(Almost) A Year Later: Revisiting the Importance of the Parasocial in BTS’s BE
Hey, howdy, how’s it going? It’s been forever and a day since I’ve written on this blog. My last post back in August ironically claimed I was back, but then I disappeared for another 5 months. Not to mention, most of my posts before then were just review posts which are not my strong suit since I’m not as knowledgeable about the music making process as I’d like to be. But now that I’m taking some time off from grad school (a story for another time), I hope to be back on the swing of things and come back with hopefully better pieces and better writing.
Speaking of, although grad school sucked out almost any free time I had, I still took classes that actually made me work on stuff that fit for the blogs I run. One such piece was looking over BTS’s album, BE, as a way to show the importance of parasocial relationships in a world brought to its knees by a pandemic. A world in which intangible relationships overtook face to face relationships in importance as we had to social distance and sadly, entering 2022, it looks as if the pandemic is here to stay for a bit longer.
If you didn’t know, I did write up a “review” piece for BE when it originally came out and at the time I honestly wasn’t too impressed by the album. Still, I wanted to give it another shot and found that while some songs I still remain the same on, other songs like “Telepathy” and “Fly to my Room,” kind of grew on me. I also grew more of a respect for the album and the songs after doing more research even if some of the songs still don’t resonate with me.
Alright, since this is going to be a rather long piece, as I had to write 20 pages for this paper, I will just get right into it. This isn’t an exact copy and paste since I wanted to fit it into a less formal format than the Chicago style that I had to type this up in, but be aware that this may read as more dry compared to my other posts. I’m getting back into the groove of things and I feel like I need help from my past self in this department.
Now, without further ado, I will present my argument. Sit down, relax, grab some snacks and a drink and get to reading!
1. Introduction
Personally, watching the rise of BTS to become global superstars from Korea has been a fascinating topic of study that really started to grow on me during my two trips to Korea. The first time I went, I was able to see them perform on the popular music program,?Mcountdown, and tangibly felt the euphoric energy of zealous fans as I was jostled and tousled about in the middle of an all-standing crowd. On my second instance in Korea, I was privileged to attend?a?university?conference?sponsored by HYBE, formerly known as BigHit, BTS’s company, and thus centered around the all-star group as different topics pertaining to K-pop were presented. Observing all this made me curious as to how and why fans of BTS seem especially enthused over these 7 men who appeared to hold all their ideals, dreams, and hopes through their lyrics, personalities, albums and MV concepts and more. My interest in such a powerful parasocial relationship has led me to do personal research starting from a study of one BTS management game called?BTS World?and how parasocial relationships are cultivated through such a game.
Recently, a new area of interest that should be addressed is how the relationship between fans of BTS and the group themselves have shifted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Parasocial relationships have reached new heights, almost to become a necessity for some fans during a time of uncertainty, pressure, and stress from a world where physical and face to face relationships were restricted and online parasocial relationships flourished. Through the release of two albums and various online activities such as through streaming platforms like YouTube and V live and hosting idol concerts such as?Bang Bang Con, BTS have managed to create spaces of “constellating stories,” a term from cultural rhetoric meaning stories that shows relationships through places, events, and people. The term appears to be a relatively new term from a rather engaging article titled: “?Our Story Begins Here: Constellating Cultural Rhetorics?“ where participants from four academic institutions came together to discuss their own stories centered around cultural rhetoric through an act in three parts.
The term, “constellating stories” was first encountered by me when I read a?Medium article?pertaining to BTS by a Professor Candace Epps-Robertson, who was a moderator for my panel for this online BTS conference I participated in back in May of last year. Within the article, Dr. Epps-Robertson provides her own interpretation of?BTS’s 2021 United Nation’s address?and how the narrative of the youth and even her peers were shifted during this time of the pandemic. Reading her article partially inspired me to write up this piece the way I did, and I would suggest to anyone who is an “acafan” (academic fan) of K-pop or BTS in general to read up on some of her stuff. It’s really good.
