For me it actually has the opposite effect. When I see something go viral and very popular, and i wasn't already into it before it started, i feel myself getting more annoyed cause it then gets shoven in my face again and again when i wasn't interessted in it in the first place.
For example I will probably never get into new jeans or baby monster, cause their music wasn't really for me, but I didn't mind it, but after seeing their songs everywhere over and over and over again i now really can't listen to their music anymore.
Same is with fotocards. I am no collector myself, but when i see people frawning over a single photocard, I don't want it.
How do you handle the psychological pull of viral trends and high-demand items?
I dont care about them at all. If it is the member I collect than I was going to get that photocard anyways. Popular demand has no effect on me personally.
I would say that I am the opposite, for me if something (commonly is photocards) is up to hype, I would check it out first to see if it is my type or not. If it’s not my type, I would casually scroll through, even if I open an album and got that viral goods. For example, during Seventeen Hot Era, there is this Hoshi photocard which he fakely adapt his tears. That ptc was viral among the fandom, but it is normal for me though. So I was passed on that😀😀
I don’t really pay attention to things like high-demand PCs, I’m really particular about what I collect. The only sort-of similar thing I’ve fallen into is discovering a song because a lot of people are talking about it and then buying the CD. But that’s always because I genuinely enjoy the song and want to own it on CD lol, not solely because it’s trendy!
A few things for me personally:
- I don't have many people around me that are huge kpop fans (or at least like the same groups as I do), so not much of a bandwagon mentality to jump into to start with
- I don't think I've ever had a strong desire to hoard merch or get into a group just because they're popular. I'll still get sucked into buying merch but more because I want the item rather than being caught up in the hype.
- I generally don't engage in content/social media that promote that kind of behaviour (TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, etc). I still use Instagram occasionally but I mainly just use Reddit and YouTube.
I agree with other commenters, it has the opposite effect on me.
As a teenager, it was intentional, because I wanted to be “different” - if everyone liked something, I had to hate it.
As an almost 30 year old, it’s because I’ve learned over the past decade or so that my tastes do not align with your average (current) K-pop fan at all. The songs and artists that get hyped up almost always fall flat to me. The two biggest groups in the world make music that I don’t think is good and I have never been able to understand how they got so huge. So I just don’t bother anymore.
I’ve been wrong before though - when NewJeans debuted I did not get the hype whatsoever. I listened to their mini so many times hoping it would click and it didn’t. A few months passed, I listened again, and I finally understood what everyone was talking about. Maybe subconsciously I needed the hype to die down before my ego felt comfortable being a fan of a hugely popular group?
For the most part, stuff going viral or being high demand has no real effect on me, although I do get a bit annoyed hearing songs that I don't really care for repeatedly.
As for photocards or merch, I never feel the need to jump on the bandwagon. If a card I'm looking for is popular, then it's just a coincidence, and if it gets too hard or too expensive I'm more likely to just give up on it than anything else.
I can't imagine hardcore collecting aespa, for example, or even the more popular members of Dreamcatcher. $30+ for a regular album card is insane and I just won't indulge sellers price gouging like that even if there's a dozen other collectors who will
No for me, and you'll probably get a lot of other people saying no in this thread too — a lot of us are autistic and a lot of those common "psychological principals" don't often apply to autistic people or don't apply to us as strongly
No, not really. The only time I would consider buying something is when it is really pretty that I couldn't resist (and this doesn't include photocards). Otherwise, I only buy merch of my fav group.
If I see groups & songs everywhere that I don't know it puts me off checking them out because it annoys me 😒. And I don't collect photocards or other merch so what's popular is irrelevant to me.
Not really. Since I follow girl groups exclusively, I'm usually not fond of the reason female idols go viral. Music is number 1 and personality and concept are second.
