[The Curse of Knowledge] Newcomers, Veterans, and Returnees [AI is here too]

Why a wall forms between newcomers and veterans

I don't understand what you're saying

It's the same in any fandom, but for a while after joining, you can't grasp the flow, right?
This isn't so much a problem of comprehension as it is that newcomers don't know the jargon used in that circle, the unwritten rules, or the stories shared by veterans (such as events related to their bias or the timeline).

I myself have been told by Bangtan, let alone fans, "I'm sure all the ARMYs know this, but" and I've swallowed my tears many times thinking, "I don't know...!" I seriously wished they would add footnotes lol

The Curse of Knowledge

By the way, are you familiar with the cognitive bias called the "Curse of Knowledge"? The name sounds cool, at least!

Simply put, it's the assumption that "what I know, others know too." Everyone basically has this, so you can't fix it unless you're conscious of it.
When it reaches its peak, it becomes the diagram of "the user manual written by an engineer was so incomprehensible that the job of manual creation was born." I really don't get it.

As you probably already know, this curse often triggers between veterans and newcomers.
The "I don't know...!" case mentioned earlier is exactly this.

For example, you see a repost saying, "Please vote for my bias! Only 30 minutes left!" and you try to help, but you give up because it doesn't say where or how to vote.
The person calling for votes knows it well, so they omit the details, but it's a common pattern for newcomers who don't share that info to wander around thinking, "Wait, where?"

Many people post images of the vote gap, but being able to identify "that's the one" just from that requires psychic powers or professional status, so it's high difficulty for babies 🤣
I also sense shy girls hesitating and fidgeting when they see "Please ask if you don't understand." I'd be super happy if you attached an easy-to-understand image.

The curse of knowledge creates a structure where communication failure occurs due to information disparity, so the more this pattern happens, the harder it is for new fans to enter, hindering the expansion and revitalization of the community. Let me in! ( ;∀;)

Always keep a beginner's mind

For example, in the case of Takarazuka (Takarazuka Revue), newcomers usually call their bias by their stage name, but unless they are a top star, that won't even hit search results properly, which is frustrating.
You'll find that your "oshi-katsu" (fan activities) will progress once you realize that everyone calls the actresses by nicknames, and often, there are unofficial nicknames that are much more widely used than the official ones announced.

Learning helps and promotes entering the fandom, doesn't it?
Sorry for trying to understand BTS from the perspective of another genre.

In the case of the Bangtan fandom, Korean language and K-pop idol terms are better because they come up if you search for them. You can also use the accumulation of knowledge from other group fans and language learners.
If you look at my early search history, it's probably filled with things like "Wae Korean" and "Boya Korean" lol

When I write articles myself, I try to add supplements if the me from when I first fell into the fandom would have asked "?", but since I've gotten quite used to the fandom, I tend to forget this sometimes. That's not good!
I want to live by the saying, "A sparrow never forgets its beginner's mind until it's a hundred."

However, I feel that episodes regarding the members are on the higher end of difficulty. Even though we live in a world where digitalization has reached its peak, there are parts of the story that are shared through word of mouth.

If you're a newcomer and you come across a story you don't understand, I think it's fine to just ignore it for now and aim to complete watching the MVs and official videos first.
As long as you keep up with the notices from Weverse and the FC, there's a high chance that as you learn, you'll realize, 'Oh, so that's what that was!' There's no such thing as 'if you don't know this, you're dead,' so you'll be fine. Probably.

Source! Source! Source!

A 'source' (the origin of information) is what helps and educates beginners.

If you don't understand information that everyone else is sharing silently, you can just learn it, but unfortunately, in this day and age, many things disappear.
Instagram stories are like that, and so are X tweets. In BTS's case, there is a lot of video information, but sometimes there are no Japanese subtitles, so in those cases, there are a lot of patterns where you have no choice but to take hearsay like 'So-and-so said this' at face value.

