“K-pop fans can make or break a career. “If there is an issue or fans don’t feel they are being respected, they can easily band together and demand action,” Gibson says. “And in the end, where their wallets go, the entertainment companies will follow.”(Tai,2018) “Last year, when Big Bang member T.O.P was charged with marijuana use, he issued a lengthy hand-written letter saying: “I have left an irreparable scar in everyone’s hearts, so I believe I deserve to be punished.””(Tai, 2018)Why is he deserve to be punished? Is it just because the use of marijuanan is illegall in Korea? Not necsssary.People all make mistakes.However, for a Kpop star he needs to have a perfect image for their fans. He is apologizing to his fans, since fans has the power to break or make a career.
“Sasaeng (사생팬) are alleged fans who try to resort to crazy dangerous methods to get their favorite idol to notice and love them.”(Mizum,2017) These crazy people are also a part of fans. We all know that even if Kpop stars gets pushed or filmed very closely, they cannot fight it back like normal people do.However, if they do fight back to some fans, they will be judged very badly by the fans. In other words, if one person become a kpop star, his public apperance should always be cool and nice to the fans. Therefore, fans has a huge impact on how idols behave in public and idol’s living.
Reference:
1.Tai, C.(2018), ‘The K-pop superfans who can make, and break, musical careers in South Korea’, 11 March,
2.Williamson, L.(2011), ‘The dark side of South Korean pop music’, 15 June,BBCNews,Seoul,https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-13760064
3.Mizum,I.(2017),‘The Dangers for Idols in Feeding into Fan Obsession’, 8 March,
https://medium.com/@isu.mizumi/korean-pop-idols-and-fan-interactions-excerpt-ae14dba949fa
Lei Cao (#34327569)
This essay considered a lot about how fans can influence the K-pop idols from several respects. It confirms the benefits that fans bring to idols and their companies and also negative affects. First of all, what fans can do is definitely money. All idols would survive depends on fans supports, like purchase products made by idols’ company, tickets of concerts, album and so on. You proved this opinion clearly and I just have something else to emphasize. The influences are always both-sides. Some idols are committed to charity in the result of that their fans do donations in order to showing their idols’ flash points. For example, G-Dragon makes large donations every year and their fans, the largest fansite of him, AlwaysGD had donated 100,000 USD for charity from 2013 to 2016. Donations from fans represents a positive image of idols and some people who do not know this idol will also recognize them. This is also a way to increase idols’ reputation. K-pop connected fans from all over the world and combined their power to make their idols better.
The next idea that you represent is that fans can break idols’ career and using example of TOP. I certainly agree with your opinion and I thought it should be more complicated in social media. With the development of technology, the internet plays an important role in the relationship between fans and idols. Those fans and anti-fans can say anything without evidence on internet anonymously. More famous idols are, more potential risks exist. People will discuss anything about idols no matter whether it is true. When rumors become mainstream, the idol’s career might be totally destroyed. It is like the example that we talked about in class. Tablo graduated from Stanford and finished Master and Bachelor program with fewer time that other people did. This should be proud but some people question his diploma just because of jealous. Those anti-fans do not admit everything that Tablo proved and increased over 10,000 members. They caused unforgivable influence on his family and his career. Although the main rumormonger sentenced to jail, the huge effects brought cannot be ignored.
Keer Feng
#33305160
Hi Lei!
I read your words and really agree that fans have enormous power to K-pop stars. You argued that they are dominant source of K-pop stars’ income. Yes, fans do contribute a lot the money they earn. In fact, fans are their target population, the main audience to their art work and performance. Or you can say they are the reason for this star to exist. The star’s popularity in fans and the size of their fan group basically decide their future career. For examples, their CF shooting, dramas, reality tv shows, an so on. These companies would evaluate fan’s ability of purchasing as a big factor of choosing stars. Bigger purchasing power of fans lead to more work coming up to the star, so that the star have more freedom of making choices towards work.
