Girls’ Generation recently celebrated their fifth anniversary, and they’ve gained so many fans over those five years that it seems impossible to count them all. While some SONEs have been lucky enough to meet each other in person (some on more than one occasion), many only know each other through social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc. Businesses, organizations, and individuals alike have begun to regard these social networks with an increasing level of importance. Because of that, fans who are active on social networks can sometimes be construed as representative of the entire fandom. Recently, the act of closing social media accounts has transformed into a strange fear that people are “leaving the fandom”. It’s an odd phenomenon to analyze, but one that is unique because of the times we live in.
In today’s online social age, friendships can be created, played out, and instagram impressions- boost your insights from your social media, you can end actually meeting each other in person. It is no longer an uncommon occurrence to hear someone say that one of their close friends is someone that they only know online. This isolated socialization also ends up being visible within the world of K-Pop fandoms. Fans crave every tidbit, picture, and fancam of their favorite idols/groups, and thus gravitate towards other fans who spread that type of information. Whether or not it happens consciously or willingly, the sources of that information start to become looked up to by some as the “leaders” of the fandom.
Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr are, in many ways, the primary gathering place for us to communicate with each other and a crucial avenue for helping the fan community to grow. So what happens when one of the so-called “leaders” decides to stop participating in the fandom on these social networks? Some have questioned whether or not such people cease to be fans at that point. Others have spoken up loudly and said things to the effect of, “No one ever truly leaves the fandom. A SONE is a SONE for life.” Both viewpoints are overreactions in my mind.
The act of a fan becoming “less public” can just mean that he or she is joining the numerous fans out there who are not vocal about their passion for Girls’ Generation and choose to keep their spazzing inside. On the flip side of the coin, I would not begrudge anyone who said that he or she simply was not a fan anymore. Instead, I use this metaphor to explain how I view it: the time spent as a fan is just one chapter of our lives. In a novel, every chapter is influenced by all the chapters that precede it, and it similarly shapes every chapter that follows. Everything I have done in my life affects the way I conduct myself as a SONE, and whenever Girls’ Generation disbands or whenever I decide to move on to the next phase of my life, my experiences within this fandom will remain a part of who I am.
Every time someone new joins the fandom or someone decides to move on to other things, I do not see it as a victory nor do I see it as defeat. I don’t see it as an upward or downward trend. I feel only excitement for newcomers because of all the wonderful things they will get to experience. I look fondly upon memories that were shared with those who have chosen to focus on other aspects of their lives. Fandoms are not defined by numbers or famous names; they are defined by the relationships between the fans and the artists, as well as between the fans themselves. Few relationships last forever, but every relationship leaves an impact that people remember for the rest of their lives.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are solely those of the author and are not representative of the Soshified community as a whole.
Written by: michaelroni@soshified
Edited by: MoonSoshi9@soshified
Have a news item that you think Soshified should know about? Leave us a tip or e-mail us at [email protected].
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/soshified for the latest on Girls’ Generation.
once a SONE…..FOREVER A SONE~~! ♥ ♥ ♥
Very true. I totally agree with the author.
this article is very well written, and i very much agree with
what you said. social media seems to be both a blessing and
a curse at times, so the experience of it, to me, is a wash.
being an international fan, without it i would never have
discovered the girls. however, social media can also give rise
to people who do not have the proper mentality or the wrong
mentality for handling being in a position of power in social
media. this has led to many misunderstandings in the past,
as we all know. the pros and cons seem to balance each other
out.as you so simply put it, this is just another means of
communicating our love and enthusiasm for snsd and our fellow
fans, and should be viewed only as that. take it as it is, and not
as the holy thing some people view it as, and social media can
be a real asset in general, but for us, for soshi!
People tend to say when your fan of any of the Kpop artists they would tell that your “crazy”…
they just don’t know the feeling that the artists gave me/us. As long there is SNSD there always a SONE,
SNSD = SONE these gives me joy and happiness, they’ve a huge impact in my/our lives, and social media helps us to reach them even though some of us only saw them on TV and other networking sites, we spazz a lot and we create connection to the other fans and make new friends and create a bond, because even though we have a lot of differences, but we have something in common we LOVE the GIRLS(SoNyuShiDae) and we patronize them a lot, even you stopped patronizing them for a while inside your heart you’ll FOREVER be a SONE, ONCE A SONE, ALWAYS BE A SONE.
