THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN KPOP: INSTAGRAM

Uh oh... BACK AGAIN! This time its Instagram.

BTS' V reading this post giving him emotional clarity on how to use Instagram (you know, if he got an account)

Hi guys! I hope you've had a great week since the last post, and thanks so much for joining me once again as we talk about social media use in the world of K-Pop! Just as the title says, the platform we will be talking about today is none other than: Instagram!

The Instagram accounts of your favourite artists usually come in two different forms: The 'Group Account' and occasionally, 'Individual Member Accounts'.

The Group Account

Generally speaking, most groups have a group account. Content posted on these usually include those that we talked about last week such as group teasers, individual member teasers, album spoilers, etc. As well as this, the official accounts also share other relevant information to fans such as tour dates, milestones (view counts, downloads, etc.) and fanmeets/fan-cafe updates (discussed soon, so stay tuned!). As you can see, these accounts are usually used as a means of promotion and advertisement to keep fans in the mix and not really for fanservice/engagement (peak X1's Instagram account as a prominent example of this). However, exceptions to these include those groups which do not have individual Instagram accounts for their members (for example, check out TWICE's instagram page here!). Instagram stories can also be utilised for fan engagement while not tainting the informative image of the page, or even worse, ruining the FEED.

Individual Accounts

For those who are fortunate enough to follow groups whose members have personal accounts, you already know. . . SERVICE! Rather than the information-heavy group accounts, these ones bless fans with regular updates, messages to fans, selfies, and sometimes what they're eating for breakfast! Permitting on the artist, the member may also choose to have a livestream to connect with fans through the 'Instagram Live' service. Although they rarely occur and are normally a spontaneous event, it turns into a reason as to why fans follow their accounts, driving up engagement. Individual accounts are able to increase fan-loyalty as it allows for glimpses into their favourite idol's lives off the stage, giving them a sense of 'relatability'.

Fansites

Apart from the official accounts, fansites (fan-run Instagram accounts of their favourite group/group member) also make up a large part of the K-pop community. These are used to capture the day-to-day activities of groups/members which are not shared on official social media pages. These are normally in the form of reposting fan-taken photos of these events, variety appearances/highlights, and fan-taken performances (fancams) of members. Prime examples of fansites include ones made for the members of BTS who do not have individual accounts (check out this Jimin fanstagram which has over 6.5 million followers!).

So today we have learned about the use of how K-pop groups (and their fans) utilise Instagram to promote, advertise and interact with fans. Next week, we will be looking at one of the most prominent social media platforms used by groups. It's even exclusive to the entire K-Pop industry. That's right, we will be discussing the live broadcasting service, 'V Live'! Until then, have a great week!

Isaac, 19/08/19 (Last Updated, 26/08/19)

Missed last week's post? Click here to read!