Looking at the current SNS specifications, I can't help but think that the method of attaching a source might already be outdated, but if possible... if possible, as long as you understand, it would be helpful if you could post the source...!
I never thought that even in the Reiwa era, I would be reincarnated as a 'source-obsessed' person 😇

Newbies and Veterans

Newbies and veterans are prone to becoming opposing factions in any industry, but as time passes, positions change.

The 'Dynamite Newbie,' rumored to have been the representative of newcomers at one time, is already a 4-year veteran, and from my perspective as someone who fell for them in earnest after everyone went to the military, they are a proper veteran, and even I am feeling the presence of juniors lately and getting excited.
To think that newcomers keep appearing even while the main group is away, as expected of Uri Bangtan! (*´艸｀)

If there is anyone right now who is hesitant to support them or hesitant to post because they are a newbie, it's a waste of a bonus time, so let's move on to the next step quickly.
You are already an ARMY. There is no high or low in ARMY. Enjoy your once-in-a-lifetime newbie time!

In fact, there are often episodes where newbies who are not bound by industry common sense or conventional wisdom make new discoveries, so I think it would be interesting if many new ARMYs came and talked about the new Bangtan.
I was also thinking about '3D' and realized, 'Maybe my starting point is different from veteran ARMYs, since I started with the UN PTD suit Bangtan.'

And for veterans, if possible, please leave things like 'everyone knows this, right?' on blogs, etc., and the followers will cry with joy.
Really, even on that Yahoo! Chiebukuro (eh), if there is an accumulation of senior ARMYs, it will be a god-tier bag. Testimony from the side that made history is extremely valuable...!!

Newbie people, please look for god-tier ARMYs who are sharing Bangtan TMI for new ARMYs. And please tell me too lol

By the way, I like Takarazuka and Kabuki, so I'm the type who thinks, 'Everyone was a newbie 400 years ago, right?'
This is why geeks who like history have a large span and it's troublesome. I like the story that for Kyoto people, the 'recent war' is the Onin War.

A third force appears

I've noticed recently while receiving comments and seeing reposts that between the "veterans" and the "newcomers," a "returnee" faction seems to have emerged.

When I first entered the fandom, I often wondered, "What happened two years ago?" because it seemed like many accounts had stopped updating around that time.
As I learned more, I got the impression that many ARMYs had gone on hiatus around the time of the tearful bulletproof dinner and Jin's enlistment. Perhaps some of them thought they would return once the group was whole again.

However, with all the recent buzz and the excitement surrounding the return of Jin and Hobi, the ARMY world has been lively, and I get the impression that there are people who had left but have come back to take another look. I don't know the truth, though.
I feel like I could figure something out if I could see the fan club data. Sorry for being so curious.

Those people are a third force—veterans who have had a break and possess newcomer elements—so I think they will start gathering information all over again.
I wonder where they get confused.

To the U-turn group, I'll send a cheer: "Good luck with your searching! Oh, but it's okay to start by studying Jin's 'Happy' related content first! Bangtan is doing great!"
Welcome back!

Another one who can't understand the conversation

I wrote at the beginning that "newcomers don't understand the unspoken rules, so they can't follow the conversation," and I expect there is one more entity that will be in the same situation.
That isAI.

By the way, this is a current events topic, so if you are sensitive to such things, please skip this and move on.

閲覧注意

For those reading later, to explain briefly, HYBE's internal documents (market research report "Weekly Music Industry Report") were leaked recently, causing a stir. As a result, Kang Myung-seok, who was in charge of market research, seems to have been removed from his position.

This matter hasn't settled down yet, but the content seemed to be picking up opinions from bulletin boards as examples, with the creator commenting on points that were problematic. It seems it was sent to senior executives at HYBE and its sub-labels.

