Why doesn't pop/kpop celebrities popularity feel as big as it used to be in the previous generations?

    Will the era of grand "golden movie star" brand of celebrity culture make its return? 13

    1. No internet celebrities(/another type of celebrity)are growing more popular (11) 85%
    2. Yes it will. People need larger than life celebrities. Relatability doesn't cut it. (1) 8%
    3. N/A (1) 8%

    For example I've heard first gen fans say Yoona and Suzy (who are far above any 3rd gen it girl or cf queen in terms of popularity except maybe Jennie or hwasa) can't hold a candle to Lee hyori or s.e.s Eugene. That's highly debatable but the reach of a celebs popularity seems to be decreasing as every generation goes by. Hell we've all seen plenty of threads worrying about 4th gen on here.


    Except for bts's case in kpop in where they were the rarity not the rule, this seems to be a common topic in most entertainment industries like bollywood, hollywood or the western pop scene. Actors/actresses/idols were idol worshipped for decades but todays star kids have to fight for the same space with an internet celebrity. There's so much talent and variety in beauty these days but the new age of stars in general seem to lack that same long term grip on the audience.


    In China, Sk and Japan there are streamers or bjs that make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and in the west tiktokers/influencers are making the same dough and getting opportunities aswell. The kardashian-jenner clan is just as if not more well known than pop stars like Taylor swift or Justin beiber. We don't care much about the Olympics or know most of the celebs walking the red carpet at huge award shows like the Oscar's or the Grammys when decades ago these were events that raked in tons of interest.



    P.S this is a generalized question don't take it to heart and don't hold back from talking about regional film industries either. This isn't strictly a kpop question so feel free.

    Desbundar

  • AllKill VIP

    Age could have something to do with it and new groups coming on the market and have something extra in their music or personalities that previous groups don't have anymore.

    Quote from MY-Kwangya

    Age could have something to do with it and new groups coming on the market and have something extra in their music or personalities that previous groups don't have anymore.

    Ah age as in like influencers these days are from all ages or like the age of a celebrity would put a cap on their popularity? I feel age is a thing for an influencer too but mainly cuz the userbase is teens. Or maybe public fatigue is a thing... Like pewdiepie and that mark something guy they are all veterans I thought they'd be older but they are just like 31/32.


    True. Something fresh is bound to catch the publics eye.

    Desbundar

    are you talking about the top or the average kpop idol???


    everybody and their grandmas know people like BTS but if you're referring to the "average" kpop idol then they are basically the equivalent of a "C or D" list celebrity no???

    Quote from selfmate

    are you talking about the top or the average kpop idol???


    everybody and their grandmas know people like BTS but if you're referring to the "average" kpop idol then they are basically the equivalent of a "C or D" list celebrity no???

    Yes bts I'd put them as the exception! The barrier of entry for becoming a celebrity is getting lower like no longer do they need a Hollywood studio or nick/Disney backing them up. So many rising celebs are popping up like tiktokers or streamers. Modern pop stars like Olivia Rodrigo have to more or less compete with Charli d'melio or Addison Rae for fans online. Whereas Britney may not have faced the same competition while she blew up.

    Desbundar

    No, because with the Internet consumption and exposure are now personalized and focused. Before you had to rely on traditional media - TV and radio - that was the same for everyone. But nowadays people use on demand services, so their consumption is personalized and they are less exposed to the mainstream.

    Quote from Serendipity2000

    Yes bts I'd put them as the exception! The barrier of entry for becoming a celebrity is getting lower like no longer do they need a Hollywood studio or nick/Disney backing them up. So many rising celebs are popping up like tiktokers or streamers. Modern pop stars like Olivia Rodrigo have to more or less compete with Charli d'melio or Addison Rae for fans online. Whereas Britney may not have faced the same competition while she blew up.

    I would agree with that ...but these days it's about entertaining the masses in different ways no?

    giving power back to the people and so forth...if you can garner enough fans then you too can be a "celebrity"

    you don't need to be disney/nic princesses or whatever

    I think part of it is the industry around it. Like, there used to be entire variety shows that were for a variety of celebrities and you'd get more of a mix of who was on it, like Strong Heart or Running Man or Star Golden Bell. The antics could be stories in their own right (particularly from a show like Strong Heart) that touched GP's hearts, and idols had more of an opportunity to attract fans through these channels or become variety stars/popular hosts in their own right.


