Do you think kpop relies too heavily on the parasocial relationship aspect?

Quote from MissBehave

I don't think people (in this thread at least) are demanding that idols show their true personality. Rather, I think that people think it's sad that idols are afraid of showing their personality or of living a normal life. Kpop, unfortunately, has a built in reality tv type aspect. That's what I"m wondering about. Does kpop emphasize that too much? Does it capitalize the ability to have that insight into the idol's world too heavily?

it only capitalizes on what the fans keep proving they actually WANT

idols SHOULD be afraid of showing their personality on camera

it can be used against them at any moment

idol to fan is a one-sided relationship

the expectation from us to even be able to see idol's personality, real or not, is what is absurd

if only we would just enjoy the music and videos and performances and go about our day

Quote from MissBehave

I would be curious about that myself, take away the parasocial stuff, the visuals, and the choreo. What would the landscape look like if it was all just audio?

We can go back to the time when people use radio for entertainment (before tv), and see how it was. But probably that time only selected type of people can get access to be on the radio itself.. every era has gatekeeping and their own pros and cons

Quote from MissBehave

I would be really curious to see how successful kpop would be as a whole without that aspect. I love kpop first and foremost for the way it sounds and would still listen to it if all I had was spotify, but I know that others enjoy it for different aspects.

yeah well of course it wouldnt be close to as successful

purely music wise, less than 1% of the population knows the language

add in the aesthetic and performance aspect and maybe you get a few million more

that's it

fan service is a form of exploitation where the idols have everything to lose and fans have nothing to lose

of course fans love to be in that position

it lets them fantasize and makes them feel like they own the idols and can mold them to be whatever they want

and idols willingly let themselves be exploited for the money

in this scenario, i think it is best if the idols use a throwaway persona rather than expose their real selves

yes yes yes

the day kpop fandoms realise that their faves don't need saving from evil people who don't like their music, is going to be a very good day lol

Let's see.

The extreme need for idols in their 20s and 30s to infantilise themselves or their fans get upset and kick off.

The need to hide every aspect of their personal life because fans will start petitions and ruin your career if you marry a woman that isn't them.

Fans will ruin your career if you do not allow yourself to be completely controlled by their wants and how they want you to dress,act and behave.

Not being able to blink at other idols because fans will get upset, circulate that you are a pick me and a slut and an attention seeker.

Have to participate in an awful fanservice and shipping culture because your fans are frankly too immature to consider that you might have a normal life and people you love outside of your group.

A large number of idols are used as a fan self insert y/n moment, every part of their persona and artistry ignored just so fans can say the idol is married to their fave. It's disgusting.

4th gen doesn't even care about music lol, it's all about visuals and personalities that you can Stan, the fans don't realise for a second that those personalities are heavily manufactured to play into the current trends in society.

I am utterly convinced that a large number of kpop fans fully buy into the parasocial relationship because they like the control it gives them over a members career. And I thought previously that having a larger international fan base was much better because the domestic one is so rigid and controlling with so many unspoken rules and expectations and its governed by self-hate,the need to control and the anger that these manufactured idols are not who they portray themselves as. But the international ones can be just as bad if not worse.

Kpop has built its entire foundations on giving the fans the control over these idols.

Well, that's the main thing that differentiates K-pop from the rest of music, isn't it?

Isn’t that the whole point of kpop tho? I’m more than sure that if it was just about the music, kpop would not be popular AT ALL.

100%. I always remember fans accusing Heechul and Momo of "flaunting" their relationship because a couple of people merely asked him about it.

"I don't mind if my fave dates as long as they don't shove it down our throats" is such a bizarre logic, and is barely better than the fans who don't want their faves to date at all!

But the industry is to blame for marketing idols this way.

Quote from MissBehave

Sometimes I feel that some fans are too heavily invested in their faves emotionally. They end up not handling criticism well and it impacts their mental health. And then if a scandal breaks out or the group disbands, it's crushing. I feel like this is more common in kpop than in other parts of the music world. I also have noticed that kpop seems to attract many fans who have difficulty in other parts of their life and may see kpop as a way to fill other voids or as an escape.

I think companies actually target this and market to increase this kind of emotional attachment (dependency). Sometimes it's less about the music and more about how appealing the idol is as a person and the group as an idealized pseudo family unit. They also play into a person wanting to feel like they were able to overcome adversity or achieve a win by tying fan behavior with a group's accomplishments.

If New Age gurus and Red Pill weirdos do this, who's stopping KPop companies from doing so? LSM was once wanted by Interpol and is still doing illegal offshore transactions up to this day; unethical marketing tactics is just a piece of cake to him.

Yes too much. Even more than talent or music sometimes This is one of the biggest reasons kpop is successful.