Chapter 3: Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation (draft)

Chapter 3

Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation

Summary

       This paper tried to explain the bad effects of fangirling.

      The research design used in this paper is descriptive research method wherein data and information gathered were used to answer the research question posed. The research findings are the following:

1.   Fan girling is fun and interesting.
2.  People, especially girls, know that fan girling is a common shared interest that brings them together.
3. According to fan girls, dedicating their life on reading fan fictions, looking at the pictures of their idols, watching K-dramas, shipping idols, and etc., is cute and simple.
4.  Somehow, fan girling raises awareness, giving support and provides motivation for their idols.

Conclusion

         Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions are drawn:

1.  Korean Pop or KPOP became very influential in 2011 not only in Korea but also around the world.
2.  KPOP groups gained a lot of fans internationally. They are called ‘fandoms’.
3.  Fan girling raises negative effects on people. 
4. Obsession can result if over addiction came upon KPOP fans and it may lead to obsessive things that may destroy them.
5.  Nationality is at risk when people tend to overdo the support they give with KPOP idols. 

Recommendations

1.  Fan girls and newbies of the fandom world should know how to have a healthy fan girling lifestyle. They should also be aware if the negative and positive side of fan girling to prevent being too obsessive towards Korean celebrities.
2.   Idols and aspiring idols should know that being an idol is not that easy. It is risky. Some fans will overdo the support and it might lead to the fragility of one’s safety. They should also know what to do in case they meet an obsessive fan.
3.  Future researchers should know that researching about the psychological effects of fan girling can be a little bit offensive to someone. They should know how to use correct and wise words to explain.

References

Electronic media

Mimsie Ladner (2013, August 20) KPOP and future of KOREA retrieved April 10, 2014 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mimsie-ladner/kpop-korea-music_b_3784115.html).

RedditKPOP(forum) (http://www.reddit.com/r/kpop/comments/1z20di/general_discussion_how_many_kpop_nonsouth_korean/).

TP Bus (2014, March 18) Being a fan girl retrieved April 10, 2014 (http://tpbusinessbuzz.com/2014/03/being-a-fan-girl/).

Julie Jackson (2014, January 2) The rising tides of KPOP retrieved April 12, 2014 (http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Entertainment/Music/News/2014/01/02/The-rising-tides-of-Kpop/).

List of Fandoms (forum) (https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/207578/3/academia-to-know-more-about-kpop-academy-korean-kpop-facts).

Guest (2012, January 22) The 101 On Crazy K-Pop Fangirls retrieved April 12, 2014 (http://seoulbeats.com/2012/01/the-101-on-crazy-kpop-fangirls/).

IATFB (2012, June 11) Analyzing Analysis: allkpop asks why K-pop fans can’t unite as one, I have an answer retrieved April 12, 2014 (http://www.asianjunkie.com/2012/06/critical-eye-allkpop-asks-why-k-pop-fans-cant-unite-as-one-i-have-an-answer).

Chapter 2: Discussion (draft)

Chapter 2

Discussion

A.   Influence of Korean Pop

Korean pop or K-Pop is a popular cultural genre originated in South Korea. Typically, it is classified in the genre when it has a various audiovisual characteristics. Due to its unique characteristics, K-Pop became popular in a matter of time. Since it is new to the ears and eyes of the international industry, K-Pop made its way to the top by providing a unique variety of music and music videos.

According to an article entitled “The rising tides of KPOP” by Julie Jackson of thestar.com.my, the first half of 2011 is the rise of the Koran wave (also known as Hallyu). According to Time Magazine, this year was known as “South Korea’s greatest export”. But KPOP didn’t originate that year. Back at 1992, two Korean groups namely “Seo Taiji” and “Boys” pioneered the industry. The new generation of KPOP was pioneered by still-popular music idols BoA, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, Big Bang and Wonder Girls. The international popularity of KPOP soon rises after that. The author also said that what fans are crazy about is that the idols raised by South Korea focuses on talent alone by making them train for more than a year to provide a perfect form of entertainment.

