The Gruesome World of Sasaeng Fans | Creative Process Journal

A self-initiated project on how to condemn their actions.

Creative Process Journal by Nur Zafirah [1702466]

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A self-initiated project on how to condemn their actions.

Creative Process Journal by Nur Zafirah [1702466]

Table of contents

01 Title of Project ................................................................. 7 02 Project Timeline .............................................................. 11 03 Problem/Opportunity ................................................... 13 Problem/Opportunity ............................................ 15

BTS Sasaeng Fans ................................. 17

Interview with Ex-BTS Sasaeng ....... 20

Singaporean Sasaeng Fans ............... 24

Key Insight ................................................................ 27

Case Study: Duckie Choy ..................... 28

Target Audience ..................................................... 31

04 Project Objective ............................................................ 33

Project Objective .................................................... 35

Ideation 01 ................................................ 37

Ideation 02 ................................................ 43

Mid Point Crit ........................................................... 46

05 The BIG Idea ..................................................................... 47

Popup GIFs Walk-through .................................. 49

06 Development .................................................................... 53

Visual Research ...................................................... 54

Storyboarding ......................................................... 58 07 Execution ........................................................................... 61

The Process .............................................................. 62

Final Crit .................................................................... 66

08 Final Outcome ................................................................. 69 09 Bibliography ..................................................................... 79

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Title of Project

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✨Zaf’s TMI✨ First things first, you may be asking, “But Zaf, why’d you choose this topic for selfinitiated?” Well, I’m glad you asked because: 1. I wanted to understand why fans are acting this way. What is their motivation?

2. T here hasn’t really been any study or solution done to tackle this issue.

3. M ost importantly Zaf just wants to protect the privacy of her idols

✌

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Introduction

As K-pop grows larger in popularity, so does the number of their supporters and so does their number of sasaeng fans. Based on the Korean term sasaengpaen (사생팬), a portmanteau of sasaenghwal (사생활 or “private life”) and paen (팬 or “fan”), a sasaeng fan is a fan who is overly interested in the private lives of K-pop idols.

The project, The Gruesome World of Sasaeng Fans, intends to condemn, as much as possible, the actions of sasaeng fans in order to protect the privacy of idols and encourage a healthier fan lifestyle. It consists of a collection of interactive popups, in the form of gifs, that appear on various K-pop media sites (V Live, Soompi, Koreaboo, allkpop etc.) with the aim of warning users of the gruesome side of sasaeng fans and the content they create. Ultimately discouraging users from such content.

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Project Timeline

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11/03: Project 04 Launch

Finding possible topics of interest

14/03: Research

Sourcing for online journal & research articles Design Textures & Other Creative Inspirations — Lesson by Karen

21/03: Research

Silkscreen Printing Class by Karen Consultation with Karen

25/03: Research & Insight Gathering Analysing research materials Insight Gathering Start of Spring Break

08/04: Research & Ideation Crafting the BIG Idea Mid-crit Prep

15/04: Ideation

Crafting the BIG Idea Mid-crit Prep Consultation with Karen

18/04: Mid Point Crit & Ideation

Gathering Feedback + Finalising the BIG Idea Ideation of Narratives

22/04: Development & Experimentation

Experimentation on illustration, collage & animation

29/04: Development & Execution Development of popup GIFs Compiling Process Journal Final Crit Prep

06/05: Final Crit

Gathering Feedback Rework for Summative Assessment

09/05: Development & Execution

Finalising development of popup GIFs Compiling GIFs into a website Developing a walkthrough of popup GIFs

13/05: Summative Hand in

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GIFs + Website + Walkthrough + Process Journal

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Problem / Opportunity

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Problem / Opportunity

PHOTO: J YJ’s Junsu in a restaurant while sasaeng fans press against the glass outside cr. soompi.com

Since the late 1990s, the “Hallyu” (한류) or Korean pop-culture wave has had a huge impact, achieving immense popularity and sustaining a global community of consumers and fans. Today, K-pop continues to grow larger in popularity. However, as K-pop grows larger in popularity, so will the number of their supporters and so will their number of sasaeng fans. Based on the Korean term sasaengpaen (사생팬), a portmanteau of sasaenghwal (사생활 or “private life”) and paen (팬 or “fan”), a sasaeng fan is a fan who is overly interested in the private lives of K-pop idols.

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But what’s so bad about sasaeng fans?

Sasaeng Activities

The intensity of sasaeng fans goes beyond loyalty.

In their idolisation, sasaeng fans reportedly stalk K-pop artists or otherwise intrude into their private lives, affecting the artists physically and emotionally.

In order to stand out in the crowd (literally), individual sasaeng fans have reportedly gone to extremes.

Whether it is going to a television broadcast recording, an outdoor performance, the airport, practice space, hair salon, or even the artist’s home, sasaeng fans are identified by a need to seek out their idols’ exact schedules in order to be as close to them as possible, as often as possible. A few have been reported to slap K-pop stars for attention, intentionally cause car accidents for the chance to interact with them, and give lingerie and even menstrual blood to them in hopes of being remembered.

Some examples include: • installing cctv cameras near idols’ homes • attaching tracking devices to idols’ cars • using a GPS to track their movements • stalking them around town in taxis •e ngaging private investigators to seek out highly personal information •b reaking into the homes of idols to steal their personal belongings • trafficking and abusing the personal information of idols •e ngaging in high-speed chases and causing accidents while stalking • harassing idols’ families and associates • assaulting both idols and other fans

The sasaeng phenomenon initially emerged in Korea.

But with the sustained intensity of the Hallyu wave, some hardcore K-pop fans from other countries have begun adopting social behaviors similar to Korean sasaeng fans.

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One of the most common example would be, trafficking and abusing of personal information, because these information are key in pin-pointing the idols’ location and whereabouts. Apart from that, it gives sasaeng fans an insight into their idols’ lives, off-screen.

Source: J. Patrick Williams & Samantha Xiang Xin Ho, ‘“Sasaengpaen” Or K-Pop Fan? Singapore Youths, Authentic Identities, And Asian Media Fandom’, Deviant Behavior, 37.1 (2015), 81-94.

What’s in your head, Sasaeng Fans?

In order to better understand what goes beyond the minds of sasaeng fans, I watched a video of YouTuber Sherliza Moé sharing her opinion on BTS sasaeng fans as well as an interview she did with an Ex-BTS sasaeng fan.

BTS SASAENGS / Rant on obsessive Kpop fans by Sherliza Moé Transcript

There are three levels of K-pop fans: the normal fans who casually listen to their music and attend their concerts when they have the time and money. And then there are the SUPER fans who buy all of their albums, all of their fanmerch, attend every concert, every fanmeeting, every event. These are also the types of fans who constantly stream their music everywhere to make sure their favourite idol or group has a lot of Youtube clicks and that’s already pretty extreme BUT it gets even more intense O_O The third level of K-pop fans are the sasaeng (사생) fans, which in Korean means ‘private life fan’ Sasaengs have NO sense of right and wrong.