However, the biggest inspiration for writing up this post is ARMY, BTS’s fans who have proven themselves time and time again to be an overzealous bunch who have done some wonderous and not so wonderous things in the name of BTS. The most recent examples being last year’s BLM movement where BTS fans managed to raise in just 24 hours, a million dollars to match BTS’s own donation to the movement. The Purple ARMY (purple being their representative color after BTS member V, coined the phrase, “I purple you” in place of “I love you”), has even gone on the political offensive by flooding the Twitter hashtags of “White Lives Matter” and “Blue Lives Matter,” which K-pop fancams and other K-pop related media in order to foil the efforts to spread such messages. Perhaps the biggest and most amusing feat that caught national attention was the undoing of then President Trump’s campaign rally back in 2020 in Tulsa, Oklahoma where apparently thousands, if not, millions of K-pop Tik-Tokers banded together to reserve tickets to the rally in order to leave numerous seats empty and they succeeded. With the ever-increasing visibility of K-pop and their fans, it is no wonder the pull to study them is stronger than ever and BTS and their ARMY is a great launching pad in order to accomplish this.
2. Understanding the Parasocial and BTS
Firstly, what is a “parasocial relationship”? I discussed this back in my BTS world post, but when I was writing up this paper for my seminar, I finally looked up the origin of the term. The term first emerged back in the 1950s when researchers?Horton and Wohl?coined the phrase to refer to the often one-sided yet intimate relationship between an audience and a celebrity. This was, of course, during a time when television was first emerging and the relationship between those we see on TV and us, the audience, was a rather new experience and modern popular culture was in its infancy. With the advent of social media and an increasingly interconnected world, parasocial relationships have expanded and are more easily facilitated than ever. Now it is safer to say that a parasocial relationship is akin to having a best friend you have never met. Many a BTS fan will say that they feel a certain bond with the seven-member group that goes even beyond familial relations, but why is that so?
Initially, this paper was going to be about how BTS continue to cultivate their parasocial relationships through games, specifically centering around BTS World, but I wanted to move one to another related topic. However, it is important to briefly go over what I discovered in my research of BTS World as it is pertinent as a preliminary introduction to the paper as an explanation of the deep parasocial relationship ARMY has with BTS. (You can skip the next paragraph if you’ve already read my BTS World piece).
BTS World is a mobile game that was released in 2019 to great fanfare among ARMYs as they stepped into the shoes as BTS’s manager. During my research, I personally played the game, read reviews of the game through the Apple store, and even presented a video essay at an online BTS conference earlier this year which was also provided a way to gauge ARMYs reaction. Through my own personal experience and reviews from ARMYs, the game serves as a medium not only to preserve the parasocial relationships forged by BTS with their fans, but to provide fantasies to ARMYs who already perceive BTS in a way that is intimate and personal in ways that can sometimes escalate to be overzealous in nature. This overzealousness, which is not exclusive just to BTS fans, of course, can lead to the fanbase hurting those they deem harmful to BTS or their works as in?bullying and doxxing other fans?(of BTS or K-pop), attacking?radio hosts?and?journalists?who say a bad word about BTS or their music, and even sometimes putting the members in?uncomfortable or downright dangerous?situations. However, the relationship between BTS and ARMY is more nuanced than that and to an outsider may seem overbearing and co-dependent when there is plenty of positivity to go around.
Consequently, this post aims to understand this relationship by taking a more lyrical analytical approach by reviewing the impact BTS had with their album, “BE,” and the importance it had in a time when the pandemic was at its height and parasocial relationships really thrived. Since BTS’s debut, lyrics have been a key selling point to the group as all of the members have experience writing their own lyrics at this point. This aspect is important to note as not only does it mean the members convey their personal experiences, emotions, hardships, joys, etc. within what they write, but it is in contrast to the squeaky clean and impeccable factory image that a lot of K-pop groups appear to show to the general public (though times are a changing!). Quite a few fans I have talked to throughout my journey as a participant-observer of K-pop have mentioned they were attracted to BTS due to their genuine nature and authenticity in their personality and music. This carries into today even though many an old fan of BTS will lament the ever-growing genericness of their music. I would argue that even if that is the case, BTS’s music and lyrics go beyond the perceived changing of the authenticity to the generic in the face of a massive passionate fanbase who through an already established tight parasocial relationship were receptive and perhaps even in need of an album like “BE” in this intangible pandemic world.
