Examination
For the first three days of careful examination, they were a lot of photos of Taeyong arriving in Japan due to the NCT origin tour. The comments sections got crazy in a positive way because of Taeyong new black hair, but the comments that stick out to me were about a Korean paparazzi agency called Dispatch. The comments were about how friendly the agency is toward TY. @taeyongsnoona said, "Dispatch becoming TY fansite." @Suzzylina mentioned, "Dispatch love Taeyong is back. He even told them to be careful and not to get hurt..." On Instagram, @Koreadispatch has 2.1M having such a wave of positive comment; the agency created a separate story dedicated only to the moments they (employees) had to follow Taeyong. These actions increase the amount of support for both the agency and Taeyong. TY fans amused with the warm relationship Taeyong held with the paparazzi agency created a favorable view, especially for the Korean agency that it is known for being harsh with others Idols. In this situation, Taeyong showed how he cares about an agency with such a lousy background people started to say that he is someone who does not judge by the cover of a book.
On the fourth day, all the positive comments about how good Taeyong is it went away. On March 04, the label Taeyong works for SM Entertainment uploaded a photo on their official Instagram account @nct127 showing the 8/10 members of the group, what stood out of the picture was Taeyong hairstyle. On the image, TY was showing a black haircut the famous braids. The fan pages account started to re-post the photograph. Some owners expressed their feelings of accepting and not the style, and others left the talk for the users who follow them. The Comment section had mix reviews in all accounts, some agreed and disagreed. Those who liked the new look were receiving surprisingly good replies from other fans trying to explain why it is causing a problem. From my perception, I discerned that the majority of the comments were constructive and not for TY but his stylist. @xengyn expressed, "Hopefully, hater don't come up with cultural appropriation as the stylist chose the hairstyle and not him." @miinahstranger mentioned, "limitless hair lol but seriously stylist PLS stop experimenting on Taeyong, his hair has been through enough. Please know your limits, we want Taeyong to gain more fans at first sight, not fans might drag him for this hairstyle again". It amazed me the kind of respond people were having. Usually, controversy happens between Idols and international fans because of the different racial cultures. Making me detect that international fans are not only following their Idol because of looks, but they are also learning about how the company works and the culture.
The last day of my observation people kept commenting about Taeyong hairs. Lee Taeyong's career was in a critical situation, and I was expecting a decrease in support, but I was wrong. Black K-pop fans spoke up, and the feelings of their comment were coming out pitiful and concern. @pinkprincessjuju illustrated, "I mean... It actually does not look that bad?? (Coming from a black K-pop fan) And he knows a good deal about the culture and where it's from. I'm just afraid black Twitter will find pics of him with this hairstyle and drag him mercilessly." Monitoring the black K-pop fans reaction astonish me; they were open-minded and understood the situation. The owners of the Instagram fan accounts were posting images of different Idols with braids, demonstrating that the case was not brand new. At the end of day fifth, Taeyong had his hair back to normal.
After five days of in-depth examination, I recognize the power of social media. International K-pop fans depend on accounts that share Idols activities, and Idols depends on the fanbase. Fan communities are increasing because of fan accounts who post photos, videos, and overall translate any news about Idols. Fanbase communities are expanding and causing overwhelming support which is beneficial for the Idols. Before the project, my conception of the online community was of a united one, and it has not changed so far. However, with the cultural appropriation issue with Taeyong, it made me realize how much power fans regardless of race and gender have over an Idol. It looks like whatever the fan says that is what the Idol must do. Fans are deciding the lifestyle of their Idol. Despite this unique situation, Idols and fans held an exciting relationship that influences the rise of K-pop music.
Images citation
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