They commit criminal offences like: seeking out celebrities in their dorms or homes, stealing personal belongings or information, harassing their family members, sending idols inappropriate gifts such as lingerie or other weird shit or they even try to kidnap or physically hurt them.

The lifestyle of a sasaeng is very lonely, time-consuming, and expensive since their only purpose in life is to be close to their idol and make the idol notice them. These obsessive fans operate together in small groups and each group usually has one leader who either earns a lot of money or has all the private information that they sell to other sasaengs.

Most of these exclusive groups are a closed circle of sasaengs. So not everyone gets to have this information. You either have to also be a sasaeng who can provide or you have to have the money to buy these private photos, videos, information, etc. So there are different variations of sasaengs, rich sasaengs who buy private information, and also sasaengs who purposefully take jobs in credit card companies, phone companies, where they can get private info of their favorite idol. BTS is constantly followed by sasaengs everywhere and a few days ago they arrived at an airport where already many fans were waiting and some

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sasaengs even took the same plane as BTS and here’s something I’ve always wondered: Entertainment companies never give out personal information like their flight schedule out to the public, nor do the managers. So how do so many fans know when and “...how do so many fans where BTS arrives or how do know when and where fans even take the same flight BTS arrives or how do as BTS like where the fuck do fans even take the same they get that information?? flight as BTS...TURNS TURNS OUT airline companies OUT airline companies sell this private info illegally to sell this private info sasaengs and there are even illegally to sasaengs” sasaengs who work in airline companies so they have even easier access to that information. It’s fucked up. You might think that sketch is exaggerated, but that’s basically how it goes down.

BigHit is the entertainment company that manages BTS.

Over here, she has also introduced Fansite culture and how they play a part in this whole sasaeng fan phenomenon.

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Here’s a sasaeng who took the same flight as BTS, and look! She’s sitting right behind Taehyung, aaand another one who took the same flight and followed the group. Look how close she is. That’s crazy. I would be so creeped out. A few days ago, BigHit posted some fansite accounts confirmed for being sasaengs and they blacklisted all these fansites and people for taking the same flight as BTS, in Nagoya. There are other reasons, for example: there is one for excessive shooting and accompanying, illegal shooting in places where shooting is prohibited, which basically means they stalked them in their private life, and as you can see, they also blacklisted all these fansites and people for taking the same flight as BTS in Nagoya.

And here I quickly wanna explain fansites, they are basically just people like you and me, and they either have a Twitter or a YouTube where they post pictures and videos they professionally took of their idol, and they usually have super big, expensive cameras which they try to sneak into events or concerts. There are some variations of fansites as well, there are casual fansites, who try to attend every event or concert to get nice pictures, which they can sell to other fans. Then there are super rich and delusional fansites, who illegally travel with their idols to the same place, stalk them in their private life schedule, and so on. And there are also fansites that get sponsored by sasaengs to attend their concerts, etc. so BTS surprisingly, blacklisted a lot of popular fansites such as CarrotNuna (당근누나), which is a fansite for Jungkook. You can see how uncomfortable he gets when he recognizes the CarrotNuna fan account. Then there’s this Chinese Jungkook sasaeng, who took the same flight as BTS. She used to run a Jungkook fansite with another girl, but they closed it and after she got exposed a couple of days ago, she deleted her IG,

and as you can see she kinda sneaked her way into the background, and she tried to wave at Jungkook. haha... how cute. Apparently, this is not the first time she’s stalked Jungkook. Clearly, she’s one of the richer sasaengs who can afford all that stalking... Then there’s Kooksuni (꾹수니), who literally took photos of Jongkook sleeping on a plane.

She also has some other stalker-ish content on her IG some of it is really fuckin’ creepy. Then there’s another Chinese one who took the same flight, aaaand another but a Taehyung stan i guess. It’s crazy how close they get. Here’s Jungkook walking, minding his own business, and in the background, there’s a sasaeng who tries to get closer to him. And here’s where it gets interesting-- So apparently, this girl is not a Jungkook stan, but a Yoongi stan. and not only did she try to get closer to him, but she also tried to attack him. and she has been following and harassing Yoongi for a long time now, and I don’t know if she’s on the blacklist as well, but she definitely needs to get reported to BigHit. and as you can see, Yoongi was so pissed that he started to film the sasaengs around him to get them reported to BigHit. And there’s another Yoongi stan that also took the same flight as BTS. Ugh! (me too girl) it’s... Fuckin’ creepy man..

People spend thousands of dollars to be close to them, They steal their personal belongings, They steal their fuckin *trash cans* It’s fucking At the beginning of the disgusting. You might think that sketch is again, totally exaggerated, video, she played a skit but it’s not.. the reality.... *big sigh* is even sadder. Anyway, I’m gonna portraying a SHINee talk to a normal K-Pop fan now.

Hi Alissa~ A: Hi Michelle~ I’m Alissa. And I’m Rei and thank you so much for including us in your video.

So, I wanted to ask you about the time when you randomly met T.O.P from BIGBANG (wow jealous) How the hell did that happen?

A: It was like back in 2011, when I was there for a longer time in South Korea. We stayed near the YG building, so one day we decided to just go watch the building, like y’know, just want to see where the artists are working. and then we came by, and were standing there for like 3-5 minutes, taking pictures in front of the building, and then a big van arrives, and it was like, one of the members of BIGBANG. and we were like oh that’s pretty cool so we stayed a little bit longer. 10 minutes later, there came up a Japanese girl and she was like, searching the area and came up to us “did you see somebody?” and we were like, “oh yeah, there was like, one member was going inside.” and she was like freaking out for a moment like o- okay. and then- she texted *so much* and it only takes, after that- it takes like 20 to 30 minutes, and there were SO many people. SO many people, like every minute, more people came in and we just stayed because we were like, Oh it’s pretty cool, it’s pretty nice, we also talked to some girls, and one of the girls

sasaeng fan. (RIP Jonghyun who was featured)

She also included an interview with two normal K-pop fans.

They mentioned how long it took for fans to gather once they knew the idol’s whereabouts.

I met there, it came out that she was one of the biggest fansites of TOP. and like 2 hours later, or something, ...yeah we stayed for two hours. it was already dark, but it was pretty cool because we were just chilling there and everybody was so nice. At some point, T.O.P came out. She was like, going to the front of the building, and she was like, shouting to him like they’re- (referring?) fans and he drove out and stopped after the line. and was like, she should come here. like, foreign girl, I only want foreign girl. Everybody was just like, make space, make space and it was like, they shoved me, into the car, into the car window, and he was taking out some like, some paper, and signed it, and asked me about my name, and said ‘thank you very much for coming,’ aaand yeah, that’s it. But, I really think it was just because I met her [the fansite] so, he knows her, and he trusts her so, that’s the reason why. yeah.

So you met your idol purely out of luck, but there are also some ones who seek out information to meet them, right?

A: Yes, there is a story about a friend of a friend of mine. She bought like, flight information for a not-so popular Korean boy band idol group and she like paid her own *bleep* to take the same flight as them, Uhm, the group was not so big at the time, so they also gave like uh, autographs and also take some pictures with the fans before the flight starts. But she also told me it was like, a one-time thing and she wouldn’t do that anymore.

