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How K-pop fans control idols: from hating on Lee Seung-gi and Lee Da-in’s romance to the Blackpink #RespectLisa hashtag, obsessive ‘fansumers’ are now calling the shots
STORYChoi Ha Rin
- When fans suspected that SM Entertainment debuted Aespa to distract from scandals involving Red Velvet’s Irene and Exo’s Chanyeol, they turned to social media
- In 2008, SNSD performed at the annual Dream Concert alongside TVXQ and other stars – and faced the dreaded ‘black ocean’ as the audience switched off its lights
The days of the passive, supportive K-pop fan – who’s content to simply cheer on their favourite idols and not much else – are over. As the K-pop industry becomes more saturated, fans are becoming more proactive, voicing their opinions and ever-louder criticisms, demanding more from stars as well as the agencies that manage them.
Enter the term “fansumer”, combining the words “fan” and “consumer”, which highlights how fans can bring massive profits to artists and agencies – if they feel like it. K-pop fans apparently have enough spending power to get an old song charting again to mark an idol’s birthday but, on the other hand, fan ire can seriously hurt an artist’s career.
And just like how other consumers might boycott products or companies they don’t like, K-pop “fansumers” are requesting improvements from agencies, taking out advertisements to showcase their dissatisfaction, and sometimes even boycotting stars too. Here’s a list of ways K-pop fans are making their voices heard …
Getting hashtags trending
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One of the easiest actions a fan can take is to make a hashtag – it doesn’t require spending any money and takes very little time. When K-pop fans want to reach entertainment companies, whether because they think their idols are being mistreated or for any other reason, they try to get hashtags trending to get companies’ attention and raise awareness about the issue in question.
Hashtags have most often been addressed to bigger agencies like YG and SM. When fans thought Blackpink’s Lisa was being mistreated by YG Entertainment, for instance, they made hashtags like #YGTreatLisaBetter and #RespectLisa. As many K-pop fans use Twitter to search for or upload photos of their idols, those who weren’t aware of the issue before could also easily find out about the news when they searched up Lisa’s name.
SM Entertainment faced a similar, yet more complicated, kerfuffle. Around the time girl group Aespa made its debut, many K-pop fans were already upset with the band’s agency, SM Entertainment, as it had not made any clear statements regarding ongoing scandals involving two of its other artists: Red Velvet’s Irene and Exo’s Chanyeol, who were facing bullying and cheating accusations respectively. Many fans believed that SM was trying to cover up the incidents by debuting a new girl group. So, just like they did for Lisa, fans got the #BoycottSM hashtag trending to spread the news and urge fans to boycott the entire agency.