Where would the stars be without social networking?
Social networking has played a major role assisting the top celebrities promote and advertise, and has served as possibly the biggest tool in spreading K-pop and Hallyu awareness across the globe.
These days, the stars seem to enjoy communicating with the fans through SNS (Social Networking Services).
After the 4th annual ‘Idol Star Athletics & Swimming Championships‘, the top stars thanked their fans through their respective Twitter pages.
When it was time for the college entrance exams, the stars sent their support and encouragement to their fans, and together with their fans shared the joys of holding the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang after the news was announced.
Like so, SNS is a good way to quickly spread news and has become a bridge between the fans and the stars, where they can both share their thoughts and their day-to-day activities.
◆ Celebrities that keep up with a SNS seem more approachable
Idol stars these days often share photos to update their fans on their whereabouts, latest activities, and more. This is an effort to make themselves seem more approachable and down to earth, and as a result, better communication and growing closer with their fans.
This is also a good way to broaden their fan base, as new articles are written in regards to their tweets and daily activities.
Although some of their tweets can quickly be misunderstood and be thrown into controversy, the celebrities continue to communicate with their fans on a regular basis.
◆ The SNS most preferred by celebrities? Twitter.
The social networking site most preferred by Korea’s celebrities is none other than Twitter. The face that they are able to easily make a connection with their fans in 140 characters or less is especially appealing.
The celebrities also have a strong influence on their fans. According to a report by Twitter Korea, 8 out of 10 Twitter users with the most followers in Korea are idol group members.
Super Junior‘s Choi Siwon is currently in the lead, being the first Korean idol Twitter user to surpass the 1 million follower mark.
◆ Celebrities are able to reach their international fans via SNS
It’s almost necessary to have social networking accounts these days, in order to help promote albums and events to fans overseas. SM Entertainment who is making a splash in Europe and South America opened their first Youtube channel in June of 2009.
Their Facebook page which opened June of last year earned over a million subscribers in just 7 months, earning high interest from all over the world.
According to social media analytics site Socialbakers, SM Entertainment has more ‘Like’s on Facebook than any other Asian music label, and they have the second most in the world.
JYP Entertainment CEO J.Y. Park filmed a video of the choreography from overseas when the girls were promoting their song “Tell Me” in 2006, which became a hot topic online.
And the final label in the ‘Big 3′, YG Entertainment, also encourages communication between their artists and the fans by sharing links to their official SNS pages on their main site.