What’s your opinon about sasaengs in Asian Countries vs. in Western Countries?

A: To be honest, I don’t see such a big difference between those two “types” of stalkers since stalking is stalking. It doesn’t matter who you stalk, where you’re from, whatever, it’s just a thing you shouldn’t do. One thing that comes to my mind when I think especially of sasaengs, is that they’re selling information for low prices. It’s not that long ago that we found an Instagram page where they sold mobile phone numbers for different idols for only like *bleep* dollars.

Like there were so many bands, I talk BTS, EXO, Wanna One, TWICE, BLACKPINK, it didn’t matter which company, it didn’t matter if it’s a boy group or a girl group, they had everything- each member. The worst thing is that it’s not even a scam, the information is legit. So the biggest difference is that in the Asian culture of stalking, “...in the Asian culture of they make so much money out stalking, they make so of it. I didn’t see that at all on the much money out of it.”

Western side. Like, it’s not that popular. Sure, flight info gets shared on Twitter, Instagram, whatever, and fans will arrive there and it will be packed and there will be people screaming, It’s more sharing, but like, making money off of it.

Yeah I think a lot of sasaengs make a lot of money out of things; out

of pictures, mobile phone numbers, flight information, whatever and we’re not talking about fansites when we mean pictures, yknow, not fansites. We talk about like flight pictures, sleeping on the plane, private pictures y’know. I think one of the problems why this is happening is because the idols have such strict rules about dating or- most of them do, like they have their contracts, they won’t be able to date because those.. fangirls because I don’t know uhm.. they will like them less? The illusion that they are only for them, pure and.. yeah Exactly that... so that’s not a thing in Western at all, you also see the differencebecause like in American, or “They’re appreciating European, or whatever culture, their fans so much, it’s like the Asian culture has they’re giving a lot of more interactions with the fans. their lives to us...and Fansigns, and tv shows, it’s all you get so obsessed about the fans. they’re always that you want more, thanking, giving like, It’s just and you wanna kinda because of you, it’s just because slide in and strip private of you, It’s just because of you, life as well.” it’s YOU yknow. you you you It’s like- we did that, you did that, you know? It’s all about that. They’re appreciating their fans so much, they’re giving a lot of their lives to us, like the information and stuff, and you get so obsessed that you want more, and you wanna kinda slide in and strip private life as well.

Interview ends So yeah, that’s the difference that I can spot between those two things. I think the amount of sasaengs and delusional fans would GREATLY decrease if BTS would start having dating scandals. “You guys are all together but you didn’t bring your girlfriends?” “We got ARMYs, we got like, thousands of girlfriends today in here.” Like honestly, there are some people who literally want to believe that BTS are SO innocent, they don’t have ANY time for dating they’re literally PURE VIRGINS or whatever and to that I say: bull. shit. and I’m gonna add that a lot of you guys are projecting your own lacking love life and struggles onto BTS and that’s fucking pathetic.

I’m sorry (not sorry) to burst your sasaeng bubbles, but OF COURSE idols have a love life. Here’s Taehyung with his rumored girlfriend.

Here on the streets, and here in an art museum. and I”m pretty sure Jungkook, Jimin, RM are all privately seeing someone so you delusional fans really need to stop wasting your time trying to get your idols to notice and marry you ‘cause they never, ever will~ It won’t happen! Start focusing on your own happiness, and... get... a life! Get a life. Peace

✌️

A possible problem mentioned as to why sasaeng fans behave this way might be because of how these idols are unintentionally selling a fantasy that they are perfect and pure. Which was why Sherliza Moé thinks that it’d be better if BTS started dating.

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pictures I was like Okay, I believe you, you where a saseang. My god you were really close to the members because these were like never before seen pictures I even synchronise it with Google pictures and these pictures literally didn’t exist on the internet and that was that I didn’t want to see any more sasaeng material, I believed her and we both agreed to do the interview.

So...Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

A: Yes, I’m a Turkish BTS fan. I used to live in Seoul for 2 years but now I live in Turkey. I’ve been a sasaeng for almost more than 3 years ago but I stopped 7 months ago.

Interview with a BTS EX-SASAENG / Confessions of an obsessive BTS Stalker by Sherliza Moé Transcript

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I, was contacted by an ex-sasaeng. A couple of days after releasing my BTS sasaeng video. I received an email and an Instagram DM from someone claiming to be an ex-sasaeng, this person wrote me a really long email and there was this one sentence which triggered something in me. She wrote, “I found your video in my recommended and when I saw it so many of my sasaeng memories came up.” and this really intrigued me. I wanted to know more about what she meant with sasaeng memories. What exactly did she do? What made her ultimately stop being such a stalker because, you know, since she refers to herself as an ex-sasaeng and just questions kept building up in my head and I thought you know what rather than DMing and emailing with this person back and forth I should interview her and share her story here on my youtube. And, when I first asked her if she was interested she was that against it and I told her, “Even though I hate what you did, I’m happy that you stopped being a sasaeng and I will protect your privacy. I will censor your video I will distort your voice. No one will know who you are and of course you don’t have to do it but, please, think about it.” And, yeah that’s basically what I said to her and the next day she agreed to do the video and She even wanted to expose some other creepy stuff and you know It’s internet everyone can claim to be whatever so I asked her, “Without, violating BTS’s privacy, can you somehow prove to me that you are legit? And she said no because all of the photos videos and info were pretty much private information and if she would share that with me it would kind of violate BTS’s privacy but then she offered me to send me a private picture of her being in the same plane as BTS and I said, “Ok.” and when she sent me two

What made you stop being a sasaeng?

A: My anxiety started to interfere with my daily life in 2017. 8 months ago my depression was the worst it’s ever been. I slowly stopped caring, I slowly stopped checking every update. I stopped messaging my sasaeng friends. I could not drag myself following their busy schedule anymore. I began to hate my life, I began to hate my future…

I always knew that these sasaeng actions won’t lead me to anything but I always ignored these thoughts. I pretty much deluded myself into a non-existing relationship with the members. I finally stopped when I found myself being so resentful that I contemplated something so embarrassing and illegal I don’t want to reveal it here but I will say that for some sick reason I desired revenge against the members.

Oh god damn, okay, when you were a sasaeng, what exactly did you do did you actually stalk them? Did you sell private information?

A: Yes, we pretty much sold everything we could find. I exchanged a lot of sasaeng material with other sasaengs as well. I bought illegal flights, I bought illegal photos… private photos… private information, private telephone numbers. The more info you have the more you crave and you can “…we pretty much sold everything also sell these to other sasaengs as well. You we could find. I exchanged a don’t make a good lot of sasaeng material with living out of it but it’s other sasaengs as well. I bought good money. It’s good illegal flights, I bought illegal pocket money. Contrary photos… private photos… private to popular belief we information, private telephone sasaengs are not an numbers. The more info you have exclusive group. It’s not the more you crave…” hard to find us or to find leaked information. All you need is to know one trustworthy source. On the subject of stalking: I did a couple of things that I am not very proud of. The worst thing that comes to my mind is taking the same flights as BTS.