3. Research I Did from People Better Versed on this Topic
As stated above, parasocial relationships, while not a new concept is still one that is being extensively observed and researched as media and celebrity culture change. Indeed, the once out of reach celebrities have certainly become more approachable and are no longer these god-like figures above us common folk. On the other hand, there was still this invisible barrier that was understood to be the marker that parasocial relationships were just a one-way street, where it was the fan’s job to actively participate in the relationship and it was his or her sole responsibility to keep up the relationship despite the celebrity being the one in control of the relationship according to Horton and Wohl anyway. And yet, there is recently a shift in such thinking that is being presented into the study of fan and celebrity culture that must be explored.
One such proponent is Suk-young Kim, a professor of theater at the University of California in Los Angeles, who wrote the book,?K-pop Live?(header picture for this section), which explores how live performances in K-pop are being outpaced by online performances and media through the use of digital technology. Her own stance on parasocial relationships is as follows: “In this respect, the parasociality that conventionally defines the one-sided relationship between fans and stars-that fans profess one way love for the stars while stars are unaware of the multitude of fans-does not hold well in K-pop analysis” (on page 17, for those wondering). At first, I disagreed on this statement as it depends on how one would define a parasocial relationship. Does the other party, as in the celebrity, have to be aware of their one-sided audience and if so, does it make much of a difference? If there is awareness, then what are the aspects of a parasocial relationship that make it not a parasocial one anymore? Reciprocity is one such term I would use to describe a non-parasocial relationship as in a reciprocation of feelings, emotions, ideas, words, and more between two or more parties. I believe a non-parasocial relationship should carry intimate and personable feelings akin to a close friend or a family member, but not necessarily a stranger you have never met.
However, Dr. Kim would counter my argument as she would go on to say that K-pop stars do their best to give the impression that their fans are engaged in a two-way love affair and deploy various media platforms, where affections travel in multiple directions. Admittedly, this makes sense and I realized how I contradicted myself in previous research I have undertaken including the BTS World post. This is not the age of black and white television anymore as in Horton and Wohl’s paper. Social media has taken over and made fans and celebrities more interconnected and in reach than even before through venues like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and more specifically for K-pop, V-live and Weverse. Indeed, it would be amiss to purport that parasociality in K-pop is a one-way street at this point especially given the last year where face to face meetings even between beloved family and friends was barred but online meetings and concerts between idols and fans flourished and adjusted appropriately to the constrained times.
Additionally, through a?Courtney McLaren’s thesis, parasociality is taken a step further to encapsulate other fans in the relationship as a means of “multi-sociality.” Inspired by?Matt Hills’?argument that the parasocial is inadequate in today’s hypermediated society where the assumed imagined or sensed parasocial relations and connections are secondary to more valued real social relationships, McLaren states in response: “This conceptualization of parasocial relationships sees mediated intimacy and connection as both a form of emotionally driven identification with media figures and a form of glue that bonds fans together in communities…” Here, the parasocial, or really, multi-social relationships include fan — idol and fan — fan interactions. This sense of community mentioned above is an important aspect in K-pop fandom culture and a reason I have personally heard why many stay fans of K-pop. One could even contend that fan — fan parasocial relationships exist in K-pop considering the hierarchy that exists within the fandom; although, that is not a topic breached by this post, it is a subject worth considering looking into considering the lack of research in this respect.
