The Rise of K-Pop and “death cam.”
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The Rise of K-Pop and “death cam.”
The way K-pop and luxury work together is a significant change that breaks down social taboos about how different cultural areas can work together. For instance, a controversial trend among K-pop fans is called the “death cam” (Venters & Rothenberg, 2023). This is when dedicated fan sites keep taking pictures of K-Pop stars when they are at their weakest, like when they arrive at the airport.
In a recent case study, Korean stars from famous groups like Enhypen and BTS have been the center of attention at Milan Men’s Fashion Week, drawing huge crowds and creating a lot of online attention (Williams, 2023). The street outside Prada’s menswear show in Milan earlier was packed with yelling fans. Most of them seemed to be there to see the Korean pop group Enhypen, who were there. Fans would sometimes break out in song and sing the boy band’s hits. A few years ago, nobody would have seen anything like that. At most shows, there would only be a few fans waiting in the wings to see which celebrities showed up. However, as South Korean pop music becomes more popular worldwide and as big luxury brands sign more and more deals with its stars, K-pop groups’ devoted young fans have become a permanent feature.
The “Death Cam” controversy affects ethics in various ways. The biggest worry about the “death cam” trend is that it could lead to harassment of K-Pop stars. Idols’ mental and physical health is affected by the constant filming and invasion of personal space that idol fansites do out of unwavering dedication. The constant surveillance turns the idols into things that people look at, like zoo animals, instead of people who have rights to privacy and respect. Another big ethical worry about the crazed crowds that want “death cam” footage is how they might affect people’s safety (Yoonnyung & Hemphill, 2022). The 2023 BTS incident in Paris shows what can happen when zealous fans are not controlled. Fans ignored safety measures, putting stars and the public in danger. The safety risks of such crazy scenes make it even more critical for fandoms to act responsibly.
Still, while fan sites are constantly documenting K-pop stars, they are also being reduced to mere goods for online consumption. Every honest moment caught on the “death cam” is shared with the public, making it harder to tell the difference between an idol and an item. This dehumanizing aspect creates a bad fan culture where obsessive behaviors rule over respect, trapping heroes in the suffocating grips of their fame (Kang, 2017). Overall, the “death cam” scandal makes us think about how K-Pop fans, stars, and the public interact in the modern digital world. Setting moral standards and guidelines for the fan group takes much work because there is a thin line between being a passionate fan and being annoying.
References
Kang, J. M. (2017). Rediscovering the idols: K-pop idols behind the mask. Celebrity Studies, 8(1), 136-141.
Venters, L., & Rothenberg, A. (2023). Trammelled stars: the non-autonomy of female K-pop idols. Celebrity Studies, 1-17.
Williams, R. (2023, January 23). Why K-pop rules fashion week. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/k-pop-fashion-week-bof/index.html
Yoonnyung , J., & Hemphill, A. (2022, December 12). K-pop: The rise of the virtual girl bands. BBC Breaking News, World News, US News, Sports, Business, Innovation, Climate, Culture, Travel, Video & Audio. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63827838