What you wrote is undeniably true. Social Media is now embedded in our lives that one may find that they can no longer function without it. While it is true that I have met SONEs in Soshified, Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook, I have also managed to meet some of those from my country personally. Being a SONE is kind of a commitment that greatly influences our choices and decisions in life. I know from experience that it requires patience and effort to continue being a SONE. I myself had stopped for some time. But Soshi’s pull is just like gravity. It managed to pull me back to this fandom and right now I’m just contented with where I am. I’m still struggling to manage my time in this fandom and for other things in life, but I’ve accepted this challenge and I know that in time it will greatly help me in life. :)
I can understand and relate to this article a lot, especially now. (It doesn’t involve SNSD though, but with other artists I used to be a huge fan of.) As you get older, you grow out of loving certain artists for whatever reason which isn’t a bad thing. It’s just part of growing up. For over a year, I had a Twitter account so that I could talk to Bruno Mars fans (known as Hooligans.) I was a fan of Bruno Mars before I joined Twitter and I’m still one, but it’s different now. I was going through a “honey moon phase” I guess where I was so obsessed with him and listened to his music everyday, but now I don’t listen to him nearly as much. I ended up closing down my Twitter account this past June because I felt it was time for me to move on. By me being in my mid 20’s, I couldn’t relate to most of his fan base which are under the age of 16. lol I didn’t see a point with talking to kids anymore. (I’ve noticed that a lot of Bruno Mars fan base are into One Direction now anyway. Teenagers are so fickle, especially these days, but I understand that.) I only talk to one Bruno Mars fan and she’s my age. We also have other things in common aside from liking Bruno Mars which helps. You can be a fan of artists music which is where I’m at right now…I’m not too sure if I’m still a die hard Bruno Mars fan. Maybe that will change once his next album comes out, but at this point, I don’t know.
Anyway, my interests has changed to K Pop now and being a SONE is one of my main priorities! There’s other K Pop artists that I love, so that takes up most of my free time. Ever since I saw my first K Pop concert earlier this month, I want to see a lot more K Pop shows in the future! I don’t even listen to that much American music anymore…I find it boring and it mostly sounds the same. I’m so glad that SNSD and K Pop have come into my life. For three years I’ve been loving K Pop and I love it even more now! I know that I will be a SONE forever! I love my 9 angels so much. <3
When I first got here, I indulged, but this indulgence affected my other aspects of life–studies, social life, even my own health because I believed that all of my sacrifices will soon pay off.
Now I realized that SNSD doesn’t want SONE to be too exhausted and too flunked or rejected so I started to integrate SNSD generously to my life rather than letting it take over me completely. It’ll be okay for me to be broke if a confirmed concert will occur at my country, though.
——————————————
Also, a SONE friend of mine (we’ve met already four times) took down her account recently on Facebook. I was worried that she might have stopped being a SONE, for I know that she’s an active and well-informed one, but I also know that she got school work so, because of this article, I thought that maybe she’s trying to spend her time more on studies which are very important for everybody, even for Soshi..
Thank you for this. Yes, social media is important but we have real lives too. As myself an example, I ceased to be as active in forums (esp. in soompi and here in soshified) as before when I started to take my studies seriously and most of the time spazzing only in my free times. And never in my life will I deny that I am a part of this beautiful fandom that loves SNSD til who knows when.
i really like this, it’s really great and gives a whole new view on every fandom^^
i love the last sentence, it’s something more people should be aware of. i agree that i never realized that either but now i think everyone should acknowledge that :3
nicely said. a very good article.
Social media definitely has a huge impact in fandoms these days. One of the most amazing things that I have discovered and learned from the use of social media is UFO Star Call. It is such a genius tactic on the part of SMEnt to have the girls leave video messages to their fans every now and then, especially when they are abroad. Or to have them use UFO chat services to keep in touch with SONEs. It makes connecting to the fans that more intimate and easier, and vice-versa. I can imagine how hard it was before social media came along for the likes of Shinhwa, SES, HOT, etc. and their fans. But I digress at this point.
Social media has also crossed borders in terms of bringing SNSD “closer” to their fans, especially to the ones outside South Korea, and to each other amongst the fans. YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, heck even Soshified.com, has brought hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of SNSD fans around the world together and proudly calling themselves SONEs, sharing and giving love and support towards SNSD. It is such a phenomenon that has so much impact on the way fandoms grow and exist through the years.
