Should all K-Pop idols wish fans "Merry Christmas" on Christmas Day through their respective private messaging platforms?
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Debates over the issue of K-Pop idols "doing their jobs" have become heated again, with holidays like Christmas and New Year's Day falling back to back.
Recently, several K-Pop idols have become targets of criticism for their alleged "inactivity" on their private messaging platforms.
Last week, some fans accused The Boyz's Hyunjae of "dating" based on the fact that the idol was spotted with his phone in hand "all the time", during concert rehearsals, during some actual concert stages, etc. The criticism was followed by the comment, "He's that addicted to his phone and yet he hasn't sent one private message."
On the same online community, a heated debate ensued over the fact that (G)I-DLE member Minnie has "failed" to sent fans a single private message for over 3 months.
While some fans argued that Minnie has shared consistent updates which are more accessible to all fans, including those who may not be subscribed to her private messages, others argued that Minnie was in fact, "failing to do her job as an idol".
Most recently, fans on the online community raised debates over BTS member Jungkook allegedly not wishing fans "Merry Christmas" on Weverse on the holiday.
In the case of IVE's Yujin, the idol faced criticism for not sending a "Merry Christmas" message via her group's private messaging platform, as well as for "failing" to update fans on the platform for over 3 days.
So what are netizens saying about the ongoing debate?
Some said,
"Since it's a paid subscription service, it should be considered [the idols'] duty."
"If there are people paying for the service, then it's their job to send updates. Some idols on Bubble choose to close their service because they don't use it often, so if idols don't feel like they can do their job then they need to close their service and stop benefiting without doing any work."
"You're supposed to receive a refund if they don't send any updates for a month, but right before it reaches one month some idols just send one little message kekekekeke."
"It's a paid subscription. Even if they're busy, they should at least send some kind of update once every 2 weeks."
"They're making money from the private messaging services so they need to fulfill their end of the bargain."
"When we didn't have Bubble or Universe, it was a little much to accuse idols of not communicating with the fans, but now there are people paying for the service so..."
"If you're getting paid, then you need to do the job that's required."
"These days, idols get filmed every moment of the day, so fans can see clear as day that they're all on their phones in the waiting rooms. If they're on their phones that much, it can't be that hard to send fans at least one message."
While others said,
"It depends on the idol. Some fans are fine with not getting as many messages."
"If it's Christmas, can't idols spend it quietly with their family members? Do they have to say 'Merry Christmas' to fans??"
"For Yujin, it's only been 3 days... there are so many idols who don't come for weeks or even months..."
"If you're not satisfied, just unsubscribe!"
"Do you people contact all of your friends at least once every three days..."
"Just because they're not sending fans private messages, that doesn't meant they're dating. Like, stop jumping to unnecessary conclusions."
"Maybe you guys should stop obsessing over your idols' private messages and live your own lives."
"We know how busy our idols are during this time of the year. If you don't understand, then you're not really a fan."
"Maybe they just don't have anything to talk about..."
Source: Allkpop
