Notice me, Sunbae! — Artist-Fan Interaction Apps in Kpop
Earlier today, Yeojin, a member from the kpop girl group LOONA, expressed her frustrations through Fab — one of the many artist-fan interaction platforms. She said that these platforms should only be used for saying kind words. Orbit (LOONA fan) or not, I think we should take some notes.
The Culture and Technology
Over the years the distance between a celebrity and their fans is becoming smaller and smaller. Just a few years ago, fans would send fanmail right into the mailboxes of their idols and wouldn’t even expect that they’d write back. Now, with the ease of access to social networking apps and sites, I could send Ariana Grande a message, pronto and she could reply to me in a matter of seconds if she wants to. It would be thrilling to get noticed by your favorite artist. Of course, sending tangible letters to them still happens to this day but that’s a story for another day.
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South Korea is a world leader in culture and technology and they developed innovations to bring the two together and shorten the gap between Kpop artists and fans… or stans as we usually call ourselves. Excluding global social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, we have services like Vlive, Lysn(Bubble), Weverse, Universe, and now, Fab. These platforms have free and paid services fans worldwide can avail anytime to interact with their idols.
It’s Like ABC For You and Me
Now, it’s so easy to tell your bias to have a good day. It’s just like sending a text message and when they reply to your comment, it makes your day, right? It’s so easy to access for fans but also for trolls and haters. If you look at some celebrity’s social media account you’d find unprovoked hate comments every now and then. JinSoul from LOONA has mentioned earlier in a VLive stream that the fans are getting too comfortable teasing her and the members. She has also been a recipient of malicious comments on Fab.
The thing about Fab, and other similar free-to-access platforms, is that it’s very easy to use. You just need to have a Google account and you’re in in one click. It even provides you free tokens on sign up. It’s not a challenge at all for trolls and anti-fans to leave unkind messages on different levels.
Solutions for Regulation
Back then, fan cafes, some sort of a forum or a message board, were the main platforms for artists and fans to communicate. I believe it was more secure because it is quite tricky and takes effort to join these fan cafes. You have to fill up forms, answer questions related to the artist that only fans would know, and your application will be reviewed by the artist’s fan manager for approval. Why would antis get through that entire process to send hate messages?
Lysn(Bubble), Weverse, and Universe also have free features. That’s writing on a message board that the artists can leave a reaction to or comment on. The paid features require a monthly subscription and it allows you access to a direct messaging feature. Surely, anti-fans wouldn’t pay money just to send hate comments, right?
What prompted me to write this is Yeojin from LOONA’s statement mentioned in the intro of this text. Fab is in its early stages so it still lacks in multiple aspects. But in fairness, they are constantly updating their features. Right now, they are addressing the issue regarding malicious comments and are trying to come up with solutions to eradicate or at least minimize these. But for now, the best thing to do is to remember that these kpop idols are also human who have feelings and get hurt so let us try to act like decent human beings.
