In this revolutionary age of technology, global media that originate from foreign countries are able to reach mass populations of people that they couldn't before. Fan bases can consist of millions of people from dozens of countries who don't even speak the same language. The recent media boom around K-pop is a great example of this. K-pop, short for Korean pop music, is a unique music genre that includes electronic music, pop, R&B, and hip-hop. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThis popular music genre originated in South Korea and began to take shape in the early 1990s. The fascinating part about K-pop is its growing popularity not only in the United States, but internationally. This genre of Korean music has made its mark, creating a powerful base of millions of fans around the world. By analyzing the rise in popularity of K-pop boy band, BTS, and K-pop girl band, KARA, this article will demonstrate why K-pop deserves further recognition/analysis. Korean pop music deserves further analysis due to the incredible effectiveness of how the industry maintains an engaging presence on social media. Boy bands like BTS have captured the attention of fans by using a data-driven approach to build a loyal audience. This is demonstrated by their distinctive presence on the social media site, Twitter. BTS has an entire Twitter account (@BTS_Billboard) dedicated to helping them climb the Billboard charts. This account is managed by a group of seven administrators who update and run the account daily. According to Forbes, “each administrator is in a different time zone so they can cover all hours of the day, dividing the days into shifts of hours.” When BTS releases new music, administrators are responsible for motivating fans to stream and purchase the music. Additionally, most of their efforts are focused on maintaining social media engagement with their fan base. They write promotional posts about BTS on Twitter daily to remind their followers to encourage and support them. The more engagement they get, the more opportunity they possess to increase BTS's reach and influence. BTS's presence on Twitter has demonstrated the irrefutable benefits of interacting with fans through social media. The famous pop group has received some of the most engaging tweets on Twitter over the past couple of years. According to Digital Trends, “the most liked tweet of 2018 was a BTS tweet of the equally popular “#InMyFeelingsChallenge,” which copies the dance from a song by rapper Drake. The video generated nearly 1.7 million likes.” Even though the Twitter likes were generated by people unfamiliar with BTS, the K-pop group has now gained new attention that it didn't have before. In addition to having the most liked tweet of 2018, Twitter data shows that BTS was the most tweeted global celebrity in 2017. BTS surpassed some of America's most successful musicians in this award, which is impressive given that the group only emerged in 2013. This information confirms that BTS's approach to managing social media platforms (such as Twitter) has helped them sustain a loyal fan base by perpetuating a consistent online presence. Additionally, K-pop deserves further recognition for the way it produces idols for the world. look with admiration. The creation of an “idol group” is one of the staples of Korean pop culture. To join a K-pop group like KARA, South Korean girls dothey practice in training centers in the hope of realizing their dreams. Def Dance Skool (also known as K-pop College) is one of the exclusive training centers for aspiring K-pop stars. At this school, young women endure intense workouts, follow diets, and may even undergo plastic surgery. The level of commitment expected from these aspiring stars is appalling. According to Broadly, the girls are "weighed every morning and evening, the number reported to a master trainer each time and their menus will be checked" accordingly. Some of their diet plans are influenced by K-pop stars themselves. For example, former KARA member Nicole tried the Danish diet to lose weight. The diet limited her to consuming fewer than 600 calories a day for 13 days. Her weight loss has been staggering, which has caused others to follow her trendy diet, including aspiring stars. K-pop camps have caused some controversies around the world when cultures possess different views, due to the girls' intense physical activity and performance. categories. One of the most controversial aspects of K-pop camps is how much emphasis is placed on the girls' appearance. For example, many women and young adolescents may undergo plastic surgery to achieve a look that society defines as “perfect,” which in South Korea includes large eyes and a high nose. In South Korea, compared to Western cultures, there is not as much stigma attached to plastic surgery because they appreciate having a positive public appearance. K-pop culture focuses on creating a furnished product that has been molded into something exemplary. Physical appearance is one of the most important characteristics of being a K-pop star. In fact, some aspiring stars will even get a loan from a record label to afford plastic surgery. The loan can cover up to fifty percent of the cost, but the women will have to pay it back. According to Broadly, “the emphasis on the perfect look began in the 1970s, when the K-pop industry was in its infancy. Back then a girl could only be successful thanks to her good looks.” This shows how much K-pop has influenced the need to look glamorous among its fans around the world. The emphasis on attractiveness is kept at such a high level that girls are willing to go under the knife without any guarantee of becoming a real K-pop star. Finally, K-pop deserves further recognition because of how it has globalized the market. loyal fans. The music genre originated in South Korea but has managed to sustain devoted fans around the world. Continents such as South America, Europe and North America have contributed to the growing popularity of K-pop by dedicating unparalleled support to bands such as BTS and KARA. It is known that large masses of fans gather and carry out projects of various nature. For example, fans have contributed to philanthropic causes by donating money to charities and orphanages supported by K-pop groups. SJ Charities, BAP's Helping Hands and UNICEF are all charities that have received significant donations in recent years. BTS fans from around the world helped raise funds and awareness for UNICEF by participating in an online campaign. The campaign was conducted on Twitter, known as “#RoarForChange”. According to UNICEF, “for every public post, like or share on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter that includes “#RoarForChange” between May 3 and May 25, 2018, Star Wars: Force for Change US will donate $1 to UNICEF USA , up to $1 million." Surprisingly, BTS fans managed to reach the goal of $1 million in just a few hours. This exemplifies how supportive and devoted K-pop fans are to their idols..