The ex-sasaeng mentioned that the more private information you have, the more you crave.

It’s kinda like a drug, when you start you can’t stop which is why its very dangerous to fall into the sasaeng loop. Furthermore, she mentioned that it isn’t hard to find leaked information online. It makes me question how easy it would be for fans to unknowingly chance upon such content.

Today, fans are aware of the threat sasaeng fans pose towards idols. When they come across sasaeng content online, they will try to report these accounts as well as urge other fans to do the same.

What exactly happens when sasaengs take the same flight as an idol group?

A: Well it depends on the size of the plane, the amount of sasaeng fans, amount of managers and security and most importantly the flight period. If there is enough time and the plane is on the smaller size, sasaengs have a better chance to sneak into the business or first class to take private photos. If it’s a big plane with several hundred passengers it’s much harder to look for the boys without getting caught. The reason why illegal flight information is so popular amongst sasaengs is because in that situation the members are so vulnerable, they can’t escape. That’s the only place where they can’t escape from sasaengs. We are all trapped in the same small enclosed space for hours and that situation makes it so attractive for sasaengs. I’ve been to ones where I was in the same first class as BTS. I saw how 2 sasaengs always went to the toilet “The reason why when one member needed to go. illegal flight They acted as if they didn’t know information is so them but it was obvious that they popular amongst were sasaengs. I watched them. And sasaengs is because every time one member finished the in that situation 2 sasaengs went into the toilet to do the members are whatever perverted thing they needed to do. It was creepy to experience. so vulnerable, they There were also some sasaengs from can’t escape.” the economy class who pretended to search for the toilet in the first class. The flight attendant asked them kindly to return to the economy class. And they would answer something like that the drink was blocking the aisle to the rear lavatory. They frequently used that as an excuse to use the same toilet as BTS. A lot of these pictures and videos stay private. They get rarely leaked on the internet because if you do you pretty much exposed yourself being a sasaeng and you get targeted by other fans or sasaengs. In the worst case you get blacklisted by the entertainment company which means you can’t go to their concerts, fan meetings or any other events.

That is f*cking creepy man. Did you ever stop and think, ‘Hey, what the f*ck am I doing?’

A: Of course I feel remorse. In 2017 and in the beginning of 2018, I kept thinking how I don’t want to continue this anymore. It has been challenging for me to stop it. I was very… I am very depressed.

Months and months… I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep. The only thing I loved was this boy group. They were the reason why I woke up.

Every minute of my life I thought about this boy group… every single day, I only cared about them. I couldn’t stop thinking about them.

I was so obsessed that I didn’t care about my health, I didn’t care

about their health. I just wanted to be close to them. I craved to see them up close. I wanted more material on my phone. I wanted more personal material that I can take of them. In a lot of ways they are like a drug. Once I saw them in real life, I couldn’t stop myself chasing them, stalking them…

“I was so obsessed that I didn’t care about my health, I didn’t care about their health. I just wanted to be close to them...”

Where you only a sasaeng of BTS or did you also have other groups that you followed?

A: No, I was only interested in BTS. I liked other Kpop groups too but I was never as invested in them as I was for BTS. So, you actually sent me a list of legitimate sasaengs on Instagram and on Twitter who sold flat information and other private stuff but can you explain to me? Why is it a bad idea for me to expose them here and there on my YouTube?

A: Yes, it’s a very bad idea to expose these people to the public because first, you are in a way encouraging your audience to look up these accounts and buy private information. Before the interview you told me how you had quite a few subscribers commenting on your BTS video how they were sympathising with the sasaengs and they would do the same if they could. Second, you don’t have any control over who will find your video and who will go and use that information to buy illegal stuff and there is a good chance that they could fall into that messy stalker lifestyle too. Right now there is an abundance of fake sasaeng information going around on “...it’s a very bad idea to expose these people to the Twitter and Instagram. A lot of private Instagram accounts public because first, you are selling fake sasaeng are in a way encouraging information as well.

your audience to look up these accounts and buy private information”

So we talked about exposing these accounts who sell fake information, but by further inspections we both decided not to expose these either since these accounts were following people who were real legitimate sasaengs, who sold flight information, etc and I don’t want any of my followers to snoop around in the followers list and discover some real sasaengs. You know, don’t want to have anything to do with that and I’m aware that I have quite a few subscribers who are hardcore BTS fans, and I don’t want to encourage any of them to do something illegal. So what I’m gonna do is I’m going to show you all the real and fake sasaeng accounts, but I will censor the names.

So, if you are by any chance a delusional fan, a sasaeng or a normal

The ex-sasaeng also raised the issue on why it is a bad idea to expose sasaeng fans (both real and fake) and their accounts. It is a double-edged sword as fans, especially those who have just been introduced into the fandom, could be even more curious to dig out similar content online. This would risk them falling into the messy stalker lifestyle.

We definitely don’t want that now, do we?

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BTS fan whatever and you are, recognising these accounts, please... report them! Report them. Okay? Please.

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Anyway, so let’s actually start with sasaengs who sell fake information. So this is how the account looks like here’s another screenshot. So as you can see most of the information is censored and to unlock it you have to pay X amount of money to see the information and for example here is something about Taehyung’s mental state a... information about Suga, like a bad information. And so this exsasaeng are saying sent me these you know, unlocked pictures as well and she told me that she saw this fake info screenshot floating around but most of them were proven to be wrong or basically just made up and as you can see this person has a lot of information about other K-POP groups as well. Here, it gets a little bit spooky because apparently these ones were all previous telephone numbers from Taehyung, J-hope, and RM and it can be really proven that these numbers were real since according to that sasaeng the members had to change their phone numbers, so frequently because sasaengs wouldn’t stop calling them the problem with these accounts is that no one can hundred percent be sure if it’s real or not because they also have private material like these videos which are indeed legit and then there’s this sasaeng account who spreads fake stuff, but also really real information like this or this or this? It’s f*cking creepy. It’s f*cking creepy. Let’s continue with REAL sasaengs who sell flight information and other private stuff. This one is 100% legit because she can see how she occasionally posts videos where she is traveling super close to these idol groups like TWICE or Astro.

So the next big flight with BTS is in March and as you can see she already posted the info on her IG and the screenshot basically says if you want to buy the information to DM me and do you see the likes it has only nine likes so in a way these sasaeng groups ARE kind of exclusive, then there’s another account which looks like this who sells flight information and other illegal sh*t And as I said earlier, if any of you normal or delusional fans recognize these sasaeng accounts, please.. Report them! I already wrote Instagram and I’m trying to find someone who works for IG to take these accounts down and again I’m not going to expose the names of these accounts because I don’t want to influence anyone to look up these accounts and do some illegal sh*t and yeah, then there are some Chinese sasaeng

Some examples of private flight information shared on Instagram.

