Celebrity

Stars’ live broadcasting: Real-time communication vs. exposure to malicious comments

K-pop is a “fandom” market. It is a strategy to focus on the support group, not the unspecified majority. For this, communication with fans is essential.

Among them, SNS platform-based live broadcasting (Labang) is highly preferred because stars and fans can communicate in real time. However, due to the nature of Labang, which proceeds without editing, there are many side effects due to unnecessary words and actions.

BTS Jungkook turned on Labang at dawn last February. He started broadcasting under the title “How have you been?” through the fan community Weverse, and about 16.3 million people accessed his 4-hour Labang. J-Hope, another member of BTS, also held a Labang ahead of his military enlistment on April 14th. He revealed his buzz cut and expressed his honest feelings.

jung kook

The fandom was enthusiastic about the global stars’ Labangs, but there was a temperature difference in the way they viewed them. This is because J-Hope turned on Labang for military enlistment, while Jungkook said, “I turned on Labang without consulting the company.” Jungkook continued to drink beer and expressed his thoughts without hesitation. Fans asked him to stop drinking in the chat window. It was nice to communicate with their favorite star, but fans seemed to be worried that unnecessary words and actions would be put under fire. An official from the agency HYBE said carefully, “Jungkook’s Labang was not discussed in advance. The officials monitored (when he announced the Labang news).”

For the MZ generation (born in the early 1980s~early 2000s), Labang has established itself as a trending communication window. It is also a kind of escape for K-pop stars who lived a life controlled by image management. However, as boy group Wanna One apologized for making inappropriate remarks during Labang and GOT7 JB was put under fire with obscene pictures on the wall, officials said, “Labang can rather damage the image.

j- hope

Stars activate the chat window for real-time communication while conducting Labang. However, malicious comments and abusive language that come up here hurt stars a lot. Lovelyz Mijoo vented her anger while hosting a SNS Labang last month. In response to malicious comments from haters, she said with a straight face, “I want to hear why you’re watching (my Labang). You can go out.” When receiving a malicious comment saying “I don’t like to hear your eating sound” during a Labang, Kang Daniel replied, “I’m also a human being, so I have to eat. I’m sorry.” The representative of a mid-sized music agency shared, “It’s not just fans who come to Labang. As it became impossible to comment on entertainment articles on portal sites, more and more people came to Labang and poured out malicious comments. Many stars want to communicate with their fans, but feel burdened by Labang.

After the death of Astro Moonbin last month, the New York Times and other media outlets in the U.S. reported, “K-pop stars live under strict control and undergo intensive training. They are also being troubled by online malicious comments.” Accordingly, Labang is emerging as a new window for malicious comments at a time when the industry is taking measures to protect the privacy of stars and prevent damage from malicious comments.

Source: Daum

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