The K-Pop fandom is different everywhere you go online, you have the quiet graphic designers and GIF makers on Tumblr, the old K-Pop Facebook groups that still run, for example KLUE.
If you’re a K-Pop fan on social media networks such as Twitter, you would be familiar with members of the community inundating the timeline or replies of a post with phrases like “Stan Loona” or the posting of a BTS video on an otherwise unrelated tweet.
kim lip’s impact stan loona pic.twitter.com/MvZAzHnRYX
— josé (@dickremix) July 23, 2018
Chances are is that user is a member of Stan Twitter. The term “stan” could simply mean “hardcore fan” and is coined from the Eminem song of the same name. What exactly differentiates someone who is and isn’t part of this “stanning” community is dependent on how much invested you are in that particular fandom possibly choice of vocabulary.
Stan Twitter incredibly has its own dialect and choice of words when it comes to promoting their favourite artists, and no doubt you would catch a user defining a group like Twice or Blackpink as “skinny legends”. Surprisingly, “skinny legends” actually refer to celebrities who are glamorous and talented, no matter what their weight is.
blackpink skinny successful legends pic.twitter.com/CNrgYjl32k
— ً (@intopinks) June 15, 2018
Despite the various K-Pop stans on Twitter expressing their undying love for their artists in ways that someone not part of their community wouldn’t exactly expect…
Listen up K-Pop twitter. You are not allowed to let Hyorin flop. Do not do her the way YG does it's artists. I want to see you STANNING for Hyorin, her artists, and even her affiliates. If Hyorin farts I expect you to tweet "Queen of flatulence the charts are shaking!" NOW STAN. pic.twitter.com/q2Bi4YtqCI
— 最高 (@MalePocahontas) November 13, 2017
…there has been some criticism of the community in question. Stan Twitter in general could put you at risk of being attacked for simply saying the wrong opinion, no matter how non-problematic it is. There has been bullying, and in few extreme cases, people have been doxxed.
However, that should not let you steer away from becoming part of this community, they can be inventive, hilarious and helpful in the promotion of your favourite artist. Park Bom’s comeback to the music industry was helped massively by a Twitter campaign that helped to shed a positive light on past controversy.
https://twitter.com/hilegendsonly/status/1021789669498019840
But always be wary of what you’re exactly tweeting, as it can be seen by anyone at anytime.
Have you had any experiences with K-Pop Stan Twitter that have been memorable? Let us know in the comments below!