I feel that your article here makes a headway on how much impact and influence social media has on fandoms. Incidentally, I am in the early stages of drafting a research paper on social media and KPop fandoms myself (I just have a few rough sketches of ideas and questions written down somewhere as of this time), and I believe we can all take this idea further for the benefit of everybody on SSF in the future, I hope.
very well said. i liked how the author chose this topic and explained the two sides. the argument was carefully dissected to draw out a smooth conclusion. the way the author spoke of his words reflects how he has been able to ineract with the arguments of his own editorial. i salute you and i hope i can read more interesting topics like this. :)
I truly agree with this. It doesn’t matter the number of member a fan community have, or how popular their artist is. The most important thing is that fan cherish their artist, love them, look out for them, and help spread their artist to people around them so that they get the happy experienced that we get. Another thing is that artist get the love from fan, appreciate it, and know that fan will always be there for them no matter what the situation is.
Well said.
Somehow when I kept on reading this article I felt a little sad.
Though I know when people say that they’re “leaving”, they only mean to withdraw from public and be a fan like many of us.
It’s just weird to see people go, tho it’s not physically.
Of course once a SONE, no reason could be found to leave the fandom because things are so nice around here!
I just hope everyone stays even if some chose to go behind the curtains :)
It’s true, these experiences as a SONE will affect everything. Because it will be a part who you are.
Is this in response to oniontaker leaving?
even though im less in english and dont understand korean either.i have no idea why i love them so so so much :*
Great article :)! We must always continue to support SNSD!! :)!
Totally agree
I believe that one of the most amazing things about Girls’ Generation’s time is that it’s also a time when social media is exploding. As a fan, I’ve been able to talk to people from all over the world, some of whom I’ve met, but most of whom I’ll never have the chance to see in real life. People from Las Vegas, St. Louis, Texas, Australia, Singapore, Germany, all these are people I never would have talked to had it not been for Girls’ Generation and the social media boom.
At the same time, I’ve found that parts of the Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook-verses are a curse. We’ve become dependent on these prolific users, these ‘so-called “leaders”‘ not just for news, but for how to think, opinions, and how to behave. They have become a crutch for us to rely on. While I appreciate the fact that there are level-headed people “on top” to direct us and keep us sane, we are losing our ability to form our own thoughts and opinions. I found the loss of these leaders to be a sad moment, not because they chose to leave (because no one ever really leaves), but because people behaved like headless chickens at the thought that there was no one to post an opinion for them to take on as their own.
Use your own head, because your thoughts are worth as much as someone with 10,000 followers on Twitter.
Unless it’s Siwon.
You have written a great article! I think the message that you are presenting in this article reaches out to not only SONEs but also to other fandoms as well. Your words describe how I feel when I become an avid fan of a group and when I leave the fandom, it truly still does remain with me. As an overall k-pop/j-pop fan I had entered and left various fandoms. Whenever I enter a new fandom, the novelty of getting to know each member of the group and finding out who will be your bias never cease to amuse me. The journey as a novice fan of the group to a “mature” fan is a great experience. Every step of the way in each fandom is fun and exciting. Through different fandoms you get to connect with other fans and making new friends. In my personal experience with an old fandom, I made online friends who I still keep in contact though I am no longer a fan anymore and I get to learn not only about a group but a culture as well. At first when I was still a new at being a fan, I never understood why someone would leave such a great fandom and stop liking that band, but as I reached to the end of my cycle as that group’s fan I realized that sometimes you just kind of grow out of it. So as a new fan of SNSD, I am going to appreciate this experience as much as I can before it comes to an end because it just feels great to be a fan of something! :)
Nothing to say, 2 thumbs up for u author!
For me, snsd will always be snsd even they stop promote one day… I’m proud to call myself a SONE. And once a sone, a sone forever! I don’t think i can forget these 9 girls even in another 20 years… They live in my heart every then and now…
freaking great article, thanks for this. yep i know Soshi through (1st) Youtube, (2nd) Twitter and (3rd) Soshified. after that i never turn back and never will. “never say never” pssh this is forever for me. they are the only ones i’m willing to buy whatever they’re endorsing/advertising. ><
“Everything I have done in my life affects the way I conduct myself as a SONE, and whenever Girls’ Generation disbands or whenever I decide to move on to the next phase of my life, my experiences within this fandom will remain a part of who I am.” I really touched with this part… :’)
Social media is so important. Since I live in Canada obviously I never see Girls’ Generation on TV, and I never see advertisements of them. The only reason I know about them is because of youtube (I one day saw Mr. Taxi in my video suggestions and clicked it). The only source of information I have is from sites like Soshified and it’s twitter. Of course, there is also the Girls’ Genertion official facebook which is as well is a social media. Anyways, I will be a SONE forever :D. They are actually the only thing I care about. I am obsessed!!
Great article, fans are loyal to theirs artists, and stay loyal as long as the arist is around ,then something new, better ,cute comes along and most of us forget . it takes a different level of loyalty to be call “sone” and im happy to call myself that.