Considering the current discussion of the parasocial or multi-social, let us go back to BTS and the conversation that is occurring between their relationship and their fans to determine how multi-dimensional it is. In Professor Candance Epps-Robertson’s Medium article reflecting on BTS’s 2021 UN General Assembly address, she mentions “constellating stories” as a way to describe BTS not just being in conversation with each other but with ARMYs who had sent in their own personal stories through the Twitter hashtags: #YouthToday and #YourStories. She explains that constellating stories is a concept from the field of cultural rhetoric and refers to it as a way to show relationships between people, places, events, communities, and ideas. It is certainly a concept that has aided those in a time when one may feel more isolated and lost than ever, but being in a community such as ARMY and being led by those who are seen as advocates and voices of a generation such as BTS, that feeling of connection and belonging is deeply felt among fans.
Due to this, their album, “BE,” which dropped November of 2020 at a time when the pandemic was still raw and felt across the world, came at a time when such constellating stories among a so-called “?lost generation” felt the need to be conveyed across the world. These stories were reflected in the music and lyrics contained in the album in which the BTS members admitted contained their own feelings and thoughts during the pandemic. It was an album where the each of the members contributed various aspects to it between MV directing to project managing roles to create an even more authentic and genuine vibe. Additionally, the album making process, which is usually kept under wraps, was openly shared to fans throughout production by the members themselves as a way to stay connected. During the?BE Global Press Conference?held in November of 2020, in response to a question about the unprecedented candidness of the album making process, BTS leader, RM answered, “I felt that the physical connection we had from going on tours and doing concerts and whatnot could be cut off…So I felt that there was no other way and that I only had to do it that way. As a result, I hope that many people feel more connected to the album.”
And indeed, they did as BE helped them become?the first band in history?to debut a song and album as number 1 on Billboard’s charts in the same week. BE has been credited as helping BTS tick off another historical feat on their checklist, but more than that, it has helped fans reconcile and feel ever more connected to BTS and other fans during a time where it is easy to feel alone and lost. The musicality presented in each song and the careful intermingling of shared sadness and joy in the album helped those constellating stories come together in one form — BE, an album made with the fans for the fans. I am assured when I say that parasocial relationships go beyond the parasocial when it comes to BTS and their fans. It is indeed a mulit-social conversation of a generation of interconnected voices bouncing back ideas, emotions, experiences and more in a reciprocal relationship between fan and idol. I aim to analyze “BE” in a way to cement that the messages carried in each song and the goals of BTS in relation to the album have been more than fulfilled. In addition to my fellow writers in the field, I want to emphasize how the parasocial not only flourished but was pertinent for fans, especially BTS fans, and how it has rightly transformed to go beyond not just being a parasocial relationship but being more than just about BTS, but about the fans and their ever-changing role in celebrity — fan culture.
4. My Research: Lyrical Analysis of BE and Their Importance
Banking on the success of their first all-English single, “Dynamite,” that had been released 3 months previously, “BE,” dropped on November 20 th, 2020, to a highly expectant fanbase. As stated during their global press conference, there was meticulous concern and consideration in creating such an album during a time when the whole world came to a standstill to experience a rather devastating pandemic. As one of the members, Jin, concisely put it, “I think COVID-19 has led us to come to a stop. I also feel like we spent a very disconcerting and empty year…But this album contains our honest feelings and emotions about the situation so we hope that many people will relate to this album thinking they feel the same and comfort the people around them.” Then, let’s see what we can make of “BE” to see if they succeeded in their goals starting with their first track, “Life Goes On.” For the first track, some lyrics are analysed as it appears to be the most important song that symbolizes and infers the strong parasocial relationship and the significance of such a relationship between fan and idol — strangers that are not really strangers within the essence of the song. For the following tracks, a explanation of the themes and message found within the lyrics are given but to keep the conciseness of the paper, lyrics will be only added if necessary for further explanation.
