The Ups and Downs of Friendships within K-Pop Fandoms
Making friends is obviously one of the best parts of being in any fandom, especially in K-Pop. You can meet people in different ways: at concerts, at events such as festivals or cup sleeves, and even online. Like any other friendship though, there can be many ups and downs.
One of the biggest ups to friendships within the world of K-Pop is finding people who share the same interests as you. In a world where others don’t understand K-Pop, it can almost be a relief when you find others who enjoy it. It’s also even more fun when there’s a mutual love for the same group or idol. Sharing content and going to concerts with friends who like the same groups is so gratifying. It gets to be more fun as friend groups form!
Another plus is if you’re active on social media, you have the ability to meet people online which can mean meeting people around your country or even around the world. Some online friendships can really turn into something wonderful—especially when the opportunity to meet in person comes along if you travel for concerts or events. Meeting an online friend can be one of the best feelings if you have been in touch for a longer amount of time. Online friendships can be some of the most fun friendships you can make, though you have to be careful while engaging!
For all the ups, there are also the downs. Of course if you make friends at concerts, that can always be fun. But then the concert ends and you have to go your separate ways. You can always get social media usernames prior to separating too, but it feels different after having enjoyed a two-and-a-half hour concert. It’s never fun leaving friends, even when you’ve just met.
Online friendships can be so fun, rewarding, and overall wonderful, but there’s always downsides to these too. Depending on location, you and your friends could all be super far away from each other and it makes meeting in person more difficult. Other times, you could easily communicate via text or DM, but eventually those messages could slow down and fizzle out, leaving the friendship to fade on its own. These can be especially harder when you and your friends have kept in touch for longer amounts of time. Group chats that are made for online friendships are also fun, but come with the downsides for potential drama such as side group chats excluding others, one or more people in the chats bullying or causing problems, and more.
Making friends within the K-Pop community is so rewarding, but always be careful when it comes to who you communicate with, especially while online. K-pop is meant to be a fun and safe space, so always be aware!