The preamble was long, but this is where AI finally comes in.
Following this leak, I think HYBE's market research methods will have to change.
In that case, considering the times, I imagine they will move from the method of manually picking up data from Korean bulletin boards (I haven't seen foreign data) to a direction of using AI globally to collect opinions from social media.

Oh, please note that this is just my own speculation.

AI is not omnipotent. It is strong at calculation and statistical processing, but it is not good at reading things that are not written, such as meaning and emotion. It's the same as a newcomer who doesn't share the "unspoken rules" and can't understand the flow of the conversation.

Therefore, even if you speak based on a story shared among friends, there is a high possibility that it will not be picked up, or even if it is, it will not be interpreted as intended.

This isn't pointing at any specific person, and I want you to read it just as an example (a full-on defensive measure), but when you want to convey an opinion to a company, you sometimes see cases where people appeal their opinions on X with hashtags, right?
I watch those thinking, "Writing 'Please take care of the members' probably won't get the message across..." Because only those who share the story know what "take care of" specifically means.

In this case, for example, with a text cloud, you might be able to grasp that there are many "important" remarks related to members, and that these are linked to negative emotions, but as for whether you can correctly interpret anything beyond that, it is probably difficult.
By the way, since newbies don't understand this either, they can't empathize, which easily creates a chain reaction of "we aren't understood, so we have to cherish each other."

If you expect a company to pick up requests from social media, I think it would be good to write them specifically, for example, "I want to hear a unit song by Jungkook and V!" or "Please add Japanese subtitles to the early videos!" Sorry for my own selfish desires.

In short, if you want to be picked up by AI, you should write specifically so that even newbies can understand. If you're going to make an appeal, you want it to be conveyed, right? (Efficiency freak).
People who thought, "They should understand without me having to write it," are under the "curse of knowledge," so please go to a church and pay 50G to have it dispelled. Wait, is it not that cheap anymore?

In that sense, although it depends on the person chosen, I think the method of having someone act as a filter was, in a way, valid as a market research technique. Humans are flexible and learn quickly in that regard.

Kang Myung-seok, who was dismissed this time, is a music critic who appeared in Bangtan's documentary film "Beyond The Star" on Disney+ and wrote the thick documentary book "Beyond The Story," so I think he was giving direct advice with a full understanding.
Honestly, it feels like the characteristic of Korean companies that prioritize speed has backfired a bit, which is a waste. AI needs an educator, I wonder if he would take on that role...

時事ネタ終わり

Summary

How different generations get along

I took a detour to AI along the way, but even among the same ARMY, there is an information gap depending on how long they've been in the fandom, how deep they are, and the stories they've learned.
There is a sense that "not knowing" is embarrassing, or like me, the "Google it, you idiot" spirit (look it up before you ask) is ingrained, and there are various things, but the knowledge of those who came before is valuable. I hope a relationship where you can easily ask "what does that mean?" and teach each other spreads.
When Bangtan returns as a full group in 2025, there will be even more newbies and returnees, and I hope we can all enjoy it together ( *´艸｀)

For now, newbies, let's do our best to learn the terminology and grasp the situation!
Veterans, if possible... if possible, I would be grateful if you could post the source when discussing topics...!

My timeline might be biased, but currently, the topics that most often come with sources are about Min Hee-jin and HYBE stock prices, so before I know it, I'm only reading those. No, I just want to enjoy Bangtan lol

Request

Lastly, as a request from me,

• For accounts used for "streaming, music video views, and voting," I would be very happy if you could include an explanation post for beginners in your pinned tweet or profile.

• Especially in the case of voting, there are many different types, so when calling for emergency voting, I would like you to write the URL for the vote or provide guidance to the app.

is what I mean ( ;∀;) Sorry for being selfish

The issue of "not knowing what the story is about because the background is a mystery" seems like it will be solved to some extent as you learn, but voting is just too numerous to remember, so I would be happy if there was some help.
There are god-tier ARMYs who summarize things on note, so newbies, let's search and do our best to learn! Everyone, fighting!

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