4.1 “Life Goes On”?“The essence of what we would like to say through this album is whatever happens life goes on…We tried to convey the somewhat obvious but unyielding truth about life that life goes on regardless.” — RM, Global Press Conference
“Life Goes On”, the title track of the album is the embodiment of the message BTS had hoped to deliver to fans that no matter what may happen, life will continue to go on. In this track, the acknowledgment that this is for those stuck in a 2020 pandemic world is keenly felt through the lyrics. Though the track may come across as bitterly sad and ponderous, not just through the lyrics but tone of the music, there is a thread of hope weaved through the song that many fans of BTS lauded and related to. Indeed, one just has to look at the lyrics to get an idea of how meaningful such a message can be to fans who were most likely starved for human interaction albeit parasocially.
To get an idea of the importance of “Life Goes On,” a look at some of the more significant lyrics and their analysis is found in the table below (all lyrical translations are taken from the site?doolsetbangtan):
It is clear that “Life Goes On” is an anthem of the times in the ARMY community. In addition to the lyrics, the musicality of the song shines through as a remainder of the careful thought and precision the 7 members of BTS put forth in the creation of the album. According to a?TIMES article?whose writers analyzed the album, “Life Goes On” has an auditory element on breathing that signifies possibly the world stopping or BTS accepting the new reality we find ourselves in. “Life Goes On” was a track that BTS made before their release of “Dynamite,” a much more light-hearted and joyful song that had come out as a single a couple months before “BE” before it was included in the album. BTS has made mention that the two songs go hand in hand at spreading a message of hope in a difficult and stressful time. “Dynamite” will be discussed later in the post.
4.2 “Fly To My Room”/“? ?? ???? ?”
Next, we have “Fly To My Room,” a track that one of the members, Jimin, explained as being inspired from the notion of how travel will change going forward since even until this day, we are not allowed to roam so freely as before. The title of this track alone gives hint that one must find enjoyment and inspiration from just being in their room. Here, the lyrics once again lament over the state of the world and the entanglement of emotions one feels due to this, but the thought of connecting once again to others and creating a world in one’s room is enough to help get over the funk of the depressing state of the world even if that space is only found in one’s room. Looking at the following lyrics can give one an idea of the special meaning of the song and a sense that one has to change their own attitude towards things to make the best of a situation:
“And it welcomes me,
The toys in my room that feel like people
The TV sound makes it feel busy and crowded as if I’m out in the downtown
Your mind can be changed by your mind
Here, this is a travel that only I can enjoy
Delivery food is three stars
Fill it optimistically, I’m full.”
As evident by the lyrics, even if one does not fully relate, for fans who feel close to BTS, these lyrics still speak to them on a sympathetic level. Indeed, with “Life Goes On,” ARMYS can feel more connected with each other and BTS. One instance that exemplifies this was during the KBS talk show,?Let’s BTS,?where BTS did a virtual duet with ARMY during a performance of “Life Goes On.” One fan who sent in a video of her singing along to the song described?her experience?as a happy one for sure and wanted to tell BTS ‘thank you’ for having their music change her in many ways for the better.
4.3 “Blue & Grey”
As the title suggests, the colors of blue and grey mark the melancholy felt and experienced throughout the pandemic. As such, this song is not quite unlike the others but still has its own uniqueness and characteristics that lends it to remain a strong track for ARMYs. Perhaps, this track may even resonate more for those who have had a particular hard time during the pandemic as not only do the lyrics convey the melancholy of life but come with a personal touch as V, one of the members of BTS, had originally intended for this song to be put on his mixtape but ultimately decided to place it in the album:
“From when it went wrong, I’m not really sure
From when I was young, there’s been a blue question mark in my mind
Perhaps that’s why I lived fiercely
But, as I look back, standing here absently,
that ferocious shadow that engulfs me
The blue question mark that still exists
Would it be anxiety or depression
Could it be that humans are really the animals of regret
or, is it just me who was created by loneliness”
In his interview with?Weverse magazine, V mentions how he made this song at his lowest point and explains the effect that he wants it to have on listeners as: “Rather than just some stranger telling them to cheer up, I think it’s better to say something like, ‘You seem depressed lately,’ or, ‘Seems like these days it’s tough for you to perk up.’ ‘Blue&Grey’ is the same: You’re depressed lately? Me too. We’re in the same boat. Wanna talk about you’re feeling? You wanna feel better, right? I know, but sometimes it feels like you’re being washed away by a whirlpool of stress.” I want the listeners to hear me saying that to them.” In addition, it is telling just how meaningful BTS hope their music can be for listeners when one reads interviews such as this. From a fan’s perspective, just as V intended, this song will not be seen as an impersonal “hey, just cheer up” song, but as a song from a friend, a source of comfort and safety, that we’re all in this together so let’s be down together and work our way through these emotions together.
