2nd Gen's Girl Group's Stranglehold Over Koreans is Amazing

Blog time (AKP should allow blogs!)

There was a recent Gallup poll over the public's perception of ggs. And here was the top ten (with debut year and percentage of votes received):

1. SNSD (2007): 42%

1. Blackpink (2016): 42%

3. NewJeans (2022): 25%

4. Wonder Girls (2007): 21%

5. Twice (2015): 13%

6. 2NE1 (2009): 10%

7. IVE (2021): 7%

8. aespa (2020): 5%

8. Kara (2007): 5%

8. Red Velvet (2014): 5%

Kind of recency bias but good for current thoughts. However, there were actually 20 groups tallied, and groups could be written in. Here are 11 through 20:

11. Apink (2011): 4%

11. MAMAMOO (2014): 4%

11. SISTAR (2010): 4%

14. T-ara (2009): 3%

14. (G)I-DLE (2018): 3%

16. Brown Eyed Girls (2006): 2%

16. 4Minute (2009): 2%

18. f(x) (2009): 1%

18. miss A (2010): 1%

18. Secret (2009): 1%

At a sample size of 1054, 1% is about 11 people, so notice some groups that are missing and couldn't even get 11 people to mention them: Le Sserafim, Itzy, Oh My Girl, Dreamcatcher, StayC, GFriend, AOA, IOI, IZ*One, Momoland, Loona, Exid, fromis_9, S.E.S., Baby V.O.X., Fin K. L., etc.

Now notice something: 12 of the top 20 were active during what is commonly known as the Golden Era of K-pop (2008-2011/2012):

SNSD

Wonder Girls

2NE1

Kara

Apink

SISTAR

T-ara

Brown Eyed Girls

4Minute

f(x)

miss A

Secret

With 4 gens of K-pop (5 just started maybe?), we can expect each generation's vote share to be about 25%, but the first gen seems to be really underrepresented here. With three gens, it would be 33%. The vote shares go like this

Golden Age (2008-2011, all second generation)

12 groups, 48.5% of vote share

2014-2018 (Gen 3+some gen 4)

5 groups, 33.5% of vote share

2018 to present (Gen 4+gen 5?)

4 groups, 18.5% of vote share

2014-present (Gen 3+gen 4+gen 5)

8 groups, 52% of vote share

It takes over three generations of girl groups, with recency bias, over 10.5 years to just slightly edge out the prominence contained in the Golden Generation during the second generation and it only does so in terms of voter percentage and not in total groups. This is just one data point of course, but it's something to keep note of when comparing generations. I know a lot of third gen stans take offense to second gen being seen as having the Golden Age since third gen had banger after banger as well. And third gen does have that and fourth gen too. But the quality during that 2008-2011 period really isn't just there because of nostalgia or other things like that.I recommend that everyone revisit the releases during the that time period to really get a sense of girl group K-pop and why those years really make up the Golden Generation.

It's not just music produced by top groups, but it's also DEPTH of the field. It's not just that groups produced bops, but many at the time were producing bops. That's why that period is the Golden Age.

And SNSD was at the top of this group. That's also a reason why they're the GOATs That's why Jessica can go onto some random Chinese show and get second place, and the Korean media bought out by SM can only doom-report that she only got second place as a Korean-American during Chinese tensions with Koreans and Americans. That's why they're the GOATs... the GOATS! And they would've cleared Blackpink in this poll if they were still 9.

Quote from kahei

I fuck hard with "star" and "paint the town," and they are on the playlist I use when advertising K-pop to people I know, but you know...?

Quote from wsoet

If I'm not mistaken, the Gallup poll in question was only for "21 century" artists.

I was a bit drunk posting there, but that is true. I forgot!