[Column Vol. 1] Personal Notes on Identifying Fans You Should Keep at a Distance: SNS Edition

This is not an article meant to expose anyone.

However, when looking at idol scenes or social media, there are moments when I think,
“Oh, I might want to keep a little distance from this person.”
This time, these are my personal notes on that.

Having passion for supporting your favorite idol is not a bad thing.

You want to write your thoughts because you like them.
You want to spread the word because you like them.

You want to react because you like them.
You want them to remember you, even just a little, because you like them.
I understand those feelings.
However, passion is not a get-out-of-jail-free card.

When the feeling of “liking” someone grows too large, it sometimes ends up at someone else’s doorstep.

Even if the person thinks they are holding a beautiful bouquet, from the perspective of the person receiving it, it feels like someone is suddenly ringing their doorbell.
Social media makes this especially visible.

Replies.
Icons.

Profiles.
Ways of promoting.
Expressing strong opinions.

In those things, that person’s sense of distance really shows.

Don't put too much of your life into a 'good morning'

First, what concerns me are people whose replies to their favorite idol’s posts are too long.
For example, the idol posts, “Good morning.”

In response, someone replies with something like,
“Good morning! It’s cold this morning too, isn’t it? I had a bad day at work yesterday, but seeing your post cheered me up. I hope you have a smiling day today too. By the way, I can’t forget that expression you had at yesterday’s concert...”
It’s long.

They are putting too much of their life into a “good morning.”

I understand wanting to convey your feelings to your favorite idol.

You have a lot to say because you like them.

You want to reply to something every time.

You want them to remember your existence, even a little.
I can understand those emotions, well, sort of.

But when I see someone stacking three or four lines of self-talk onto a morning greeting, I think,
“Isn’t this person using their favorite idol as a window to process their own emotions?”
The idol is not a counselor.
Of course, I think idols can be saved by the words of their fans.

But leaving your own life, your own loneliness, your own wounds, and your own need for approval in the idol’s comment section every time is a bit heavy.
It’s not so much a reply as it is a drop-off of emotions.

And it’s cash-on-delivery, too.
It’s hard to refuse the delivery.

Who is that morning greeting directed at?

This is truly a personal feeling, but what is up with people who are just regular folks but tweet “good morning” every day?
No, it’s their freedom, I suppose.

Social media is free, and there is nothing wrong with saying good morning itself.

But when I see a fan posting something like, “Good morning! Yesterday was... ...Let’s do our best today!” every single morning, my brain glitches for a second.
Are you the idol?
No, maybe my own sense is just weird.

Greeting someone every morning might be a healthy lifestyle habit.
But when I see an account where the icon is a photo with their favorite idol, the profile lists their history of attending events, and they tweet “good morning” every day, I can’t help but think.
Who is this morning call directed at?
And who are they waiting for a “good morning” back from?
It’s fine. It’s fine, but it’s a little scary.
A morning assembly that no one asked for is being held in the corner of the timeline every morning.

Even though there is no obligation to attend, it catches my eye every day.

Speaking while borrowing the idol’s face

I also honestly find people who use their favorite idol as their icon quite concerning.
Of course, I understand that you like the idol’s face.

The visuals are good.
The photos are good.

Just looking at that one picture makes you feel better.
I understand those feelings.
However, using a photo of the idol themselves as a social media icon is, when you think about it normally, quite risky.
First, whose photo is that?

Is it an official photo?
Is it a concert photo?
Is it a photo from a magazine or web media?

Is it a photo someone else took?

Is it a screenshot?
Photos have photographers and rights holders.
The idol themselves, naturally, has rights and dignity regarding their own face.
In other words, it’s not all forgiven just because “I like them so I’m using it.”
Even if the legal extent of what is out of bounds depends on the case, it’s at least a question of by what right you are holding that up as if it were your own face.

Moreover, if it looks like you might be mistaken for the person themselves or an official account, it’s even riskier.
If you are running a fan account, I think you need to at least make it clear that it is not the person themselves and not an official account.
However, what’s more important starts here.

If you are using your favorite idol as your icon, don’t say weird things on that account.
Don’t speak ill of others.
Don’t go wild with your feelings.

Don’t attack others.
Don’t make creepy remarks.
Don’t spread complaints about the scene.
Because, right next to those statements is the idol’s face.

Even though they are your words, on the screen, it looks like the idol’s face is speaking.
This is quite heavy.
The person might think, “It’s my account, so I’m free to do what I want.”

But the moment you use your favorite idol as an icon, the idol’s face comes attached to that freedom.
Expressing strong opinions with the idol’s face.
Speaking ill of others with the idol’s face.