These fans will either exchange or sell these info for money.

accounts who apparently sell 18+ BTS stuff such as semi nude pictures and videos. With the help of some people on Instagram I actually translated some of these posts. Jungkook and Rose’s scandal information, Jungkook 18+ videos, why Momo was accepted into TWICE Daniel Yeri, I don’t know who that is but there are some 18+ information with details or something like-like that and the sasaeng that contacted me said that she wasn’t 100% sure if this

account was legit or not, then there’s a bunch of other sasaeng accounts who look like this or this. BTS real member’s personality Jungkook’s home address, Jungkook’s Kakao Talk *Blows raspberry*

and they also had THIS and as you can see it’s only been liked two times. So... These groups are so f*cking exclusive man. It’s so f*cked up if you look at some of their Instagram stories. Some people legitimately post stuff like THIS They have literally a wish list of- I’m done.

I’m done. I don’t know what this is. But this f*cking creeped me out, too. There’s some bunch of other sh*t, but. So here’s the deal, initially when this ex-sasaeng sent me this list of potential sasaeng I was like *shrugs* I’m gonna expose everything on my youtube. I don’t care. This is wrong, and my subscribers will take down all these accounts. They will do what’s right.

But after talking to her I realized that this is actually the worst thing that I could do because you know I don’t know all of my hundred and eighty thousand subscribers personally. I don’t know if they are good or bad people I don’t know the new people who will find this video there’s definitely gonna be delusional fans who will take this info and use it to stalk BTS or other groups and Make their lives even harder so... I - so again, I hope you understand my decision.

I actually already managed to take down one account with the help of my friends and my emails but... Yeah, if I actually need more help, I will post something on my Instagram story. So, yeah Anyway, let’s continue with this interview. So… How are you doing nowadays?

A: I am still a very dedicated fan of BTS. I realised that my past actions were very wrong and I’m actually in therapy for 2 months now. I’m doing alright. Of course here and there I still have old temptations but I try to ignore them.

Idols’ personal Skype, emails, Snapchat. And its not just exclusive to K-pop idols, there are personal information on western celebrities as well.

Interview ends Oh my god, BTS’s gym address. F*ckin hell man. This is so f*cking creepy. They have literally the flight information and the hotel. This one actually spooked me so freaking much because apparently they have telephone numbers of BTS manager J-hope’s sister, EXO managers and some like 18+ photos as well which is f*cking creepy

Thank you so much for reaching out to me and for doing this interview, I really hope you can find happiness again and I really really really hope that you don’t relapse back to the sasaeng lifestyle and... Yeah, I wish you all the best. So thank you so much for watching. I will see you guys next week. <3

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Singaporean Sasaeng Fans?

I also managed to chance upon an identity study on K-pop fans in Singapore while doing my research.

Basically, back in 2012, one of the authors, Samantha, actually followed a van of Big Bang fans who intend to tail their idols’ van to see what insights she can get from these fans with stalker-ish behaviour in Singapore for her identity research on K-pop fans in Singapore.

“Sasaengpaen” or K-pop Fan? Singapore Youths, Authentic Identities, and Asian Media Fandom Excerpt

While attending local K-pop events might be considered a very practical measure of K-pop fandom to the average Singaporean K-pop fan, the young people we interviewed sought ways of distinguishing themselves from the average fan, who they saw as being relatively uncritical in their fandom. One preferred method of expressing their stronger commitment to K-pop was through hiring what they called “stalking vans”—high-capacity passenger vans operated by full-time drivers—and following K-pop idols as they moved around the city before and after a performance or event.

During the study, Samantha had the opportunity to join a group of 11 Singaporean fans (10 females, 1 male), aged 15–18, as they “stalked” Big Bang, a five-member K-pop boy band who was in Singapore during their Big Bang Alive Galaxy Tour 2012. Several days before the performance, Samantha found out about the group through a retweet by SG K-Wave, a Singapore-based K-pop community website providing news and information about events in Singapore. After establishing contact, Samantha was added to a mobile chat group, where members chatted and gossiped with each other and made arrangements for meeting up and paying for the van. The group disclosed their stalking plans through various social media as they searched for other fans to share the $450 SGD charge for hiring the van and received strong criticisms from fellow fans. A few excerpts from Samantha’s Twitter log show a now familiar process of articulating the sasaeng fan identity:

“

WTH! People r gonna stalk BIGBANG when they r here? Sasaeng fans.

Hope it’s not like what suju fans did last time. Embarrassing!

Stalk Big Bang vans??? I don’t think I’m that crazy!

Alr got ppl plan to stalk Big Bang alr, Lol wtf.. And gathering in a group summore. Wtf is wrong with u all ah. Lol. Privacy for them please.

“Interesting in stalking Big Bang?” – DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. STOP UR PLANS, I’M TELLING YOU. IF U DO THAT, YOU’RE A SASAENG FAN.

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”

Members of the stalking group were aware of these messages and accounted for their actions by highlighting other fans’ jealousy as well as defending the standards of their discretion, as excerpts from their private group chat on Whatsapp demonstrate:

“

Let them tweet la xD; Aiya they jealous only; O we won’t be retarded or what lah. Tsk; Ya lor jealous people lmao; They talk cock la these ppl not like we gonna whack BB wat siao la; Ya la this is not called sasaeng pls; Sasaeng is like stalk until go hotel room leh.

What I understand from this is that, these fans position themselves in a way where they claim that sasaeng fans do crazy things like this and that but insist that what they are doing are nothing like that. Thus, totally blocking the idea that they are doing something that can be considered as sasaeng activity.

”

What is perhaps most interesting in this conversation is how the participants collectively posi- tioned themselves as simultaneously better than those who were afraid to stalk (i.e., more passive), while being careful to “…in their chat, one person claimed distance themselves from the more that they were not sasaeng fans problematic behaviors of sasaeng fans. as “sasaeng [fans are] more scary” Later in their chat, one person claimed that they were not sasaeng fans as and they would “only follow [Big “sasaeng [fans are] more scary” and Bang].” Such posts suggested they would “only follow [Big Bang].” Such a clear recognition of the massposts suggested a clear recognition of the mediated sasaeng fan identity and mass- mediated sasaeng fan identity and highlighted how members of the highlighted how members of the stalking stalking group worked to distance group worked to distance themselves themselves from it.” from it.

Source: J . Patrick Williams & Samantha Xiang Xin Ho, ‘“Sasaengpaen” Or K-Pop Fan? Singapore Youths, Authentic Identities, And Asian Media Fandom’, Deviant Behavior, 37.1 (2015), 88-89 (pp. 81-94).

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“They’re appreciating their fans so much, they’re giving a lot of their lives to us...and you get so obsessed that you want more, and you wanna kinda slide in and strip private life as well.”

Source: Sherliza Moé, BTS SASAENGS / Rant on obsessive Kpop fans, 2019.

“...it’s a very bad idea to expose these people to the public because first, you are in a way encouraging your audience to look up these accounts and buy private information” Source: Sherliza Moé, Interview With A BTS EX-SASAENG / Confessions Of An Obsessive BTS Stalker, 2019.

“…we pretty much sold everything we could find. I exchanged a lot of sasaeng material with other sasaengs as well. I bought illegal flights, I bought illegal photos… private photos… private information, private telephone numbers. The more info you have the more you crave…”

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Source: Sherliza Moé, Interview With A BTS EX-SASAENG / Confessions Of An Obsessive BTS Stalker, 2019.

