How do you handle toxic users in K-pop?
This came to mind when I happened across a comment that was toxic (the kind where you see it and go “yikes, they really hate them”). Normally, I’d just ignore it and move on with my day but their username caught my eye and sure enough, they are quite active across several popular K-pop subreddits. What was really concerning was that in those communities, their conduct was quite normal and otherwise pleasant. Their account history is someone who seems like a typical fan that contributes to discussions and makes fun comments. But seeing this comment being so different to the rest, I had to check and interestingly enough, their entire history specifically in the toxic subreddit were all hidden away. Not only were their presence prevalent in various K-pop subreddits, they were very active in a hateful community that, in my opinion, should make everyone else question their intentions in the reddit K-pop space, let alone their character as a person.
Normally, when I come across obvious trolls or users with blatant bias, I can tune them out since there’s no point in trying to discuss with them in good-faith. In a wider scope, I also think that it’s best to ignore that stuff (fan-wars, haters, etc.). But what do you do when it’s a regular patron who seemingly managed to hide that intensity away? On one hand, ignoring all that nonsense is the best move for one’s well-being. On the other hand, doesn’t ignoring it all just allow it to spread? It’s a weird balancing act since I’m not gonna “confront” or block every hateful person I come across online (who has time for time?) but at the same time, shouldn’t unacceptable behavior and rhetoric get shamed?
For a broader discussion, how should toxic users like these be dealt with by the surrounding K-pop community? Like how someone who constantly misbehaves in a social context gets ostracized, does a similar mechanism exist amongst K-pop fans? If fan-wars and haters are universally condemned by the rational portion of the K-pop fanbase, should there be some sort of obligation to make such user feel unwelcomed by their behavior? Or, is this just the unfortunate nature of online fandoms in general?
submitted by /u/Sooyaa_Yah_Boombayah
[link] [comments]