As you mentioned in the last paragraph, fans’ reaction also shape their idol’s behaviour. A lot of Korean pop stars have been decided their personalities in front of camera even before they debuted. And these mainly targeting different kinds of audience’s tastes. For example, some people like cute personality, some like cool, some like sexy. So the company will assign (or give them slight direction) each member of a group with different types of personality. This shows how fans are important for the company as well as this whole media industry. Also how they value the fans’ thought. In another word, this K-pop hanllyu seems to be leaded by pop stars, but actually the fans are taking the control and shaping it to the way they want it to be.
Another evidence showing fans’ power is that in entertainment industry, public opinion takes an important role, and fans sometimes can change or lead the wind of public opinion. Because there are so many of them and they are so faithful to their idol, they are willing to help building positive image of their idol in the heart of the public, by keep commenting and posting on social media.
Question 2b
We all understand that without fans, there would be no stars — but how much power do fans really have? Discuss the power of a fan/consumer and what this could entail (how much impact do we have)?
Your essay points out many great ideas regarding the impact fans have on a k pop idols career. Many k pop stars rely on their fans in order to make an adequate living. Your example on TOP, is a direct case to the impact fans place on K pop Idols. For instance, had he not apologized, he would have been greatly condemned by fans, and ultimately, would force higher executives to take action against the k pop star, to not drag down the company as well. Another example i would add, recent case between Hyuna and E-Dawn displays the negative impact of disregarding fans requests. Fans, insisted they break their relationship, since they did not, the consequence followed that E-dawn was asked to resign from Pentagon. I would likely say the same, in your example with T.O.P; had he not apologized, i would presume, the same case would occur with E-dawn regarding his relationship with Hyuna. Moreover, your point on Sasaeng fans having almost complete power over their Kpop idols is, arguably, yet unfortunately, a major reality. Since Kpop idols, must stay polite to their fans, fans begin taking advantage of their hospitality and wrongfully act towards them, in many cases, dangerously. Your reference to “K-pop fans can make or break a career. “ is essentially an ultimate principle within a Kpop idols unfortunate reality. Because of consistent demands from fans, many idols are overly worked, in order to please their fans, often tiring themselves knowing their important role they play. For instance, in the case of EXO member Xiumin, in order to keep fans happy, he must constantly accept gifts from fans, otherwise, he would be forced to face the backlash of fans. However, in his case, he managed to take the best course of action, by politely insisting fans stop sending their gifts; ultimately, many fans continue to, despite his wishes, and negatively affect his living conditions.
Flinton Yang
#41403924
Hi Lei,
It’s good that you introduced your main ideas, and making both the argument and the evidence clear. Your argument is fairly well supported with evidence.
I also agree that without fans, there would be no stars, and fans has a huge impact on how idols behave in public and idol’s living. Kpop stars can make money from various ways. Concerts, fan meeting, advertisement and so on. Fans of kpop stars are willing to spend a huge amount of money to support their idols. One example is from a fan called Thai lass Pookie Bunnak. She has been chasing her favorite Korean pop idols BigBang around the world for the past seven years. She had attended more than 30 of their concerts in Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong. And in her home in Phitsanulok, she has a shrine to collect the BigBang merchandise from T-shirts to albums. “I’ve bought many BigBang products and I want to show them in a beautiful way. I’ve never really counted how many items I’ve bought. But I think I’ve spent more than one millon baht ($39,000) on everything related to BigBang in the past seven years,” says Ms Bunnak. $39,000 is not a small amount for an individual. In order to travel around the world to attend the concert of BigBang, she had to work in part-time in cafe. As one of the fans Ms Wong says: “The idols are like our lights, they light up our lives. So this time round, we will light up the stadium for them.” I believe that there are a lot of fans like Bunnak, who would rather get a part time job to earn enough money to support their idols, and this input can be enormous.
The relationship between Kpop stars and their fans is interesting. In order to show support or even just to see their idols for one sight, fans can do things that would be considered crazy in other people’s eyes. They spend big for happiness. On the other hand, without their fans, Kpop stars and their agencies would be hard to make a living.