Are you an “army” of BTS? A “blink” of Blackpink? Or perhaps an “NCTzen” of NCT? For the uninitiated, these are the names of some of the world’s biggest K-pop – or Korean pop music – idol groups. Names that flow through the cafeterias, classrooms, and hallways of just about every school. And their influence on teenagers’ lives, from daily routines to behaviors and even financial decisions, cannot be overstated.
BTS, currently the most celebrated K-pop idol boy group, has taken home an astounding ten Billboard awards over the past four years. Meanwhile, BLACKPINK – also from South Korea – has garnered more than 1.6 billion YouTube views since releasing their music video, “DDU-DUDDU-DU,” three years ago. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as the genre is saturated with innumerable acts, and a constant stream of programming continuously pumps out new groups and new fans that, in turn, create new “fandoms.”
But what does it mean to be part of a fandom? And just how deep can a teen fall into it?
Fandoms can be fun!
The primary reason many teenagers begin their journey in K-pop culture is simply for fun. Oftentimes, joining a fandom is the result of innocuously clicking on a YouTube video or following the recommendation of a friend, and then developing a crush on the idol. Ideally, an innocent bond forms and the fan gets to attend events where they have the opportunity to meet new, like-minded teens.
Fandom as an entrepreneurial endeavor
An often-overlooked advantage of joining a fandom is that participants actually stand to develop some pretty incredible organizing skills on their fan journey! One of my friends, 15-year-old Dora H. – who’s currently studying in the US – is a fan of a popular Chinese boy band. To celebrate one member’s birthday, she contacted two other fans online and put together a three-day event, hosted at a café in Sanlitun. While some might balk at the idea of throwing a birthday party for a celebrity, the process allowed Dora to develop some important life skills such as making agreements with the café, promoting the event, and creating unique merchandise to be given out to attendees.
The event was a huge success, attracting numerous fans whom the girls had never met before. By contributing to the fan community, then seeing her efforts appreciated by others, it gave Dora – and countless other youths who organize similar events for their fandom – a unique sense of belonging, the kind that makes you feel like you’re contributing to a greater community; something larger than yourself. Similarly, another friend of mine who attends Harrow International School Beijing (HISB) made more than RMB 800 by selling merchandise she designed for her favorite idol group.
Likewise, because the idols are “decorated” by their companies, i.e. creating a persona that’s all but flawless, teenage fans are thus motivated to be better people in their own right.
And yet, while there are a ton of benefits, we can’t overlook the flip side, for there are some darker corners lurking in any fandom…
Fandoms require a lot of dedication, sometimes at the expense of other priorities
For students, myself included, time is scarce. And unfortunately, it requires a lot of time and effort to follow all the news about an idol, watch all of their performances, recognize all the members in a group – which sometimes get into the double-digits – and remember everyone’s “character.” This is time that could have been spent studying or doing other, perhaps arguably more meaningful things.
Fandoms aren’t cheap
Another overlooked downside is the cost involved. Given that serious competition can develop between different fandoms, both eager to prove their idol group is the greatest, fans will sometimes spend insane amounts of money to buy multiple copies of their albums to drive up sales numbers, not to mention other merchandise and products that are endorsed by their idols.
When fandoms enter the public sphere
There’s a litany of other minor, but annoying issues that impact the public as well. For instance, fans will commonly wait at airports for their idol’s arrival, resulting in astonishingly massive crowds. As a fan myself, I totally understand this behavior as I too have been motivated by the desire to see my idol. However, there’s no denying that it poses a serious inconvenience for airport staff and travelers.
When big business exploits fandoms
Lastly, one of this year’s hottest idol producing programs, Youth With You (青春有你), was sponsored by a beverage company. While it’s not uncommon for companies to sponsor such programming, what launched this particular sponsorship into controversy was the fact that one way to vote for a participant was to buy the sponsor’s products. One can of their drink equaled one vote. As a result, many fans bought enormous quantities of the drink, only to dump it all out and use the vote. The insidious product advertising that slipped into this fandom truly belies the positive image that pop idol culture tries to sell.
As teenagers, we are both consciously and unconsciously looking for role models to emulate. We need these fandoms, but what we don’t need are the obsessive behaviors that burn through our wallets, and create problems for others. So let’s try to keep that fan fever in check.
Are you a pop idol fan? Tell us about your favorite in the comments below!
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Images: Dora H, BLACKPINK，BTS&GOT7 via Instagram
