Source: Global Times
[Global Times special correspondent Tao Shortfang Jin Huizhen] On the first day of popular culture, there was "idol-type literature and art". Idols or entertainers on stage refer to artists and literary and art groups whose profession is engaged in literary and artistic performances, but mainly rely on image and charm, and maintain and enhance their popularity through interaction with fans, as the main way to make money. How to deal with "idol alienation", that is, to control the side effects and adverse social impacts of its breeding to the greatest extent, has become a problem facing the global pop culture industry that is not easy to answer.
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Japan Opens "Industrialization of Idol Artists"
In Europe and the United States, movie stars such as Brooke Xiaosi and "Little Sweetie" Britney who debuted in youth idol dramas, as well as Justin Bieber, such as "small fresh meat" singers, are generally only in the acting style and acting career more prominent image, modeling and other aspects, which is not enough to constitute an independent industrial chain. The real industrialized idol artists began in Japan and South Korea. In Post-World War II Japan, with the rise of movies, pop music and television, there were some star groups that focused on "youth", such as "Three Lady" (Miku Skylark, Etoshi Tomoemi, Yukimura Izumi), "Spark Three- Lady" (Mie-ed Nakao, Yukari Ito, Andō Shinsato, and Shinsato Garden). In the 1960s and 1970s, band groups were all the rage in Japan, such as the famous "Junior Team", whose replica "Little Tigers" became a household name in Taiwan and mainland China.
The first true idol group, and the almost independent existence of the idol industry, marked by the Japanese "Kitten Club" that debuted in 1985. This year, producer Yasushi Akimoto relied on The Japanese Fuji Television's "Dusk Meow" program to create a new form of acting. This group is composed of a large number of "cute, intimate, but does not look like any star temperament of the girl next door", mainly performing exclusive songs and dances, not pursuing performance quality and artistic expression, relying on selling people and interactive circles, and expanding various tangible and intangible surrounding markets. Due to the coexistence and mutual benefit between the idol group and the programs on which they rely, the program team and its affiliated TV stations and other institutions will also work hard to promote and promote idols, forming a chain effect, and the kitten club has become a hit. Although the Kitten Club itself has only survived for two years, usually only 2 to 4 people on stage, and at most more than 10 people, more than 50 people have joined the team, and some of these groups are still active today.
In 2005, Yasushi Akimoto, he launched the AKB48, dubbed "Kitten Club Version 2.0", with the "Akihabara culture" and "otaku" that sprung up in Japan during the Heisei period. In addition to inheriting the idol elements of the Kitten Club, the group has also added fixed theatrical performances - a special theater has been established in Akihabara, and new idol-making elements such as daily performances, open detachments, and regular training for trainees have been established. According to Yasushi Akimoto, the aim is to create and sell the concept of "idols that can be accessed", and by allowing idols to interact with fans frequently, so that the latter can generate a sense of belonging that "we grow up with idols", so that they can willingly continue to consume. AKB48, which is still active so far, includes more than 350 first-line idols in each group, counting the "naturally eliminated" exits, the total number of people far exceeds the four figures, and in March 2013, it set a Guinness World Record for the "largest number of popular groups". At present, almost all idol groups in Japan have the pedigree or shadow of AKB48, which is also a template for idol artists/groups and idol industries in many other parts of the world.
Hallyu expands overseas markets
The development of Korean popular culture has also been influenced by Japan, Europe and the United States. In the 1990s, groups and singers based on hip-hop, dance music, lyrical songs and other styles began to emerge in the Korean music scene, such as the "Seo Tae-chi and Children" group to introduce hip-hop music and dance music to Korea. At the end of the 1990s, South Korea launched groups featuring "small team idols", such as H.O.T, Crystal Boy, G.O.D, etc.
Unlike the Japanese idol group, which focuses on the girl next door and focuses on "Otaku" and other "Akihabara men", Korean groups have always attached equal importance to men and women, and even more boy groups than women's groups. The reason for this is that the Korean brokerage company accurately calculates that a large number of women with spending power and more impulsive consumption characteristics than male fans are more likely to be firmly locked in this "interactive rice circle". Unlike Japanese idol teams, which set a fixed stage as the center, Korean groups are more keen to explore overseas markets, and overseas performances and peripheral sales have become an important channel for marketing to make money, and after 2010, they have embarked on a "global tour".
The Trot (Korean song), which began to revive and become mainstream in South Korea in 2019, originated from Japanese songs, and first flowed into South Korea during the period of Japanese colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula. With the economic development of South Korea and the backlash of resistance to Japan in Korean society, Trot began to get rid of its own Japanese color, more integration of Western rock and pop music and other elements, and gradually became a unique national song of Korea. In the 1970s and 1980s, Trot was the mainstream song style in the Korean music scene, and the top singers at that time, such as Nam Jin, Luo Xun'er, Zhou Hyunmei, and Hyun Chul, were highly sought after by the public. South Korea's "Culture Daily" analysis said that the reason why Trot has returned to the mainstream now is that people have felt aesthetic fatigue and tired of popular music dominated by idol groups, especially some talent shows have continuously exploded in recent years, and the emergence of Trot has made the audience regain their nostalgia for the past pop music. Second, the gap between rich and poor in Korean society is becoming increasingly severe, and the repressed emotions in people's hearts have nowhere to be released, and Trote's long and gentle melody and deeply rooted lyrics can heal people's frustrations and sorrows.
The alienation of the "interactive rice circle"
"Rice circle culture" was originally a reasonable consumption such as simply spending money to buy albums to idol singers and buy various peripheral products, but then a very few fans began to track and harass stars, and invested huge sums of money to send valuable gifts to "Love Beans", which has exceeded the scope of normal star chasing, and even been crowned by Korean media as a negative title of "bastard meal". To this day, the phenomenon of "bastard meals" is still a major problem in Korean pop culture. Since February 2017, major Music Websites in South Korea have cancelled the announcement of the "Singles Sales Chart from Midnight to 12:00 Noon the next day" to avoid fans from gathering late at night to download songs and brush charts in order to create momentum and publicity for idols.
In the process of the development of popular culture, the assembly line idol industry will inevitably have problems such as deceptive contracting, high-pressure management and full-load operation, and contract squeezing and power harassment are commonplace. In order to ensure that the people who are related to the brand effect do not go bankrupt, the Japanese and Korean performing arts companies strictly control the private life, communication, and even speech and behavior of idol artists. Due to the unprecedented fierce competition, coupled with the industrial chain mass manufacturing, whether it is the Japanese-style "iron camp plate flowing water soldiers" - the team name has not changed for more than ten years but the members have changed almost every game, or the Korean-style "you sing me to debut" - the group is slightly angry and immediately disbanded or introduced, behind which are "a will become a thousand bones", most idols go to hurry after their debut, and their short acting careers have gained very little. In recent years, it is no accident that Japanese artists, especially Korean artists, have had a steady stream of news of mental breakdowns and even suicides.
"Idol alienation" even breeds some social problems. For example, in recent years, in Japan, "middle-aged otaku obsessive idol groups no longer visit the elderly" and "young fans prefer to chase stars rather than face their own emotional problems", Korean fans obsessively shaking hands will delay their studies and work, as well as harassing idol members, "group chasing love beans" affect public order, resulting in "passers-by" innocently being affected. It can be seen that it is unrealistic to ignore the real market and even social needs behind idol culture.