Julie Jackson also said “More is demanded of the artistes musically, rather than pretty looks and flashy dance moves as the music industry increasingly turns to concerts and tours to diversify their revenue stream.” (http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Entertainment/Music/News/2014/01/02/The-rising-tides-of-Kpop/).

It is true. I know some artists that have trained for almost 7 years to improve their talents and skills on some certain point. But there are some artists that do not need to because that's their forte already. All they need to do is to polish their talent. The company hiring the talents will always make sure that the artists are perfect before they show they to the public.

B.   KPOP fandoms

One known thing about KPOP is that they always come with a certain group of fans or fandom. Without a doubt, the thing that drives this people to build a fandom is to catch the attention of the idols they admire. They build friendship through fandom and that’s what’s keeping it alive. In fact, the fandoms are not just in a certain region or country; it is composed of people around the world.

Some of these fandoms are mention in a forum called fanfics.com in an article entitled “List of fandoms” by XXIBGDRGN namely:

1. Cassiopeia - DBSK's (or TVXQ) fanclub, Cassiopeia, is the name of a constellation with 5 main stars & there are 5 members in DBSK.

2. ELF (EverLasting Friends) - Super Junior fans are called ELF because it stands for Everlasting Friends.

3. VIP - V.I.P. = Very Important Person. The second single La La La is also referred to as Big Bang is V.I.P.

4. SONE - SNSD fans are called SONEs (pronouced "so one") because it means that SNSD & their fans are one.

5. Black Jacks - 21 is the highest number a person can achieve while playing Blackjack.

(https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/207578/3/academia-to-know-more-about-kpop-academy-korean-kpop-facts).

The thing is, these fandoms are consisted of a lot of people and they all have the same things to share about their fandoms. The rapid growth of people demanding to join the fandom is growing big and its rather unstoppable.

C.   The negative effects

Here’s the thing, people think that Fangirling is normal. Yes, it is. But what if people take it to another level and forgot living normally?

Fan girls (and boys) might say that being a fan girl gave them a positive benefit by making them optimistic, friendly, etc., but they never realized that the lifestyle they call healthy living is giving them a negative effect also.

1. Obsession

When people adore someone, they tend to think that he/she is the perfect man/woman they can ever think of. They will begin to watch videos and see pictures and later on, it will lead to addiction or even worse, obsession.

In an article entitled “The 101 On Crazy K-Pop Fangirls” by Guest of soulbeats.com, the factors of obsession leads to the fan girl being mentally disabled. The author categorized the fan girls into three.

The “New/Dumb fan girls”: the author also defined them the “trying-hard-to-blend-in-the-fandom-to-look-professional”. This people are the most annoying in a way that because they are new to the KPOP industry, they tend to tell and boast to everybody about what they’ve seen in the internet about a certain KPOP group.

The “Delusional fan girls”: they are the people who think that they own the idol they are idolizing. They think of their idols as “gods”. When a certain celebrity touches his/her idol, he/she will do everything to defeat that certain celebrity. And take note; they attack in teams.

 Lastly, (and the craziest) are the “WTF! Fan girls”: the author described this section as the worst of them all. The thing is, WTF! Fans will do anything for the sake of their fandom. They can even do gross activity in order to catch the attention of their idol like writing a letter using your period blood. (yes it’s true!).

The author also said, “There are many intelligent fangirls that understand the balance between entertainment and life, but a good amount of K-pop fangirls are CRAZY, and yes I did, I said it: crazy. I can guarantee you that in every performance, music video, variety show, or whatever their “oppars” are in, you will see at least one fangirl going crazy. If you have not encountered one of these fans than either you are an extremely lucky person, or you don’t use the internet at all.” (http://seoulbeats.com/2012/01/the-101-on-crazy-kpop-fangirls/).