4.4 “Telepathy”
Telepathy is where the album starts to pick up and the melody and lyrics become less depressingly introspective, and more playful and hopeful. At the conference, it was explained that this retro track produced by member, Suga, was intended to describe the sad reality that they were not able to meet their fans around the world because of COVID-19, but they wanted to convey that when they do meet, they are at their happiest and brings the hope that they will always be together. Indeed, looking at the lyrics creates this warmth and intimacy of a group of pals checking up on each other with the promise that they will meet again. The Korean title of this song can be translated to “a moment” and BTS enthusiastically sing out that just for a moment, we should lay down our worries for a moment and enjoy ourselves. The careful tact and concern found in the rapping parts help reconnect fans to BTS as not just fans, but as a community or a family. It is a reminder that even if they are far apart now, even if when they will meet again is uncertain, since our minds and hearts are connected, then there is a hope in meeting again.
4.5 “Dis-ease”/"?"
“Dis-ease” is majorly a work of member J-hope who helped extensively on the lyrics of the song. At the global conference for “BE,” J-hope explained how everyone has their own chronic psychological disease and that despite working less during the pandemic, he still felt uncomfortable and has a sense of unease. However, this isn’t a song to wallow in those emotions as “Dis-ease” is meant to bring about a feeling of hope and the will to overcome obstacles and issues even if that doesn’t seem to be conveyed by just reading some of the lyrics:
Everyone has lots of diseases
What confuses me is
that human nature is evil and ugly
There are more than 400 different diseases of the mind out there
There shouldn’t be that many who don’t fit into any of those
Yo, is it the world or me who’s diseased
Would it be simply the difference in interpretations
Would that be all
I don’t know, to change someone -
faster than that is for me to change
4.6 “Stay”
Similarly, Stay is another track pertaining to the simple message that despite being far apart, we’ll always stay together. Though there is not much else to be said with this track as it is rather a rehash of earlier messages of the previous songs, it is important to note that despite being the last new track of the album, it is intended to be exciting and energetic in order to wash away the blues and greys of the earlier songs and, even if it’s just for a moment, get the fans enjoying themselves and life again through the group known as BTS.
4.7 “Dynamite”
Dynamite is an interesting track because it as previously mentioned before, it was released a couple months before the other songs, and it is the only all English song on the album and BTS’s first song entirely in English. Due to this, the track is more accessible to native English speakers and western listeners in general. It was a massive hit and even got BTS their first Grammy nomination. Along with “Life Goes On,” this track aims to provide a bit of comfort and joy to fans during the pandemic and creating a song in English creates a more inclusive bond with their English speakers that one can argue can be missing sometimes in their Korean songs. Although, I would still argue that even without understanding the lyrics, ARMY tends to gravitate towards relating and connecting with the music regardless. However, hearing one’s favorite group sing in one’s native language adds a more special and heartfelt characteristic that may be missing from their Korean songs.
