The two sides of "idol culture"

If an artist’s worth is measured solely by views, votes, or purchasing power, creative depth is easily overlooked. Undirected “fandom culture” can be a double-edged sword – both promoting and hindering sustainable development.

Fandom elevates artist status

Today's fan community is not just about liking and collecting pictures of the people they love. Instead, they "spend money to create a storm" for their idols. The concept of fan economy - roughly understood as exploiting economic value based on the emotional attachment between fans and idols or brands - originated in Korea and is blooming in Vietnamese showbiz.

Hai mặt của — Check-in booths have a variety of activities: interacting with talented people, mascots, giving out freebies... (Photo: DUC THANH)

Thanks to the development of social networks, especially TikTok, small fan groups have turned into communities of millions of people, with their own voices and generating real revenue, directly influencing business interests, public tastes and sometimes even cultural policies. And so, the fan economy has become one of the pillars of the cultural and creative industries.

There, idols' revenue does not only come from performances, but every detail related to them is commercialized. Fans will buy albums, buy photo sets, buy memorabilia, digital platforms allow fans to pay to message directly with idols, global concerts are held regularly, creating personalized experiences and strengthening fan loyalty.

On average, a Korean fan spends more than $2,000 a year on idol-related activities. Millions of international fans have chosen to travel to Korea to experience places associated with their idols.

Merchandise such as lightsticks, photobooks, memorabilia, etc. also create a global market worth about 2.5 billion USD by 2025, while the value of cultural exports from the K-pop industry is estimated to reach 500 million USD per year, a testament to the economic power of fan emotions.

After Sing! Asia 2025, Phuong My Chi quickly became the representative face of many brands thanks to the strong connection of the fan community. HIEUTHUHAI is also sought after by fashion and beverage brands thanks to her young fan base, closely following all of her idol's activities.

Or Den Vau's Dom community both spreads music and connects through charity activities, helping him become a trusted choice of many big brands.

After participating in reality TV shows, specifically "Anh trai vu ngan cong gai", a form of fan meeting selling tickets was formed and reaped many sweet fruits. Private fan meetings, with official ticket prices ranging from 300,000 to over 1 million VND, were "sold out" within a few hours of opening.

Fandom today has a significant economic and social impact. The success of young artists is often linked to the support of fandom, helping them promote their image quickly to gain a position in the market.

Still need "civilization"

Compared to K-pop or K-drama, Vietnamese fandom is still in its infancy and smaller in scale. It is worth noting that Vietnamese fans have gradually formed a culture of accompanying, protecting, and promoting their idols instead of just listening to music or buying tickets to shows. This is a stepping stone for Vietnamese music fandom to be more sustainable in the future.

Fandom has transcended the boundaries of spontaneous fan groups to become part of the entertainment ecosystem, where audiences are not just listeners but also co-creators of value with artists.

But the other side of the Vietnamese fandom today is still the endless battles from the online world to real life. Recently, on September 28, at the August Revolution Square - Hanoi Opera House, Phieu Concert took place, gathering famous artists. This is a rare reunion between Kay Tran and Son Tung, making the audience look forward to a joint interaction.

The two used to have a boss-talent relationship under M-TP Entertainment headed by Son Tung, but Kay Tran left a few years ago, causing internal conflicts between the two artists. But the "moment of silence" when Kay Tran stepped onto the stage to perform attracted attention.

It was not difficult to see that the crowd of fans had almost turned off their lightsticks, and were not even moving or showing any excitement. On Threads, FC SKY (Son Tung's fandom) confirmed that they had discovered FC Flowers' (FC Kay Tran's) plan: to leave when it was time for Son Tung's performance.

However, SKY outnumbered the opposing team, so to "preemptively" attack, a black sea of silence was created before Flowers could "take action". It is worth mentioning that SKY is said to have enthusiastically supported and cheered on the other artists in this lineup.

Recently, the excessive interference of fandoms in the work and life of idols has also been a controversial topic. FC battles, personal attacks on social networks or pressure on artists to follow immediate tastes are the downsides of an overly powerful fandom. The story of musician Bui Cong Nam having to replace his entire working team just because he was not liked by the fandom really makes the audience confused.

Sharing about idol culture as well as fans speaking up to protect their idols today, Jun Pham said: "Every fandom wants to protect their idols at all costs and in a group, positive and negative will always exist together. Therefore, negative things appearing between cute "egos" is also inevitable. However, as a leader, someone who has a direct influence on his fandom, Jun always wishes and advises his fandom to stay away from and ignore all controversies."

Singer ST Son Thach hopes: "Fans actively direct me towards optimistic and positive things to help me reduce stress because going to school and going to work is stressful enough. ST believes that every idol wants their fandom to operate in a positive direction. ST thinks that the role of idols in influencing the fandom is very important."

Fandom is about accompanying artists instead of imposing; encouraging instead of arguing in extreme ways, turning collective strength into positive actions for artists and society. When fandom is properly nurtured, it is not only a source of strength for artists' careers but also a part of contemporary Vietnamese culture - youthful, connected and socially responsible. Civilized fandom not only helps artists develop sustainably but also becomes a part of cultural life, where attachment is transformed into pride, creativity and community spirit.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/hai-mat-cua-van-hoa-than-tuong-196251111205425565.htm