Moreover, these fans do indeed have a problem that needs attention. If they are in fact developmental or psychological, then their needs cannot be swept to the side. The thing is, South Korea and many parts of Asia in general are still too hesitant to confront issues of psychological disorder and what not. This needs to change.

2. Nationalism issues

A lot of KPOP fans are saying that what they like about KPOP is that it’s very unique. This is often heard from international fans. The things is, these people idolize KPOP idols because they see what they’ve never seen around their country, but is it really a good thing?

In an article entitled “Analyzing Analysis: allkpop asks why K-pop fans can’t unite as one, I have an answer” by IATFB of asianjunkie.com, what’s bad about international KPOP fans is that they tend to forget their nationality when they begin obsessing over Korean music culture. There are tendencies that they will support their idols instead of their own industry. In the case of Korean fans, they see KPOP as a form of entertainment exploitation instead of a sub-cultural part of their country.

The author also said “Sure, there are the occasional Koreaboos who think they are Korean and worship everything Korean. However, the majority of fans are just into K-pop, and more importantly, just into their favorite K-pop groups/idols, not the totality of what it’s supposed to represent.” (http://www.asianjunkie.com/2012/06/critical-eye-allkpop-asks-why-k-pop-fans-cant-unite-as-one-i-have-an-answer/).

Majority of the KPOP fans only like KPOP because of the dramas and PV's showed that's why it's been very popular. It’s okay to listen to other nation's song but you should never forget that you belong to a certain nationality.

Chapter 1: Introduction (draft)

Chapter 1

Introduction

A.   Background of the study

Fan girling is fun and interesting. In modern generation, fan girling became well accepted. Fan girling brings off a positive vibe on fans and they tend to see things on the positive side. As a result, optimism is ruling these people. A lot of fan girls are seen to be having fun on watching and seeing their fandoms. There is a certain fan girl domain that has been growing in our society today; it is what we know as K-pop fandom. This fandom has been growing larger and larger as time goes by. The said fandom focuses more on K-pop idols and stars.

According to an article entitled, “KPOP and the Future of Korea” by Mimsie Ladner of huffingtonpost.com, KPOP has been very influential not only in Korea but also around the world. In America, the KPOP Fandom has been very popular because of its unique characteristics. But despite its popularity and fandom, there are bashers. But still, the fandom grew larger and larger.

Mimsie Ladner also said, “It's easy to ignore the fact that there's a bigger picture to K-pop when silly costumes and screaming fangirls are involved. So, the next time you're in Seoul and hear the familiar sound of sugary K-pop sounding from every which direction, don't roll your eyes. Appreciate it for what it is and keep in mind that that very song might just be influencing the future of Korea.” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mimsie-ladner/kpop-korea-music_b_3784115.html).

People, especially girls, know that fan girling is a common shared interest that brings them together. Some fandoms have some groups already wherein they all see their idols as an epitome of something beyond any other else in this world. Fan girling soon became a bridge in building friendship especially to girls because they tend to click due to their common interest. This common interest will soon make bonds that will bloom into something bigger that will make their friendship unbreakable.

According to a forum named “redditkpop” of reddit.com where fans of KPOP gather there are almost 10,000 KPOP fan in a certain country or region that shares the same interest. This forum is made to gather all KPOP fans (especially in America) and share their biases. (http://www.reddit.com/r/kpop/comments/1z20di/general_discussion_how_many_kpop_nonsouth_korean/).

According to fan girls, dedicating their life on reading fan fictions, looking at the pictures of their idols, watching K-dramas, shipping idols, and etc., is cute and simple. These things bring life to them. Just like any other fans, fan girls of k-pop domain will always give time to the things they enjoy. Looking at their idols feels like they enter a part of their idols life and that somehow makes them complete. Doing these simple things makes their heart somehow satisfied.