5. Conclusion: Finding the Parasocial BEyond BTS
BTS’s California concert at SoFi Stadium in December 2021, image from?Korea JoongAng Daily
Being a participant-observer of BTS and ARMY for the past few years has offered many an opportunity to observe fan and idol interactions in various forms. Pre-pandemic, it was a given to go out of your way to see your favorite idols perform in person because the experienced emotions, interactions and images went beyond any form of parasocial media idols could offer. Then, the world came to a halt due to COVID-19 and the parasocial hit its stride and went on a rise as online concerts, fan meet and greets, videos and livestreams were shelled out to fans at a rate demanded by the times. Of course, not to mention songs and albums such as “BE” coming out to much fanfare to appease the fans and bring the community all together again. Indeed, the parasocial became even more significant than ever as face-to-face relationships were cut off.
And yet, just this past month, BTS gave their first in-person concert at the Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles since the pandemic began and it shows that face-to-face relationships are still important, if not more so. The four-day concert was completely sold out with many eager fans in attendance including some ARMYs who came as far as Japan. One article from an ABC outlet describes how?three women from Japan?flew to California with the sole purpose of attending BTS’s concert with BTS-inspired gifts for other ARMYs like them. It is telling when these women from Japan felt the urge to travel so far to see their favorite group in concert in a different country when they could have waited for BTS to have a concert in Japan (a common destination on their world tours). It is evident that seeing those you love in person outranks seeing them behind a computer screen.
Then is the importance of the parasocial in fact just a fleeting fad of the pandemic where we only tolerate it for the moment? The argument of this paper places more importance on the parasocial during the COVID-19 pandemic than outside of it, but it still stands to reason that we must be watchful of how parasocial relationships evolve from here. Earlier in this paper, the concept of multisociality was described as possibly replacing parasocial relationships in the discussion of K-pop. Multisociality would look at not just fan and idol relationships but relationships between fans as well similar to the ARMY fans from Japan. This is an important concept to consider pursuing in the future as a new normal settles in as the pandemic continues to cause us to adjust to new practices and customs.
However, the parasocial will not become obsolete and never will be. It is still important to define what is parasocial. While celebrity and fan relationships seem closer than ever, is it still not just a parasocial relationship? As we have seen through “BE,” celebrities like BTS aim to form genuine and personal relationships with their fans despite not being able to know each and every fan personally. Based on Horton and Whol’s original description of parasocial relationships, this interaction can still fall into the parasocial. To dismiss the fact that personal relationships need the mutual understanding of knowing each other and the intimacy of closeness found in a friend or family member can’t always be replaced by a celebrity one personally doesn’t know even if the strong bonds are there.
Previously, I have done research and personal studies in the parasocial with BTS specifically through games and media like their travel series, “Bon Voyage,” and found that ARMYs bond with BTS is strong and overzealous in nature. No matter how flawed the product or media is, no matter the scandal a member may get into, no matter if the music has taken a turn for the generic, ARMYs will unconditionally continue to love the seven members of BTS and whatever they put out. It is incredible to observe such a large and loving fanbase and further research would be ideal as to explore as to why such a relationship exists. I have already done a bit, but more in-depth observation and study is needed before forming a more solid conclusion. Although, I do feel like the answers are rather obvious.
One last interesting facet of the parasocial relationship between fan and idol is the mental and psychological effects it has on fans and idols if feasible. It is difficult to research how such a heavy emphasis on loving fans and being tied to such a relationship takes its toll on idols, but there is a hope that as idols are allowed to open up more about their careers and personal lives, this will be easier to study. As an academic fan of K-pop and one that has seen fandom study after fandom study be published, it is important to emphasize the idol perspective of the relationship as well despite how difficult that may be. Thankfully, groups like BTS are helping to bring such a discussion to the forefront of the K-pop world and some other K-pop groups seem to be following suit.
While the way we interact with each other is constantly adjusting and changing in a seemingly never-ending pandemic world, no matter where we are or what may be taking place, the importance of a relationship between each other, whether it be parasocial or personal, is not to be understated. That is no different in the world of K-pop which moves at a fast-paced regardless of the state of the world. Whether they will choose to focus more on the personal or parasocial going forward has yet to be seen, but we can rest assured that no matter what may occur, life will continue to go on.
Originally published at?https://kpopslostfangirl.com?on January 4, 2022.