Key Insight

“…in their chat, one person claimed that they were not sasaeng fans as “sasaeng [fans are] more scary” and they would “only follow [Big Bang].” Such posts suggested a clear recognition of the mass-mediated sasaeng fan identity and highlighted how members of the stalking group worked to distance themselves from it.”

K-pop fans are aware of sasaeng fans and how big of a threat they pose towards idols. However, due to how sasaeng fans are being portrayed as extreme and crazy in mass-media, K-pop fans are unaware that the little deeds they assume would not do their idols any harm (such as sharing / retweeting private information, following them in public) can actually be contributions for sasaeng fans and in a way, encourages sasaeng activities.

Source: J. Patrick Williams & Samantha Xiang Xin Ho, ‘“Sasaengpaen” Or K-Pop Fan? Singapore Youths, Authentic Identities, And Asian Media Fandom’, Deviant Behavior, 37.1 (2015), 89 (pp. 81-94).

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Case Study: Sasaeng Fan Duckie Choy

Allow me to introduce you to Duckie Choy, a sasaeng fan from Hong Kong. She follows idols onto flights and from these screenshots above, you can see that she is willing to just throw herself onto the escalator just to get close to her idol. She is not only risking her own life but also putting everyone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safety at risk.

PHOTO: Duckie Choy (in red) throwing herself onto an escalator to get close to her idol cr. exposingduckie

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She actually has to re-create her Instagram account multiple times because fans are aware that she is a threat to idols and will report her account. However, no matter how many times she makes an account, hundreds of people will still follow her account because she can provide that private content of idols on their whereabouts and what they are doing (apart from the idolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; official schedules).

From this picture on the left, we can deduce three things. Refer to the next page.

PHOTO: V ideo of Park Jihoon taken by Duckie Choy and uploaded onto Instagram. Just look at how close she is. (Account has been taken down as of 9 June 2019)

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1. Oh, she knows...

Duckie Choy posted this video with the caption â&#x20AC;&#x153;ITS SO SAD THAT YOU GUYS CANT STOP ME EVEN IF REPORT MY ACCOUNT #jihoon #parkjihoon #ë°&#x2022;ě§&#x20AC;í&#x203A;&#x2C6; #ě§&#x20AC;í&#x203A;&#x2C6;â&#x20AC;? She knows that no matter what, people will keep coming back for her content. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no wonder she never gives up.

đ&#x;¤&#x2014;

2. Scamming her followers She also sells private information but many people have been scammed by her. User 514.nn is asking where did her money go and questioning why Duckie Choy keeps deleting away comments (in the comment feed).

3. Where are the likes coming from?

629 likes, sis where yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;all cominâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; from. Exactly how many of them actually know that sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a sasaeng fan? Are they liking the video just because he is their idol? Is it because they chanced upon it on their Instagram Explore page?

3. So, how do we help her?

We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. Sasaeng fans like Duckie Choy are a gone case, sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mental and needs professional help. However, the 629 likers can be an opportunity. Out of the 629 of them, some of them may not know that her actions are morally wrong and are an invasion of privacy. Which brings us to our TA.

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Target Audience Primary: K-pop fans between age 13 to 22, who have just been introduced into the fandom as they are less likely to tell what is considered sasaeng content.

Secondary: K-pop fans between age 13 to 22, who are aware of sasaeng fans but are unsure of how to condemn their actions.

According to journalistic accounts, sasaeng fans are typically girls aged between 13 to 22 years old who invade the privacy of K-pop idols.

Source: ‘“Sasaengpaen” Or K-Pop Fan? Singapore Youths, Authentic Identities, And Asian Media Fandom’, 85.

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04_

Project Objective

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What is the WHY and the HOW? Had a chat with Karen who really stressed upon the importance of having a solid aim for the whole project. Is it to raise awareness of sasaeng content? Is it to make them stop doing stupid things like buying private information knowing that they could be a scam? As mentioned before, we can’t simply just expose sasaeng fans and the content they create because it risks the audiences’ curiosity of wanting to check out such content.

Karen suggested that perhaps the visuals could be gruesome enough or shocking enough for the audience to grasp the idea that sasaeng activities and content are disgusting and just plain stupid.

And it ultimately makes them understand that they should, as much as possible, stay away from sasaeng content. It should come across as shocking or even as controversial as Britart’s Sensation Art by artists like Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.

One local artist that has effectively showcased gruesomeness in his work is Howie Kim. I thought that he could be a great reference to my work.

(Refer to Visual Research for more details on Howie Kim’s works)

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Project Objective The project intends to condemn, as much as possible, the actions of sasaeng fans in order to protect the privacy of idols and encourage a healthier fan lifestyle.

(There are other, healthier, ways in which you can express your undying love for your idols like donating to charity under the name of your idol)

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Ideation Part 01 Welcome to the Sasaeng Cafe, consists of a website which looks like a regular cafe event (really popular among the k-pop fanbases) on the surface. However, once users interact with the website, they will be able to uncover the gruesome side of sasaeng fans. It aims to warn users how unhealthy and delusional a sasaeng fanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lifestyle can be. Ultimately discouraging users from such content.

Initially I wanted to have a platform or just a website that can raise awareness on this issue by showing the gruesome side of sasaeng fans through gruesome visuals. But then I thought whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to want to actually click on it if I were to just put it out on social media platforms. Which was why I decided that giving it a concept that fans are familiar with will entice them to check the event out.

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What are cafe events?

Cafe events or cupholder events are organised, by fans for fans, to gather and celebrate their idolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; birthdays or idol groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debut anniversary. Such events are really common in Korea but are recently gaining popularity around the world. In Singapore, these events are usually held at Korean cafes like Coffeesmith or pluseighttwo.

The cafe itself is usually decorated to look like any other birthday party but the only difference is that the idol themselves are obviously not physically present.

Nonetheless, fans still gather to give away and collect fansupport (DIY merchandise that fans make for other fans) as well as get to meet other fans who like the same idol(s).

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Twitter is the platform where most K-pop fans congregate which is why these events are usually shared on Twitter.

Since Twitter is the platform where fans congregate, I thought it would be a perfect platform to introduce the Sasaeng Cafe to fans. On the surface it would have the look and feel of these cafe events which fans are already familiar with and are more likely to engage with it.

This is one example of a notice. It shows the time, date, location as well as other event details. This particular cupsleeve event was held in Malaysia.

This notice was for the “NU’EST ANNIVERSARY” event as seen on the previous page. This event was held at Coffeesmith Orchard, Singapore.

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Event: A wareness & Engagement

HallyuPopFest is an annual K-pop music festival held in Singapore that began in 2018. Being first and largest of its kind in South East Asia, it is the perfect opportunity to allow fans to uncover the gruesome side of sasaeng fans through this event. This year, a new addition, HallyuTown will be included, where thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be booths featuring the hottest Korean trends in food, beauty and fashion.

Park the Sasaeng Cafe coffee truck in the middle of HallyuTown and get fans to order a drink as well as customise their own cupsleeves with their favourite idols via the website.