According to an article entitled “Being a Fan Girl..” by TP BUS Bloggers of tpbusinessbuzz.com being a kpop fan is expensive. You will buy albums, DVDs, posters, concert tickets and any other fandom related. Once you started , you can never get out because what you are being obsessed with is giving you life already. But this expensive spending makes you more practical and you learn how to budget your money.

The author said (In personal opinion) “I spend $$$ on their concert tickets. As you know, concert tickets don’t come cheap, especially in Singapore where the minimum price (for KPOP concerts) would be at least $150 for the more established idols. Not to forget, if you want a better view, those seats can cost up to $300 per ticket” (http://tpbusinessbuzz.com/2014/03/being-a-fan-girl/).

Somehow, fan girling raises awareness, giving support and provides motivation for their idols.  The idols they idolized are being energized to do their job and give more effort because they know that there are fans waiting for their works. Fan girls play a big part of their job and even their personal life.

Despite of this positive things fan girling gives, people don’t know that it has a bad side-effect. 

There are some views for fan girls that the enjoyment fan girling gives is rather irreplaceable. But, healthy fan girling must be raised. Hence, having background information about being a fan girl will help people, mostly girls, to overstep the line between healthy fandom and obsession and in case of healthy fan girls, why they should prevent on having further obsession.

Instead of dealing with different kinds of fandoms around the world, the goal of this paper is to explain the side effects of extreme fan girling.

B.   Statement of the problem

This study aims to answer the question:

1.    What are the effects of extreme fan girling?

C.   Significance of the Study

1. Fan girls and newbies of the fandom world. This research paper would be able to help fan girls to minimize their obsession and how they can prevent the bad effects of it. For the new people of the fandom domain, this study will help you to do healthy fan girling. Moreover, the researcher hopes that healthy fan girling will be raised for positive contribution in the said domain. 
2. Idols and aspiring idols. In this paper, idols will know what obsessive fan girls tend to do. In that case, they will be ready and prepared for the negative circumstances and how to deal with obsessive fans they have. Aspiring idols would also benefit in this paper because they can prepare themselves on the world of fandom that’s waiting for them. 
3. Future researchers. This study is risky because people think that the researcher might be stereotyping since the paper will be focusing on the bad effects. But there will be thorough research on what fan girls really do. Future researchers will benefit in this paper in terms of psychological terms and mental behaviors fan girls do.

D.   Scope and Limitations

This study aims to explain the side effects of extreme Fangirling. K-pop fan girling will be considered since it became viral in our current generation.

This study will no longer discuss about different fandoms such as British and American since it has been widely accepted and positively practiced as time went by. This paper will also give emphasis to K-pop fan girling because K-pop fans tend to be more aggressive than any other fandom. Moreover, the researcher believes that Korean fan girling gives off a lot of psychological side-effects on people compared to others.

E.   Materials and Methods

This study will be using internet-based researches and blogs since a lot of fan girls have been doing blogs regarding their fan girl life. Those blogs will be useful in a way that this paper will be needing evidences of healthy and unhealthy fan-girling. Moreover, researches about the psychological effect of fan girling will be needed and some of this researched will be seen in the internet.

The date and information needed for this paper will be analyzed according to its importance and use for the study. Information not related to the psychological effect of fan girling will be disposed in order to prevent clattered idea and come out with a concise answer for the study. The weight of the sources is a must and some personal-based researches and opinions will not be included.

 F.    Definition and Terms

1. Fan girl. A female who has overstepped the line between healthy fandom and near obsession for a certain group or celebrity.
2. Fan girling. The act of idolizing over someone who people see to be talented than others. 
3. Fandom. A term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. 
4.  K-pop. Also known as Korean pop, is a popular sub culture in Korea consisting of talented individuals carefully trained for entertainment.
5. Shipping. Also known as OTP (One true pairing), is a term used to express a pair of people that are perfect partner for each other regardless of their gender.

