The whole world has expanded to a huge size that one cannot keep on with and the Kpop industry is not an exception. There are millions of contents being created and shared about Kpop every hour and trying to know and cover all of them is overwhelming
and impossible. But being a Kpop fan for us is a breath in today's suffocating world of stress and fear. Kpop gave me hope and even though to some people it might look like a waste of time, to me it is a small private happiness. However, I don't want
to lose the sight of my life nor sacrifice my small happiness in the name of a waste of time. There are some ways that we can keep both and feel not overwhelmed.
- All Kpop groups/artists vs. The ones I love most
I have some Kpop groups/artists which I am a serious fan of and there are some that I casually follow or like some of their works. But keeping all of them under the radar is not possible. That is why I have decided to follow my main biases and let the
algorithms bring me news about the rest (I find a lot of new content on Kpop randomly on Instagram search area).
Every time a new group/artist takes my attention, I check all their works and members' characteristics and if I see myself interested in their genre or personalities, then I decide if I want to be a serious fan or not. Let's be objective. We cannot follow
everyone around and we don’t want to lose the one we already love. On the other hand, sometimes you need to let go. I became a fan of
The Ark, but they disbanded; nothing to follow. So I let them go while I still have their song on my
playlist or their best cover in my Liked videos list.
- All news platforms vs. The ones that cover what we want
I have seen uncountable news websites/channels covering Kpop news. But honestly, so many are repeating the same news and so many are creating nonsense which can be fake or without the value of spending time on. Try to find some channels or websites that
cover the main news you need and you think they are at least more honest compared to others and stick to them. You don't need to check every headline.
[Note: I think one of the worst aspects of Kpop fandom is being nosy about every little news of idols' private lives. Paying attention to these types of news gives more excuses for those who are making them. So let's pass them by.]
- All social media vs. The most updated one
Kpop groups/idols/artists have numerous social media and they are active in many platforms. A huge amount of content to cover, huh? I found out that the quality of the contents being managed on these social media totally depends on the company the artists
are labeled under. Therefore, not all idols or artists are active on social media and every platform. Even, some artists under less capable labels are more active on their personal pages. Here is my suggestion: try to find the most updated social
media of your favorite artists (Instagram vs. Facebook, vs YouTube, etc.) and follow them on those ones. You can end up noticing other ones in a way or another in other channels; so, don't worry! You won't lose anything. Algorithms are doing an amazing
job suggesting us related contents.
- Fanmade contents vs. Original ones
There are millions of contents that have been created by fans (edited videos, edited photos, drawings, etc.). I have ended up with many original great content through the glimpses that I have seen in fanmade videos about the idols (especially the ones
with the title "Funny moments"). But I have found myself roaming on Instagram and browsing in the search area literally for hours and I don't want to lose more time on repetitive contents. Instead, it
is not a bad idea to find some up-to-date fan channels that are creative with their content and follow them to get clues on some original ones from the idols themselves
.
However, the best way is to follow the original channels that belong to idols/artists; for example, many of Seventeen's fanmade funny moments' videos come from their YouTube program called Going Seventeen.
I've heard this from many people around me that being a Kpop fan is sometimes painful for them because many times they end up feeling guilty with the thought that they have wasted their time. But seriously, I like myself being a Kpop fan. However, I don't
have the luxury to spend my life aimlessly. When I see the idols work hard to achieve their dreams, I get more eager to move forward, no guilty feeling anymore. Let's not lose that sight!