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Website: A wareness & Engagement

Once users have purchased their drinks, while waiting, they can actually interact with the website. They will be able to uncover the gruesome side of sasaeng fans. The photo above is a screenshot of an interactive website that makes use of GIFs to reveal an animation when the mouse hovers over or when the users tap and hold the graphics. This idea will be applied to the Sasaeng Cafe website whereby when the users tap and hold the each cafe equipment, a disgusting side of sasaeng fans will be unveiled.

It aims to warn users how unhealthy and delusional a sasaeng fanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lifestyle can be. Ultimately discouraging users from such content.

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I proposed this idea to Karen and firstly, she was concerned about the time we have left for the project. She suggested simplifying the idea and just dive straight to the gruesome side of sasaeng fans.

After much discussion, we agreed that instead of an animated website, having the GIFs as popups could be a better idea. Instead of Twitter, Karen also suggested having them appear on somewhere more immediate like K-pop websites. The intent is to catch users at a time when they least expect it which is why K-pop media sites are an ideal platform for these popups to appear.

And that, ladies, was by far the shortest, most insightful consultation Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever had in my time in GSA. I guess Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been overthinking things when the idea is already right there in front of my eyes.

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Ideation Part 02 Before After

Welcome to the Sasaeng Cafe, consists of a website which looks like a regular cafe event (really popular among the k-pop fanbases) on the surface. However, once users interact with the website, they will be able to uncover the gruesome side of sasaeng fans. It aims to warn users how unhealthy and delusional a sasaeng fanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lifestyle can be. Ultimately discouraging users from such content.

Warning! Beware of Sasaengs is a collection of interactive popups that appear on various K-pop media sites (V Live, Soompi, Koreaboo, allkpop etc.) with the aim of warning users of the gruesome side of sasaeng fans and the content they create. Ultimately discouraging users from such content.

K-pop media sites:

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The popup GIFs will appear on popular K-pop media sites, to catch users at a time when they least expect it.

In the example above, this is an article seen on a K-pop site, allkpop. So, how this works is that the user will be reading the article and all of a sudden a wacky GIF will popup, warning users of sasaeng content.

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When users interact with the popup, it will bring them to another website or microsite that will showcase the other gruesome GIFs from the collection. Users can click on each individual popup to find out what it is about and why it is an invasion of privacy. The website will also include information on sasaeng fans and how to stop them.

The popups and website are responsive and can therefore be displayed on devices like laptops and smartphones.

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Mid Point Crit Mid-crit went okay. Warning was obviously not a good choice as it might scare users, making them cross the popups immediately. Majority felt that the popup effect is interesting and in order to make the best out of it, the GIF itself could be designed in a way whereby users can click on it. For the GIFs itself, Karen suggested that I might even want to consider personal humour or wit in the GIFs’ narratives.

✅ Have confidence in making the characters ugly

✅ Have something more monstrous to grab attention

✅ Howie Kim is a great reference

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05_

The BIG Idea

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The BIG Idea Before After Warning! Beware of Sasaengs is a collection of interactive popups that appear on various K-pop media sites (V Live, Soompi, Koreaboo, allkpop etc.) with the aim of warning users of the gruesome side of sasaeng fans and the content they create. Ultimately discouraging users from such content.

The Gruesome World of Sasaeng Fans is a collection of popups, in the form of GIFs, that appear on various K-pop media sites (V Live, Soompi, Koreaboo, allkpop etc.) with the aim of warning users of the gruesome side of sasaeng fans and the content they create. Ultimately, it aims to discourage users from such content.

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Walk-through 01_

Browsing through a K-pop media site Users will enter and browse the K-pop media site. The only difference now, is that after 5 to 10 seconds of browsing, a popup GIF will appear.

02_

The Popup GIF A random GIF from the collection will appear as a popup.

The first thing users will see is the looping GIF itself. Users will be given the option to either check it out by scrolling down or close the popup by clicking on the X-button.

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03_

Interacting with the Popup GIF To find out what the GIF is all about, users can scroll down to find the body copy as well as a call to action to link users to The Gruesome World of Sasaeng Fansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; website.

04_

The Website Once users click on the call to action, it will bring them to a website that showcases a collection of all the popup GIFs. These GIFs will continuously play in a loop.

05_

Interacting with the Website By scrolling down, users will be able to find the whole collection of the popup GIFs.

06_

Interacting with Individual GIFs Individual GIFs can be blown up to fill the screen by simply clicking on it. To close the GIF, users can either click on the X-button or press the [esc] key.

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07_

Navigation: Sasaeng Fans Under the navigation bar, users can click on the Sasaeng Fans page to get an introduction of sasaeng fans.

08_

Navigation: About Page Also under the navigation bar, users can click on the About page to find out details of what this project is all about.

06_

Development

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Visual Research

PHOTO: A sasaeng taxi portrayed as a monster, grabbing onto JYJ members cr. Korea Joong Ang Daily

In order to effectively bring across a gruesome narrative, the visuals of the popup GIFs will matter greatly. Apart from this one illustration of a sasaeng taxi portrayed as a monster, there hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really been many visual art projects done to portray the gruesomeness of sasaeng fans.

My project however, should give off the same vibe as the illustration above. Earlier, I mentioned Howie Kim whom, in my opinion has effectively showcased gruesomeness in his works. I felt that his works are very kitsch, very bizarre, surreal and also whimsical. I thought that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be a great reference for my project and decided to take a closer look at his works.

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Howie Kim One thing I really liked about Howie Kim is how he distorts faces. The faces actually look very doll-like and this is something I would very much like to apply in my work.

When it comes to how sasaeng fans look at idols, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look at them as human beings with actual feelings but rather objects for satisfaction which was why I thought distorting idols to look doll-like would be a great representation for that.

PHOTO: howiekim.com/videogifs

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Artist References Howie Kim’s collaging / layout as well as his use of colours, reminded me of Alan Aldridge and even M. C. Escher, when it comes to the ambience.

PHOTO: Alan Aldridge, ‘The Great US Disaster’ (1971)

Technique He makes use of collaging, illustrations and animation in order to effectively bring across a narrative — and that’s the whole aim of my project! To bring across that gruesome narrative.

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PHOTO: M. C. Escher, ‘Relativity’ (1953)

The Attempt If I could achieve Howie Kim’s level of visual storytelling, I’d be super satisfied with my project but welp, I definitely still have a looooong way to go. This was the sorry attempt I had before mid-crit BUT if there’s a will there’s a way and I know you can do it zaf!!!

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Storyboarding While thinking of the narratives for the storyboarding process, I thought about how to represent an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;idolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; such that the audience will get that they are idols and these gruesome narratives happening to idols. I chose BTS as mascots for this project because when it comes to K-pop idols, BTS will surely come to mind for majority of the TA.

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07_

Execution

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The Process 01_

Sketch / Storyboard No, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t jump straight into Photoshop you fools. Just like every other normal person, I start with a simple sketch. I call this masterpiece, The Octopus Taxi ft. Jin & Jimin.