Blogpost 7: Riding the Korean Wave

        Several Asian countries like, Japan, China, Vietnam and Philippines have absorbed the Korean pop culture and several Korean cultural genres including television programs and films have become major cultural activities in these countries. Korea has recently started to penetrate European and North American countries with popular music (K-Pop) and online gaming. The Korean Wave has been unique because it indicates the unusual growth of local creative industries in the midst of neoliberal globalization.

    The Korean Wave has especially experienced a significant change with the development of digital technologies and social media, such as YouTube, social network sites , and smartphones in the 21st century. These digital technologies, as new driving engines of the Korean Wave, have initiated and supported the popularity of local culture in many countries.  

       According to the article that I've read entitled, "The New Korean Wave in the Creative Industry" by Dal Yong Jin of quod.lib.umich.edu tells that, the development of the Hallyu phenomenon has been closely related to the cultural policies in the realm of cultural/creative industries, because the major characteristics and genres have changed based on different cultural policies. The notion of the cultural industries originally started in the 19th century when the commercialization of cultural production began in societies. The cultural industries were later very much bound up with the rise of mass culture—a phenomenon that troubled many 20th-century intellectuals. Yong Jin also stated that, "Reacting against what they saw as the misleadingly democratic connotations of the term mass culture, Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer developed the idea of the culture industries as part of their critique of the false legacies of the Enlightenment, where the term was intended to draw critical attention to the commodification of art. In their view, culture had almost entirely lost this capacity to act as utopian critique because it had become commodified, a thing to be bought and sold."

          Online gaming and K-Pop have become the two most significant cultural genres in the Korean creative industries and have initiated the growth of Hallyu (Korean wave) since late 2007, because K-Pop fans and online game users heavily access these social media to enjoy local popular culture. Hallyu is the combination of social media, their practices, and the uses and affordances they provide, and this new stage has been made possible because Korea has advanced its digital technologies.

          Korean pop culture has now become a cultural phenomenon reaching far beyond the boundaries of East Asia. The seemingly unstoppable path of the Korean Wave has left Koreans with mixed feelings of pride and incredulity at the same time. What is certain is that the Korean Wave has ceased to be a teen subculture and has gained momentum with people of all ages from around the world. 

        Super Junior is but one example of South Korean cultural exports, including popular music (called "K-pop") as well as television dramas, movies and video games, that have become wildly popular among young people across Asia. 


        According to the another article that I've read entitled, "Korean Wave of pop culture sweeps across Asia" by Lara Farrar of  edition.cnn.com tells that, South Korea, has become the Hollywood of the East, churning out entertainment that is coveted by millions of fans from Japan to Indonesia. Culture also plays a role. Korean content, especially dramas, is as, if not more, popular than Western series. Lara also stated that, "So based upon that cultural background, we exchange our emotions, what we think and what we feel. There is a low cultural barrier to crossover with our content. It is kind of a syndrome. Asian people love to enjoy Korean stuff." 

        K-pop already brings in producers, choreographers, and composers from many countries—it is already a cultural hybrid from its inception. Global, it turns out to be, is merely another word for hybrid. Against this backdrop it would be useful to view the Korean Wave as a phenomenon in which one local culture acts as the common meeting point for a variety of other cultures, transcending both similarities and differences.

Blogpost 6: The K-pop Plastic Surgery Obssesion

       When you heard the word "Plastic Surgery", what comes in your mind? For me, South Korea automatically pops out my mind. Why? Because we know that  the country's plastic surgery industry has come under fire from foreign and local critics. 

      None the less, patients are lining up in front of clinics hoping to improve their lives via their faces, and are supposedly not to be apologetic about it at all, when ironically it’s also supposedly “shameful” when others are able to spot your modifications. (At first I thought this was merely a double standard - that celebrities are expected to be ‘perfect’ while there’s more leniency for us non-celebrities, but there are many cases in which the latter are just as vilified by those around them.) People know this happens, yet the whole notion of ‘looking good to get ahead’ is still widely valued. People glorify natural beauty.

