Adrian Swancar's Unsplash / Designed by Kpopmap
It isn't easy to be a K-Pop fan. From supporting your artists on streaming charts and defending them from Twitter trolls to securing the specific photocard of your bias and a ticket for their concert/fan events. Being part of a fandom (or multiple!) demands a lot of emotional and physical energy.ย
With the rise of K-Popโs global impact, the number of fans is also rising. In 2023, the number of K-Pop fans worldwide surpassed 225 million in total, which is 25 times more since 2012. In its country of origin, over 61% of teenagers and over 51% of adults under 40 have said that K-Popโs their favorite music genre. Across the globe in the United States, almost 27% of the population has acknowledged that K-Pop and its merchandise are widely popular. Overall, the K-Pop events market, valued at $8.1 billion in 2021, is expected to reach $20 billion by 2031.
This rapid growth has diversified the ways of fan interaction and participation and raised competition among the fans themselves. Add to it the recent hike of scandals, and you have a charged pack of excitement, which some may find difficult to engage with.
If you have been active on any social networking sites in 2024, then you have likely noticed the currents of this energy. Particularly at the beginning of the year when ADOR's Min HeeJin and HYBE Labels had a public fallout, SM Entertainment faced internal conflicts, and several K-Pop idols' names popped up in various cases.ย
As the year progressed, these scandals continued to shake the grounds of the K-Pop industry, with their tremors and aftershocks affecting the fandom
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