Attacking others with the idol’s face.
Making creepy replies with the idol’s face.

Criticizing the scene with the idol’s face.
That is no longer just lowering your own reputation.

In the worst case, it even drags in the impression of the idol themselves.
“This person’s fans are kind of scary.”
“This community seems like a hassle.”
“This idol’s fans are aggressive.”
There is a possibility that people will think that.

Even though you want to promote your favorite idol, you are becoming a 'haunted property' at the entrance to the idol.
This is something you should really think about.

If you use a photo of your favorite idol as an icon, I think it’s the same as carrying a small sign.
What do you say with that sign?

Who do you get involved with?

What kind of atmosphere do you spread?

If you can’t take responsibility for that, you shouldn’t use the idol’s face.

It could be your own face, a landscape, food, a cat, or a mysterious default icon.

At the very least, you should take responsibility for your own statements with your own icon.
Don’t go wild by borrowing the idol’s face.
That is not support; it is self-talk that uses the idol’s credibility as collateral.

And that collateral is not yours.

When the desire to spread the word becomes pressure

Finally, people who are mysteriously staking their lives on promotion on social media.
This is also difficult to judge.

It’s fine as long as you are tweeting promotions on your own account.

You can do that as you like.
“This concert was good.”

“I want you to listen to this song.”
“You really should see these kids now.”
As long as you are venting your passion in your own space like that, I think it’s actually healthy.

Saying you like what you like is the most legitimate form of supporting an idol.
However, when that heat jumps out of your own timeline and starts visiting other people’s notification columns, the story changes a little.

You want to spread the word about your favorite group.
You want people to come to the concert.

You want to increase the number of new fans.
That feeling is beautiful.
In fact, some people do become interested because of fans’ posts.
However, there are people who sometimes appear.

People who think they are the idol, the management, the PR representative, or the producer.
They search their ego and go around getting involved with everyone who mentions the group name.
“Please come to the venue!”

“These kids are really amazing!”

“If it’s your first time, I recommend XX!”
“By the way, the next concert is...”

They are enthusiastic.
I understand they are enthusiastic.
But having a stranger of a fan suddenly fly in from outside your followers is just plain scary.
I would understand if it were the idol themselves or an official account.
But a stranger who is just a regular person suddenly appears like a salesperson.

Moreover, because they have the face of good intentions, it’s hard to refuse.
This is quite a lot of pressure.

Should I reply?
Maybe I’ll just leave a like.
It’s creepy, so I’ll just ignore it.
...The reactions vary, but you don’t want to get involved in troublesome things.

In short, these are like having door-to-door sales for idol support standing there with a smile when you open your front door.

And the pamphlet is thick.

I understand the desire to promote.
But if the desire to spread the word about your favorite idol is too strong and you ignore the other person’s sense of distance, that enthusiasm becomes pressure rather than promotion.
And in the worst case, even the impression of the group becomes a little heavy.

Even though you intend to do it for your favorite idol, you have set up your own sign at the entrance to the idol.

That is something you should think about a little.

In the end, it’s all about 'sense of distance'

When I line them up like this, I feel that the characteristics of fans you should keep at a distance on social media all boil down to one thing.
It’s the sense of distance.
The distance from the idol.

The distance from other fans.

The distance on social media.
The distance between your own passion and other people’s lives.
Being passionate is not bad.
In fact, the scene is interesting because there is passion.

But passion is not a get-out-of-jail-free card.
“Because I like them.”

“Because I’m supporting them.”

“Because I want to spread the word.”
“Because I’m saying the right thing.”
That doesn’t mean you can cross the boundary line with others.
The scariness of social media appears not in the appearance, but in how words are placed.

The length of replies.
How icons are chosen.

How you get involved with people you don’t know.
Self-assertion using the idol’s name.

In such small things, a sign appears that says, “Oh, this person has thin boundaries between themselves and others.”
That feeling is probably mostly correct.
Of course, I might be a pretty scary fan from someone else’s perspective.
By the time I go to the venue, take photos, write impressions on social media, and even write an article like this, I’m already pretty suspicious from the perspective of general society.

That is precisely why I want to at least have self-awareness.
Is my liking getting in someone else’s way?
Is my passion blocking someone else’s escape?

Is my justice just becoming a need for approval?
Personal notes on identifying fans you should keep at a distance.

In the end, it is not just a sensor for looking at others, but also a sensor for making sure I don’t go to that side.
Love that is too close is not support; it sometimes becomes noise.
And only the person themselves thinks it is applause.