       I've read an article entitled, "The Hardest Thing About Being Beautiful in Asia"  by Dana Ter of policymic.com tells that, in South Korea, beauty is necessity. Being beautiful has became a competition for many areas in our life, from securing a job to finding a husband. This exists in many cultures, in South Korea, teenagers are promised plastic surgery as high-school graduation present. Teenage girls look to western women as role models. Beauty is linked to future success in life. Dana also stated that, "The perception that Korean women desire to look "western" oversimplifies this complex plastic surgery craze. Many believe that these women are inspired by the looks of K-pop idols such as Girls Generation. They are not asking their plastic surgeons to make them look like western celebrities, but rather to resemble Korean idols. And yet, the facial features that these entertainers possess, regardless of whether they've had plastic surgery, are traits common amongst Caucasians including bigger eyes and narrow jaws. Perhaps the image of beauty that arises is more of a fusion between some Korean and the western qualities."

  Beauty and image play a critical role in Korean society and everyone – and I mean everyone  believed the prettier you are, the more likely you are to succeed, be that at pop stardom or otherwise. As popular culture becomes globalized, images of what the east perceives as the west and vice versa are constantly in fluctuation as the definition of "beautiful" changes with the times. 

      South Korea has the highest rate of cosmetic procedures per capita in the world. Some reports place the number of South Korean women who have had a cosmetic procedure at one in five. In the city's ritzy Gangnam district there's a strip known as the 'beauty belt', a suburb filled with hundreds of plastic surgery clinics and little else. It has one of the highest concentrations of plastic surgery clinics in the world. 

        

       According to the another article that I've read entitled, "The K-pop effect: South Korea's obsession with beauty" by Jeannette Francis of sbs.com.au tells that, K-pop stars and Korean celebrities have influenced the younger generation. But also K-pop is a international phenomenon. The idols are known for their catchy tunes, synchronized dance moves and trendsetting fashions and flawless faces. They also known for the amount of plastic surgery they get. I noticed that every time they released new songs their faces also changed. Jeannette also stated that, "There are exceptions, but it's a generally accepted principle that to succeed in the pop industry, you must be beautiful, in other words you must have those aforementioned features that define beauty. And if you – like most Koreans – are not born with these you can – and should – change them and many pop stars do. I wasn't entirely surprised to hear about the K-Pop industry's cosmetic compulsion, despite how systematic and excessive it seemed. What was surprising, however, was that the plight for perfection trickled down to the country's youth."

         There is an ideal standard of beauty in South Korea, one encapsulated by the country's pop stars. Whether it's natural or not doesn't particularly matter. As the K-Pop phenomenon grows so too does the plastic surgery industry. Instead of encouraging women to appreciate the many forms in which beauty exists, popular culture has churned out simplified "ideals," which upon crossing cultural lines, become "lost in translation." 

Blogpost 5: Who are the Sasaeng Fans? (2/2)

   In K-pop, there are fangirls, fanboys, maybe haters and then there are the sasaeng fans. The simple fact that you're reading this post right here right now presumably makes you a part of the first or second category, but even then, the term 'sasaeng fan' will probably not be an unfamiliar one to you. 

    Sasaeng fans are motivated by self-seeking goals, looking only towards their personal benefits. In one aspect, they could be desperate to receive any form of attention or notice from their idols because it gives them a sense of accomplishment or satisfaction in which they can find security.

    I've read an article entitled, "'Sasaeng' Fans: who and why (2/2)" by Bianca Gomez of angrykpopfan.tumblr.com tells that there are two concepts that relate to the analysis of the general fan psyche: Parasocial relationships and Attachments. Parasocial relationship is a one-way relationships with famous people in which we feel we know them really well through constant and pervasive media exposure. The more interviews, performances, appearances, and even fan accounts we watch or read, the bigger this illusion is, despite never having met them nor interacted with them in real life.  Parasocial relationships feel real, though they are merely imagined. And lastly the Attachment, refers to a strong enduring affectional bond to a particular other. It forms the foundation for all relationships — mother - child, husband - wife, even fan - celebrity. There are two elements involved: perception of other, and perception of the self in relation to the other. So what are these?

