When Companies Do More Harm Than Good

Published on 23rd November 2020

Introduction

The foundations of Korean entertainment company prosperity lack certain priorities that can help company image and overall success. Company prosperity is to expand company capital through idol promotion strategies. However, companies are used to the norm of idol exploitation to make the best groups in the new age of hallyu. In addition, companies make use of a cultural stigma to neglect idol mental health.

Idol Promotion in a Company

Advancements in technology in streaming and social media has made companies prioritize how idol groups promote themselves. In this case, it has also made it easier for fans to use such platforms to keep track of their favorite idol groups. According to Sooho Song, “Social media they use include Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Through social media communication, ARMY members share information, opinions, news, videos, and pictures of BTS” (2020, Pg 136). The famous K-pop boy group BTS already made a large fanbase by using social media to promote themselves. Moreover, even the fans use social media to promote BTS through social media and streaming services which reassures the company’s promotional tactics are working.

In addition, idols also partake in interviews to advertise themselves and or the company they work for. Song also notes, “Thanks to this global popularity, BTS was also invited to multiple prestigious American TV shows such as The Saturday Night Live, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and The Late Late Show with James Corden” (2020, Pg 134). This works in favor of Big Hit Entertainment and BTS since they can appear on multiple well-known American TV networks and advertise themselves. The extra benefit to this method is the American audience who frequent these Tv shows but are not fans of K-pop can know their faces and even mention their names in casual settings.

Furthermore, idol groups also promote themselves by going live for example, BTS who already has a worldwide fanbase. According to Rebecca King-O’Riain, “Jimin acts as if he is unconscious of the camera (which is always at a relatively flattering angle just above his face—see Figure 3) and can be seen squinting at the camera/lens/phone to read the comments scrolling along the left-hand side of the screen, which flow in from all over the world” (2020, Pg 8). Jimin offers fans a more natural side of him that can only be offered as the next best thing as opposed to seeing all of BTS at a concert or fan signing event. In addition, fans can tune in from all of different time zones by just a single push notification that tells them that their favorite idol or member is going live.

Similarly, on the rarest of occasions some idols even revisit their hometowns to promote the area which they are from. In the famous YouTube segment Johnny’s Communication Center (or JCC), hosted by NCT Daily, Johnny takes the entire group of NCT 127 to revisit his parent’s home in Chicago, Illinois. In the video you can see Johnny introducing the members to his parents, they eat dinner together, and Johnny even takes the member’s Mark and Doyoung to his old school. This not only promoted Johnny’s hometown, but it also gave fans a look into NCT’s personal life through a different perspective. Promotion through idol members bringing the rest of the group to their hometown offers a different strategy as opposed to interviews and going live; a tactic that SM Entertainment has proven its effectiveness in the amount of views NCT received.

The Company’s Use of Idol Exploitation

Consequently, the increasing popularity of K-pop has made entertainment companies stricter which means idols must show little to know flaws when it comes to singing, dancing, and performing. According to Jessica Chua, “You have to take singing, dancing, acting, and even language classes to become a ‘global star’” (2017, P 4). If a potential idol wants to become a global sensation one day, then they must go through numerous activities and training just to even debut. Even if they acquire a large fan base, companies continue to push idols to maintain their streak at being the best one come back at a time. Overall, this proves the point of company properties where they will exploit idols yet maintain that these same idols must promote themselves and the company.

At the same time, companies recruit idols at early ages so that they can be strictly trained for a certain amount of years before they successfully debut. According to Crystal Anderson, “This training program has been subject to critiques that point to excessively long exclusive contracts and demanding work conditions that require practice after school for the younger trainees and arduous promotion schedules for establishing groups that often take them away from their families” (2020, Pg 6). Idols today start their trainee years when they are still in middle school or high school so that they can debut at a much younger age. This requires rigorous training in addition to focusing on their studies. As a result, a potential idol’s social life with family and friends is reduced to nothing for the chance of making the company successful.

