Online comments make or break celebrities
Netizen created content helps to resurrect waning stars
By Park Ji-won
It's no exaggeration that the first decade of the new millennium was a golden age for multitalented entertainer Jung Ji-hoon. Performing under the stage name Rain, the singer-songwriter, actor and music producer was seen almost everywhere. His songs swept music charts, and he starred in popular TV series. Rain's acting career seemed to reach a peak when his venture into Hollywood films succeeded.
The splendid decade became a past glory for Rain in the 2010s when he returned to show business following a two-year hiatus for his mandatory military service which was tainted with his “abuse” of perks as an entertainment soldier. His endeavors to regain past glories were impeded by various obstacles.
The 2019 film “Race to Freedom: Uhm Bok-dong” starring Rain was withdrawn from theaters shortly after it premiered due to its poor reception ― it attracted a mere 170,000 cinemagoers. His music albums didn't do well, either. Many were skeptical about a rebound for his career.
However, Rain was able to roar again into the entertainment industry after he participated in SSAK 3, a one-off project group, which has been sweeping the music charts with retro-concept songs. The group has since appeared in multiple commercials.
Behind the sudden rebound is netizen-created content and the ensuing back-and-forth dialogue on this (which one Korean blogger called “playing with comments”). In the digital age, fans not only follow their idols but also exert a great deal of influence that can help or hinder their careers. Through online comments or video clips shared with other internet users, they promote waning or forgotten stars back into the limelight, helping their careers rise again.
Witty comments, hilarious parody videos and other supportive content add to and enhance their idol's presence.
Rain's 2017 music video “Gang,” for example, was quickly forgotten. But some fans revisited it last year, leaving lots of thumbs-ups and comments. Some of them were satirical mocking the superstar's out-of-date performance and lyrics ― one wrote: “It is perfectly unfashionable, multi-dimensionally wrong and thoroughly shameful.”
A so-called reaction video has accumulated more than 4.1 million views over the past three months.
Experts point out that this form of critique is a new way to enjoy content especially among the younger generation with YouTube channels. These people aim to be consumers and trendsetters or creators at the same time, by playing a role in resurfacing older content.
“On YouTube, young people are creating a culture. They dig unique old content, which is not made under the influence of large capital, and create their parody videos while sharing them with others through social media. Their recreation of digital content, albeit crude, is a form of recreation and a popular activity in itself,” culture critic Ha Jae-geun told The Korea Times, Tuesday.
“The re-creation of certain content by internet users proves that it's meaningless to talk about when the content was made, meaning there are more chances for old content to be rediscovered… But when the content starts to be consumed by major media outlets, its value becomes meaningless again because it is not rare anymore for the young consumers, who value the uniqueness of individuals over all else.”
Forgotten idol groups including ZE:A are another beneficiary of the new phenomenon. A reaction video featuring comments about ZE:A's 2012 song “After Effect” has amassed over 3.2 million views over the last two months.
However, the move also has a brutal side. It's well-known that some stars feel a great deal of stress because of negative online comments, with some even committing suicide.
Cyberbullying and trolling of celebrities has now become commonplace here. To cope with the deleterious effects of hateful comments on celebrities, both Naver and Daum, operators of the country's two biggest search engines, eliminated their comment sections for entertainment and sports news recently, after several stars and athletes killed themselves.
Tzuyang, a YouTuber who had about 2.7 million subscribers, said she quit YouTube activities in August as she had suffered enough from malicious comments and false accusations made against her. Actress Jang Mi-inae abruptly announced her retirement in March urging people to stop leaving negative comments about her.
Experts point out more fundamental and punitive solutions should be taken to prevent malicious comments and to establish a better online environment.
“There should be strong punishment against malicious comments under the law. It should become common sense for everyone to consider such comments as inhumane and severely damaging to others. Proper internet use education should also be given at school, while the media needs to continue criticizing trolling comments to change online culture,” Ha said.