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No offence to people who listen to K-pop, but the more I think about fancam posters and other off-topic responses from youth, the more I realize it's largely teenagers engaging in the classic urge to mark public spaces in a personal way, like vandalism. (thread)
Teens often feel the need to make a mark in a public space somehow. A few privileged or lucky ones find themselves receiving accolades and awards and get to see their name in print... But not everyone will get that.
Most teens find themselves trying to shout their newly-constructed identities into the void in other ways. This can run the gamut from fashion to creative projects to graffiti. But there seems to be a universal urge to be noticed.
Being publicly noticed in a way that distinguishes the teen from their parent is a common (perhaps critical) part of establishing who they are as separate people.
I avoided engaging in vandalism but did about everything short of it as a teen. Personalizing visible things in ways which were admittedly off-topic. Creating art that was distinctly mine, unconnected to my parents.
Handing out stickers with the name of my punk band, so others could vandalize on my behalf. That was maybe the most clever one. It removed me from fault, yet something relating to me was getting displayed publicly like a graffito.
Fancam creators probably are sometimes enjoying the same feeling: making clips of K-pop concerts, knowing those clips will be reposted as off-topic replies on countless threads by countless fans.
I used to find all those off-topic replies annoying, but I'm not sure it bothers me as much now.
I tend to find video clips distracting, though, and would probably prefer still imagery, however.
I tend to find video clips distracting, though, and would probably prefer still imagery, however.
Maybe the phenomenon of video clips will fade away, and we'll be left with just still images. Off-topic still images are easier to tune out, at least to me - - even d!ck pics.
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