This isn’t me saying people should stop liking K-pop or love it any less. I just think it’s healthier when K-pop is one of your interests rather than your entire identity.
For about 3 or 4 years, K-pop was basically all I consumed. It was the only music I listened to. I only opened YouTube to watch idol content and behind the scenes episodes instead of the YouTubers I used to watch. My social media feeds were almost entirely K-pop, and whenever I had money I was always thinking about what album I wanted to buy next.
Lately I’ve been getting back into other things like reading, films, dramas and artists outside of K-pop, and honestly I think it’s made my relationship with K-pop healthier, not weaker.
It also made me realise something. If K-pop disappeared tomorrow, how much of your identity would disappear with it?
I feel like there’s a difference between saying, “I’m Terry and I like K-pop,” and “I’m Terry and I’m a K-pop stan.” To me, one is an interest, while the other can become your whole identity. I’m obviously not saying every K-pop fan is like this, but I do think K-pop is one of those hobbies that’s really easy to let consume your life because there’s always something new to watch, buy or keep up with.
I also think when one hobby becomes your whole world, you’re more likely to develop an unhealthy attachment to it. Not everyone who spends a lot of time in K-pop becomes parasocial, and plenty of casual fans can be parasocial too, but I do think if almost all your entertainment, social media, money and emotional investment revolves around K-pop, it becomes much easier for that line to blur.
I’m curious what everyone else thinks.
Do you think it’s important to have an identity outside of K-pop, or do you think there’s nothing wrong with letting it become your main hobby?
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