Furthermore, increase in an idol’s popularity does not only include an outstanding performance from companies, but also fan’s demand for a perfect lifestyle. - Jessica Chua also highlights, “2NE1’s Park Bom broke the news in 2014 for allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs into the country. Although her party had explained that the drugs were actually medical prescriptions from the United States, where she lived previously, the public did not take this case lightly and Park Bom ended up with depression” (2017, P 20). While media can promote groups and a company, it can also backfire on them when a scandal appears that can ruin an idols reputation. Therefore, companies pressure idols to lead on a clean record to where idols seem to have little to no flaws.

Lack of breaks and free time from companies introduce stress and burnout for idols. Aside from training and practice in singing and dancing as a trainee, for idols who already debuted face the stress and burnout from packed schedules. This can range from going on world tours, where they can be away from family and friends for a month, to doing interviews and guest staring in certain reality shows abroad. With the addition to a typical idol’s regular schedule which can include going to fan meets, concerts, and training in the company dance studio, having a packed schedule becomes the foundations to burnout and stress. Ultimately, promotion as stated in the previous section ties into the exploitation of idols when they have to both promote, maintain a certain image, and make time to do such activities which can have damaging effects on an idol’s mental state.

The Impact of Company Pressure on Idols

Such pressure on idols often leads to depression and, in the worst-case scenario suicide, which is among one of South Korea’s heavier topics since many Koreans take their lives every year. According to Justin McCurry (2019), “The country has one of the world’s highest rates of suicide, which is among the leading causes of death among people under 40. Taboos about mental illness prevent many people from seeking help” (P 14). South Korea’s ongoing stigma towards mental health is applied to their work ethics where even entertainment companies dismiss the topic. This has a negative effect on idols who feel as though they cannot express themselves freely.

“Especially pioneering was the role of Lee Soo Man, who started a small studio, which later developed into SM Entertainment, the largest and most successful entertainment house” (Shin and Kim, Pg 263). SM Entertainment is well known in the K-pop fandom and therefore serves as a leading example of how they support their idols and when they help them. Company tragedies did not exist before the death of SHINee’s Jonghyun. Within Jonghyun’s suicide letter, he mentions the struggle and pressures that young idols face, and continues the letter further stating that since he was alone with his struggles he could no longer battle and ultimately had to end his pain himself. His letter would greatly change the way many fans look at SM Entertainment and other companies for their lack of compassion for their idols. It also reveals the company’s priorities where they will again focus on promoting themselves, exploiting idols, and not provide support to their idols when they need it.

In the same way, F(x)’s Sulli and actress Goo Hara also committed suicide due to personal struggles in which they have received no support. McCurry writes in his 2019 article, “Goo had made enemies of online commenters and the tabloid media for taking action against an ex-boyfriend who had allegedly threatened her with revenge porn. Sulli had attracted hate for her feminism and public battle with depression” (P 3). Actress Goo Hara received hate from netizens who called her out on her actions which she faced a lone, yet her company did nothing to support or help remedy the situation. Similarly, Sulli received hate from netizens for being too feminist for their tastes, and had no support from SM Entertainment to diffuse the hate.

As a result of such tragedies taking place in the Korean entertainment industry, some companies finally offered counseling to their idols to avoid the reoccurrence of idol deaths. In an interview with the SHINee members, each one of them get into a deep talk about the late member Jonghyun and mentioned that each member is now getting therapy and counseling to help with mourning his death as well as combat any personal plights. In a series of unfortunate events in regards to the death of Jonghyun, Sulli, and Goo Hara, companies finally decided to provide counseling services to their idols. However, for some fans, the action already came too late for those who hold that these late idols were their favorite.

Conclusion

In the long run Korean entertainment companies have trouble with certain priorities that help their image overall. While idol promotion strategies help idol groups and companies gain popularity within the world of K-pop, it has become the company’s only priority. As a result, companies exploit their idols through harsh training and putting pressure on an idol’s public image. Furthermore, the cultural stigma on mental health, depression, and suicide was greatly neglected until a number of idols began to commit suicide. Overall, this proves that companies are doing more harm than good as K-pop becomes exceedingly popular.

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