What K-pop rookie group NewJeans shows us about parasocial relationships

While celebrities often sell the idea of fan-idol relationships, NewJeans is showing us a more unnerving side

(The group NewJeans. Photo credit: ADOR)

Most of us have idolized some sort of celebrity, whether you’re a fan of Taylor Swift, LeBron James or Harry Styles.

But while the above individuals tend to keep a distance from fans unless in controlled settings, K-pop groups are known to embrace and encourage the idol-fan relationship through other means.

I’m talking about daily selfies on social media accounts like Weverse and Twitter. Vlogs on Youtube. Hours-long livestream sessions on platforms like the V-Live (RIP) and Instagram. K-pop idols like BTS and Seventeen also have variety shows and lifestyle vacation series, allowing fans to get to know each member’s individual quirks and personality traits. What’s more, fans are also often encouraged to buy a number of albums in order to win fan video calls with their favourite stars. These are all forms of controlled settings of course, but idols are more out there, similar to lifestyle content creators.

Experts have described the fan-idol relationship as parasocial. Parasocial relationships are a phenomenon where one-sided relationships are formed when a person extends emotional energy, interest and time towards celebrities, despite the latter being unaware of the other's existence. 

But in the last two months, the rookie girl group NewJeans has been turning that narrative around with its latest two singles “Ditto” and “OMG”. Each song is undoubtedly nostalgic, upbeat and catchy. But what has people talking are the group’s music videos itself, which give viewers an unsettling and unnerving look at fan-idol relationships from both perspectives.

I realize that there are many different interpretations of these music videos, so I’m excited to see how others dissected them! As for me, it was a fascinating look into how parasocial relationships impact both K-pop idols and fans.

“Ditto” released on December 19 with two music videos. Side A follows a nameless girl (played by Park Ji Hoo from All of Us Are Dead) behind a camera, who sees the members of NewJeans as her friends at school. They hang out in the classroom, she films them as the NewJeans girls have dance practice and they walk outside in the rain together. In the end, we realize no one else around the mysterious girl sees NewJeans around her, and she is being judged for it.

Side B expands on the theme, showing what happens when real life gets in the way. While we got glimpses of him in Side A, this music video gives us a better introduction to a mysterious boy (played by Twenty-Five Twenty-One’s Choi Hyun-Wook), who watches our protagonist, who is played by Park. We see her slowly drifting apart from the members of NewJeans. She ignores a phone call from NJ’s Minji. She even goes as far as dropping her video camera filled with memories of NewJeans from the top of a building. In the end, she leaves with her male classmate, perhaps signally a future with him?

While there is probably much more I can dissect from “Ditto”, what I took from these music videos is that fandom isn’t always forever. While your favourite K-pop groups may feel like friends, real life gets in the way. You fall in love, you get older and go through struggles knowing your idols cannot always help you.

Watching “Ditto” was bittersweet for me because I too have shifted in and out of fandoms as a pre-teen/teen. It took me back to what it was like to fall in love with a group, but also grow apart from it. This is what happened to me with One Direction, my original fave from university. Don’t get me wrong, I still love 1D, I just don’t follow their every move anymore. And while my love isn’t the same as it was 10 years ago, I still look back at those times fondly.

My reading of “OMG”, which was released on January 2, focuses more on how parasocial relationships impact idols. The video begins as a tribute to the 2006 Park Chan-wook film I’m a Cyborg but That’s OK. The members of NewJeans are seen in a psychiatric ward, describing the identities they’ve taken on. One’s a princess, another’s a doctor. The most symbolic to me was Hanni however, who says she has become an “iPhone.”

“I’m starting to get confused between ‘what others say about me’ and the ‘real me,’” she says in the video.

“When you call, I’ll run to you anywhere anytime. I will show you what you want to see. I will speak for you and sing for you,” she continues.

“It doesn’t matter who I am anymore. I exist for you.”

(Photo credit: ADOR)

All of this is true for any kind of smartphone, but if you think about it, it also applies to idols.

K-pop idols take on personas developed by them and their companies. It could be a cutesy concept, a sexy one. Maybe you want to portray yourself as a badass who takes nothing from anymore. Even when interacting with fans, they’re still representing the group in the public eye. Therefore, idols are expected to “perform” as the persona and brand they’ve developed. They exist for fans, sing for them and speak for them through music.

I’m not saying that idols aren’t appreciative of their fans. Quite the contrary, in fact.

From the video, I just get the impression that Hanni’s identity as an “iPhone” is a symbol that shows us that idols feel the need to put on personas for their fans instead of revealing their true selves. One could say the members of NewJeans are patients who went to get help trying to please everyone around them. It’s unsettling to watch, and makes you ask yourself: Do we really truly know the idols we’ve come to love?

(Photo credit: ADOR)

Parasocial relationships are often encouraged by companies and labels as a way to get more fans which means, more income for the group and record label. And for the fans, it gives the aura of feeling closer to their favourite idols, as if they are friends.

What’s more, it’s an unwritten rule by companies to also discourage idols from dating publicly as a means to be successful. Being single makes them appear more accessible to fans. We sometimes forget performers sacrifice aspects of their private lives to achieve their dreams as a performer. And at times, it must be stifling for them. In fact, the most public case of two idols breaking this rule are probably HyunA and Dawn (who broke up late last year). When they revealed they were dating in 2016, their label Cube Entertainment dropped them both.

That’s why it’s refreshing to see an idol group like NewJeans tackle a topic like parasocial relationships because it brings us back to reality. I truly believe that being part of a fandom can be really healthy and fun! But we should remember that it shouldn’t consume our lives. Idols are humans just like the rest of us and want to live as freely as possible as well. Let fandom be a part of your life, not your whole personality. That way, we can all enjoy it a bit more.

Before I end off, I want to add that NewJeans are also at a pivotal time in their careers where they are coming of age while in the spotlight. While fantasies are often an idea sold by popstars, it’s inspiring to see the group tackling what it’s really like to portray young people’s experiences. You go through phases and then you grow out of them. You face issues in the real world, trying to please the people around you. So much can be interpreted from their music videos, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Related reading:

NewJeans Owned 2022. They’re Going Even Bigger in 2023 (Rolling Stone)

NewJeans Talk “Ditto” Fan Theories, Songwriting, and the Year of the Bunny (Teen Vogue)

What I’m currently ‘vibing’ to:

Big Bang’s Taeyang has made his first comeback in six years with a sexy tune called “Vibe” and I expect nothing less from him. This time though, he’s brought along BTS’s Jimin for the ride, which is a dream come true for him! Soon after he debuted, Jimin said he wants to “stand on the same stage” as “Taeyang-sunbaenim.” When icons get together, magic happens! Read Taeyang’s interview with Rolling Stone.

And some BONUS news to get you through the week: Jimin’s reported to make his own solo debut in February, BIGHIT Music commented.

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