     The perception of the other can either be positive or negative: “trustworthy and available” versus “unreliable and rejecting”. The perception of the self is also either positive or negative: “worthy of love and support” versus unworthy. Bianca also stated that, "Individuals with this attachment style may indulge in approach and stalking behaviour because they overvalue others and perceive that contact with others is a means by which they can gain personal validation, which they can use to challenge negative views of the self. In essence, acceptance from others serves to indicate that the individual is acceptable and valued. Individuals of high social status, particularly celebrities, would be expected to be most at risk of approach behaviour and stalking motivated in this way."

      Moreover, these sasaeng fans do indeed have a problem that needs attention. If they are in fact developmental or psychological, then their needs cannot be swept to the side. The thing is, South Korea and many parts of Asia in general are still too hesitant to confront issues of psychological disorder and what not. This needs to change. 

      There was another concept about this issue.

       Who among us hasn't fallen victim to a little celebrity worship? Whether the object of our affections are movie stars, athletes, poets or politicians, we're hungry for information about them. It is true right? I think that if people keep up with celebrities as a hobby, it’s fine and there’s nothing wrong with it. But when people look at celebrities as actual role models, or people whom they would like to model their lives after, that’s when I think it’s taking things a little bit too far.

     Now the question is, Is Celebrity Worship Good or Bad?

    According to the another article that I've read entitled, "The Psychology of Celebrity Worship" by John M. Grohol of psychcentral.com tells that, there was a certain type of person that seem drawn to celebrity worship.  Entertainment social celebrity worship appears to have no implications for self-esteem, intense personal celebrity worship was related to positive self-esteem but also to a propensity toward stable and global attributions, and borderline pathological celebrity worship was related to external, stable, and global attributional styles and was close to being associated negatively with self-esteem. John Grohol also stated that, "This suggests that people with the most extreme celebrity worship engage in an attributional style that believes the cause of most events in the person’s life are external, that is, they are outside the control of the person experiencing the event. People who have stable, global attributions share such an attribution style with people who are depressed. So people who have the most extreme celebrity worship look to the outside world for explanations, and believe celebrities might hold a piece of that cure."

     When our own lives start to go down hill, we gain some value  when we can read about the most famous and popular people in our culture who suffer from not dissimilar woes from our own. They breakup, they makeup, they wear bad clothes, they have hangovers, just like us. Now let me ask you, what's the difference between a hobby, a passion, and an interest that's gone too far? Is there any difference between being a devoted fan and being an obsessed fan?

Blogpost 4: Who are Sasaeng Fans? (1/2)

  K-pop has traditionally thrived on idol worship from the hundreds of thousands of young groupies who spend lavishly on concert passes, air tickets and merchandise.

  It is these fans who propel performers from relative obscurity to almost instant super-stardom, the fans who will buy the products the stars are paid to endorse, the fans who will fill up venues with their ecstatic screams.

    But what if some of these fans started sending letters written in menstrual blood to their idols? Or began installing hidden cameras in their idols' homes and cars, stalking them so aggressively that car accidents resulted? What if a fan decided she loved her idol group so much that she would "destroy" his rivals by doping another boy band's drink with poison? 

  All these horror stories are true and committed by this group called "Sasaeng Fans (Private Fan)" -whose quest to worship their idols have taken on horrifically disturbing proportions in the past year.

