First of all what exactly is considered viral? Because in today’s society the concept of viralism is completely different from what a real popularity is. Trends comes and goes. One day x is popular, the next day y is popular. People get lots of engagement on TikTok but most of the time it’s just a one time thing. Next week nobody remembers and everybody is moving on to something new. It’s not that difficult to “go viral”. What matters most is the impact and how strong of impression you made on the audience.
Also there is this funny phenomenon called “rookie privilege”. People pay attention to new idols because they are new. It’s much easier to “go viral” when everyone is paying attention to you. The public gets curious and intrigued by new faces, so they are more eager to check their music, follow their content. Ones they get to know them and see their potential they either stay or move on to newer groups. And maybe this sounds harsh but that’s how kpop industry works. So sometimes the fans get a false impression of how popular their favorite group is.
And because rookie years are crucial to idols and their careers, sometimes it may feel like the company missed some opportunities to make an idol’s popularity grow bigger. I completely agree with that, companies should really maximize the “rookie privilege” and make an impact that will help to keep a group going for the next few years. And so there are tools used by kpop companies to help their idols grow in popularity BUT they can’t force the public to follow them. Sometimes things just happens spontaneously.
There are idols who can easily make impact by just changing their hair style. So the idea that more promotion/content/gigs equal more popularity is not necessarily true. You can host a show, be an ambassador for a luxurious brand, have an acting gig and still be overshadowed by others. Sure it will help you gain more exposure but if the public won’t find you special in some way it will never work. Not everything is possible to control(which also can be a very beneficial aspect because maybe someday you will wake up and see your idol be the talk of the town, hopefully positively😌).
My advice is to just enjoy the journey of your favorite group. Yes, it would be nice for everyone to get their Wonyoung “moment” but that would be boring. So just support your idols, listen to their music because at the end of the day that’s all you can do as a fan.
submitted by /u/blurberrrrry
[link] [comments]