02_

Google Images, my hero.

Once Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a good idea of what the narrative is going to be, I start sourcing for images on Google. Sometimes you gotta be smart about what you type on the search bar e.g. if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for illustrations of octopus tentacles, perhaps it is a better idea to type â&#x20AC;&#x153;kraken illustrationâ&#x20AC;? in the search bar

đ&#x;&#x2018;?

03_

Get Rid of that Background Just bit of TMI, I was at a cafe working on my GIFs and a girl I met there noticed me Photoshopping away the background. Bless her for recommending remove.bg to me, it saved my life and time spent on every GIF. Sure, it may not be super perfect and you might have to manually crop away some of the background yourself, but if it can save me some time then count me in! Thanks Amelia!

However, it’s important to note that remove.bg will only let you download 72dpi images for free. All my GIFs are meant for screens, which is why images with a resolution of 72dpi will suffice. So pal, if you’re thinking of printing these out, it may not be the best idea.

04_

Arrange in Photoshop Once you’re satisfied with the images you’ve found and cropped, go ahead and piece together your visuals! This is the part where it’s like fixing a puzzle together and sometimes, if the composition just doesn’t seem to work, you’d have to go back to Step 02 and look for better images. You’d also have to bare in mind how it’s going to look like as a looping animation.

05_

Clean up PSD for After Effects Sure enough many may think this step isn’t important and would tend to skip this but if you get easily confused by multiple layers like me, then this step will save your life.

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06_

Import PSD into AE & Animate!

This, my friends, is the best part of the process because who doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like to see their works come to life?

07_

Export And ensure that the file can loop smoothly...and maybe cry a little because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re finally done with one out of the multiple GIFs.

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Final Crit Deliverables For final crit, I first went through the walk through of the popup GIF before explaining each individual GIF. The GIFs as seen on the right, were still a work in progress then and through the crit session, I managed to get insightful feedback on how to improve them.

Final Crit Feedback Final Crit went better than I expected and my classmates seem to really enjoy the GIFs as well as the visual direction Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve went for. You guys are really the sweetest. Thank you! They also agree that the GIFs could afford to go even more gruesome.

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Final Crit Feedback My lecturers also thought that the GIFs are effective but could be more gruesome.

Karen also suggested turning the GIFs into an installation which Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m totally down for if time allows.

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Thoughts after Final Crit The crit wrapped up nicely and I’m really satisfied with the work I’ve done so far.

Especially since this project brief is one that I initiated from scratch.

Oh boy here comes the TMI. I guess Day6 and Nu’est have been such a great source of motivation for me at times when I feel low. So, in order to kinda give back to them I decided to do something that might somehow encourage a healthier fan lifestyle for my fellow fans and protect the boys from any harm.

This project will forever be one that is close to my heart. Thanks Karen and fellow friends for having my back and seeing this project come to life together with me.

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08_

Final Outcome

Install the Artivive app and view the artwork through your smartphone

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An idol is busy taking a shower.

Unbeknownst to him, sasaeng fans are creeping through his bathroom floor tiles and windows to take pictures of him and do other disgusting stuff like collect his piss.

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The Ultimate Love Potion for Oppa is a recipe brought to you by sasaengs.

It includes the kind of shit that only sasaeng fans would give to their idols. Stuff like lingerie, piss and even a used sanitary pad. Sickos.

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The most valuable information a sasaeng fan can ever get hold of, is private flight information. It is the perfect opportunity for them to get close to their idols because for hours, the idols and their sasaeng fans are stuck in the same place.

This GIF is a representation of idols being trapped in an airplane with all the sasaeng hands trying to reach out to them.

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Chasing idol vans in a ‘sasaeng taxi’ is one of the most common sasaeng activity. This GIF represents the lengths these fans would go through just to ‘capture’ their idols.

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Fans who are aware of sasaeng fans and their activities, try their best to condemn their actions by reporting these sasaeng fans to the idol’s entertainment company. Sasaeng fans however will always stay persistent as long as there’s people who would support their content.

This GIF depicts the scene at the airport arrivals. Sasaeng fans are portrayed as flies buzzing around to get close to the idol. A normal fan is seen standing in front of the idol, holding a huge bottle of ‘Sasaeng Repellent’. She attempts to chase away the sasaeng flies by spraying the repellent but to no avail. No matter what, the sasaeng flies will keep coming back, not unless people stop supporting them.

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When a fan slips into the sasaeng lifestyle this GIF showcases the cost of it. Idol’s briefs for the cost of $10, illegal flight information for the cost of $50, idol’s faces for the cost of your dignity and last but not least, idol’s home address for the cost of your basic human rights.

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Private information, private flight information, personal contact information, personal addresses of idols are commonly shared on Instagram. This GIF mimics what these Instagram accounts look like and how most of them end up as scams. The GIF shows one of the posts getting unlocked, only to get fooled by it.

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When it comes to how sasaeng fans look at idols, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look at them as human beings with actual feelings but rather objects for satisfaction. This GIF portrays a sasaeng fan playing with her â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;i-dollsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; while her face distorts, representing how the lifestyle of a sasaeng is very lonely since their only purpose in life is to be close to their idol and make the idol notice them.

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Sasaeng fans are willing to throw themselves towards their idol just to get close to them, doesn’t matter if they’re risking everyone’s safety.

Bowling pins are used to represent the idols and a bowling ball for a sasaeng fan. The sasaeng fan is seen throwing herself onto the bowling pins but the pins are seen evading her attack. It goes to show how idols really don’t give a damn to sasaeng fans. They ain’t got time fo’ yo shit you fools.

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Bibliography

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“Unpopular Opinion: Rethinking The Sasaeng Label”, Seoulbeats, 2016 <http:// seoulbeats.com/2016/09/unpopular-opinion-rethinking-the-sasaeng-label/> [Accessed 11 May 2019] Yoon, Kyong, ‘Global Imagination Of K-Pop: Pop Music Fans’ Lived Experiences Of Cultural Hybridity’, Popular Music And Society, 2017, 1-17 Moé, Sherliza, BTS SASAENGS / Rant On Obsessive Kpop Fans, 2019 <https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=qssZdxXX9FE> [Accessed 11 May 2019] Moé, Sherliza, Interview With A BTS EX-SASAENG / Confessions Of An Obsessive BTS Stalker, 2019 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKBq4N_xt0g> [Accessed 11 May 2019] Qing, Xiao, “Parasocial Relationships: The Toxic Origins Of Sasaeng Culture”, Seoulbeats, 2019 <http://seoulbeats.com/2019/02/parasocial-relationships-thetoxic-origins-of-sasaeng-culture/> [Accessed 11 May 2019] Tan, Kee Yun, “Standing Up Against Crazy Fans”, The New Paper, 2015 <https:// www.tnp.sg/m/music/standing-against-crazy-fans> [Accessed 11 May 2019] Williams, J. Patrick, and Samantha Xiang Xin Ho, ‘“Sasaengpaen” Or K-Pop Fan? Singapore Youths, Authentic Identities, And Asian Media Fandom’, Deviant Behavior, 37 (2015), 81-94

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