    These days, idols have more options to connect with their fans, but they're very silo'd. You see these huge companies with lots of reach end up being able to benefit from maximum exposure, but you really have to seek out the others (like lol icyruios us just talking about how generations these days are just Big 3 + a couple extras). And the reality is that, for most people, you're not watching some random group's webtoon or YouTube show or whatever unless you're already a fan of the group.

    let's be friends

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    Self-centered BTS/BP fans that think it's because "they're so much bigger" are so off key.


    As you've rightfully mentioned, this isn't a kpop specific phenomenon and it's due to a multitude of reasons - supply and demand changing, demographics changing (SK has an ageing population issue), population sizes changing, consumption of media and substitute "goods" completely changing etc.


    Sports stars are not what they used to be in terms of household names. Neither are actors/actresses.


    The most "in" actor these days is probably Timothy Chalamet, the guys everywhere and in everything, but how many people know him like they knew peak Brad Pitt or DiCaprio?


    As a Brit football is massive here still but how many people know Kane/Grealish compared to Beckham, Gerrard, Owen Rooney etc from the golden generation in the 2000's. This new gen got to a final and they still do not have the name recognition past players had.


    To be more SK specific - SMTM was a hugely popular show last year but it's ratings were awful. That didn't stop the songs absolutely destroying the charts for a few weeks. This is because the younger generation consume less media through TV and more through online apps, their tablets etc. Whereas Mr.Trot can get 30%+ ratings yet no-one from that show can get a hit song. There's a bigger and bigger gap between how the older generation consume and how the younger ones do.


    So you then think about TV variety shows which are now increasingly aimed at the older crowd. You get less idols on TV so they are not as exposed to that demographic. Whereas idols now move to doing things like MTMG or Jessis' show, which are Youtube shows, which the older crowd won't be tuning in to. So you now have a bigger and bigger split that didn't exist before. They just needed to be on TV and that's that.

    That's a brilliant comparison tbh. It didn't strike me that the rise of the internet would effect other industry besides pop music or movies!!! Damn even though I don't follow football I've heard 3 of those names so you do have a point.


    I think in a hasan minaj video he talked about this fortnite championship with a million or sumn as the prize and there was a full arena of people screaming like a concert or football match...


    Do you think gaming would share the space that irl sporting has today? In a streamer documentary one streamer talks about how they left their job to become an online gaming commentator in China and it pays insanely well!


    Like I have heard of none of those big gamers names but they are huge with my cousins who are 7-10 years younger and have massive followings on youtube. I barely hear them talk about footballers or name a cricketer even though they play sports. Like my cousins who were 10+ years older or my male relatives were obsessed with buying jerseys and other memorabilia from sports teams when they were the same age now my younger cousins want gamers merch.


    Edit: he talks about huge gaming events in the start of this video

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    Desbundar

    Is that really the case tho? Many idols seem very popular nowadays. The nostalgia of the 2nd Gen just made it seem bigger than it is for the more current gens

    Kpop is less popular than it used to be among the GP. The korean public isnt into in anymore so most kpop idols are actually not that well known despite having a strong fanbase.

    One of the main benefits e-sports has is that its players are just more relatable to the average person. Growing up everyone wanted to be a footballer and you'd be playing football most days in the park, but most would obviously never become that. A lot of athletes are naturally gifted with some physical advantages so have inherent advantages.


    Gamers are just average blokes most of the time. There will obviously be some advantages in gaming (I don't play games really so can't name specific ones) but the inherent barriers to entry (and barriers to earn money) are not as high, you can be fat or slim, short or tall etc You can start a Twitch account and be streaming in a day. With the new generations much more glued to social media and their phones, with shorter attention spans as the volume of content and substitute entertainment so high, naturally the supply of entertainment has massively increased (as has the variety).


    People aren't as keen to watch 90 minutes of football anymore, and even though it was nearly entirely to do with money, the European Super League proposal that blew up earlier this year was also trying to argue people are losing interest in the sport so something new needs to be done.


    Cricket is a good example of this as well - you've gone from one day matches (50 overs) to Twenty20 (20 overs) and more recently The Hundred was introduced in the UK (only a 100 balls per innings). Sports are trying to adapt to an obvious change in how the new generation go about things. Barcelona opened a gaming division as the commercial aspect of esports is also massive.


    esports will probably eventually get there.

    i feel every gen fans think their gen is better. Hyori and Eugene have been around for longer while Suzy and Yoona are still on the younger side. But you are right. Nowadays internet celebs hold a lot of power. Earlier people only used to watch television but now with social media and OTT platforms; the barrier to become a celeb has lowered. Even many drama actors have insta accounts or youtube channels.

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