  I've read an article entitled, "Sasaeng Stalkers (Part 1): K-pop fans turn to blood, poison for attention" by Elizabeth Soh of sg.entertainment.yahoo.com tells that sasaeng are usually female, starting as young as 13 to about 22, and they have made it their life's goal to make sure they are noticed by their idols, by hook or by crook. What started out as groups of teenage girls banding together to support their K-pop idols has morphed into an ugly new phenomenon involving physical violence, blatant intrusions into personal privacy, and even sexual favours offered in exchange for information about the stars. She also stated that "These sasaengs' extreme behaviour extend to every aspect of their lives. They do not return home but instead usually sleep at PC Bang (Internet cafes) after a full day of stalking. Many skip school and some drop out completely. Their lives become filled with every move their idols make. The sasaeng position themselves strategically around the homes or the management companies of their idols and communicate via Kakao-talk, the Korean version of Whatsapp, boasting about photos they are able to snap or reactions they are able to provoke from the stars." 

   Many do not consider ‘sasaeng’ fans ‘real fans’. It even goes as far as labeling them “not normal.”  We also have to take into account that there are different levels of ‘sasaeng-ism’ — there are those who merely stalk around in cabs, and there are those who stalk and send used sanitary pads to their oppas (older brother). I’m sure there is a huge degree of differences even among ‘sasaeng’ fans, let alone between them and ‘harmless’ fans.

     

    How do they compare to Paparazzi?

  One interesting thing about ‘sasaeng’ culture that we don’t see in infamous western cases, however, is that these ‘fans’ work in networks — relatively organized groups, despite the competition that ensues among members for ‘exclusive photos’ and what not. At the same time, a black market that helps fuel ‘sasaeng’ activities is quickly developing, with taxi services and the like. 


   However, what I have noticed is that such collaboration and networking is parallel to that of paparazzi culture in Hollywood. As much as there is intense rivalry between photographers, they don’t shy away from offering each other tips as to who is where at that very moment. In addition, the paps stick together when it comes to them versus the rest of the world, especially regarding anonymity, similar to the cases of ‘sasaeng’ fans.

  But according to the another article that I've read entitled, "Celebrity Culture and Why Paparazzi Isn't the Problem" by Victoria Young of somethingshesaid.com tells that the paparazzi was clearly in the wrong here and it’s worth noting who the real culprit(s) are: the people who buy tabloid magazines (including the high-brow, if there is even such a thing, ones like Us Magazine, In Touch Weekly, Star, and People, not to mention all the websites and TV Shows like TMZ, Entertainment Tonight, etc.). The society functions on supply and demand, and if there were no demand for celebrity photos, there would be no sleazy behavior to get them. She also stated that "If people stopped buying the magazines that invade the privacy of celebrities–paparazzi wouldn't have a job that entails invading the privacy of celebrities. While this particular paparazzo acted horribly, in many ways, he was just doing his job by whatever means necessary. For all we know, he’s the single breadwinner in a house of 5 children just trying to make ends meet, and while this in no way justifies his behavior, you have to wonder who is more in the wrong, this person doing his job or the consumer wasting their money in order to know/see the private lives of celebrities?  Who is perpetuating this cycle of personal invasion?  Who is the demand that this paparazzo is supplying?"  

   Another difference between a ‘sasaeng’ fan and a paparazzo is that for the former, there is intense attachment to one group or idol. Your typical paparazzo would follow any and every celebrity everywhere on a given day; and again, it’s all for the sake of getting a shot. Related to this is that ‘sasaeng’ fans are not in it for the money — they’re in it emotionally and passionately. There seem to be other motives at play.


  To conclude, all of us K-poppers for the most part are undoubtedly fascinated by these idols and the images they present. It’s part of our psyche to be especially attentive to those with fame and status. But there definitely is a line between following celebrities and, literally, following, them; and the reality that we exist in the same fandoms as ‘sasaeng’ fans shows that there is more than just the way the industry is structured, and the tendencies it fuels among fans. Though the fact that K-pop is very fanbase-oriented does have an influence, ‘sasaeng’-ism is probably a confluence of that and one’s psychological development, as well as its role in the way fangirl/fanboy feels are basically manifested and acted upon.