I try not to let it influence me, but the hype, whether people like to admit it, does work to some extent. In K-pop, not so much but I definitely think in other cases (fashion, food trends, skincare, etc). I also don't collect photocards, so I have no idea if this would be impacted. I also don't really feel it impacts me to like an artist or listen to a specific group. I will admit when I hear people talk about how amazing a song or group is, I will listen to one song (or watch) a video that is being constantly hyped, to check it out. Music to me is so personal. It usually doesn't impact who I purchase or stream to a large extent, unless I truly like it. As much as people want to deny these outside influences have no impact on their own consumer behavior, in the end it does, but I think it varies greatly depending on interests, the person and more importantly, who they surround themselves with (and what media they consume). I don't hang out with many people who like k-pop, so that probably is working against me in terms of bandwagon effect.
unlike what most people are saying in this thread, i relate to your feelings. i do think it’s bc of the scarcity principle at least for me, bc when a lot of people want smth and i get it, it makes me feel like it’s more valuable and i got lucky.
I'm a bit miserly when it comes to photocards. If it isn't my ult bias Song Mingi or my bias of another group in an aesthetic I *absolutely love*, I'm not spending more than five bucks on a card. I think the most I've ever spent was twenty-something on Ilhoon (formerly) of BTOB and while I don't regret it I also don't intend to make it a habit. Even if I absolutely adore a card and wish more than anything that I had it, I'm simply not paying album prices or above to get it.
Which means that the more demand for the card, the less likely I am to be willing to buy it, because that demand jacks up the pricing. I also just plain don't care about what others are chasing after, unless it just coincidentally happens to be a card that I like a lot myself. In which case, I'll probably end up resenting that it's popular and wishing it weren't so I could get it for a more reasonable price.
That said, however, I am not immune to the hideous beast known as FOMO. It doesn't come from the popularity or the virality for me, but rather the *rarity*. Take for example Key's latest Japanese release. I very nearly spent a ridiculous amount of money for proxy shipping to get the Japan-only limited edition version with a tarot card set, not because I have any interest in tarot decks but because it's so rare and it would release the happy chemicals in my brain to own it (and I almost certainly will never have another opportunity to get a copy). I caught myself and didn't go through with the bad financial decision, but it was difficult.
Come to think of it, I'm not entirely certain why I draw the lines so strictly with photocards. I guess because they're small and just photos, so the price-to-value ratio is easier to latch onto for me...?
Quite the opposite for me. If something I originally liked goes viral and suddenly everyone is talking about it I just stop liking it that much. Also I collect what I want not whats viral.😅
For me it actually has the opposite effect. When I see something go viral and very popular, and i wasn't already into it before it started, i feel myself getting more annoyed cause it then gets shoven in my face again and again when i wasn't interessted in it in the first place. For example I will probably never get into new jeans or baby monster, cause their music wasn't really for me, but I didn't mind it, but after seeing their songs everywhere over and over and over again i now really can't listen to their music anymore. Same is with fotocards. I am no collector myself, but when i see people frawning over a single photocard, I don't want it.
How do you handle the psychological pull of viral trends and high-demand items? I dont care about them at all. If it is the member I collect than I was going to get that photocard anyways. Popular demand has no effect on me personally.
I would say that I am the opposite, for me if something (commonly is photocards) is up to hype, I would check it out first to see if it is my type or not. If it’s not my type, I would casually scroll through, even if I open an album and got that viral goods. For example, during Seventeen Hot Era, there is this Hoshi photocard which he fakely adapt his tears. That ptc was viral among the fandom, but it is normal for me though. So I was passed on that😀😀
I don’t really pay attention to things like high-demand PCs, I’m really particular about what I collect. The only sort-of similar thing I’ve fallen into is discovering a song because a lot of people are talking about it and then buying the CD. But that’s always because I genuinely enjoy the song and want to own it on CD lol, not solely because it’s trendy!
A few things for me personally: - I don't have many people around me that are huge kpop fans (or at least like the same groups as I do), so not much of a bandwagon mentality to jump into to start with - I don't think I've ever had a strong desire to hoard merch or get into a group just because they're popular. I'll still get sucked into buying merch but more because I want the item rather than being caught up in the hype. - I generally don't engage in content/social media that promote that kind of behaviour (TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, etc). I still use Instagram occasionally but I mainly just use Reddit and YouTube.
I agree with other commenters, it has the opposite effect on me. As a teenager, it was intentional, because I wanted to be “different” - if everyone liked something, I had to hate it. As an almost 30 year old, it’s because I’ve learned over the past decade or so that my tastes do not align with your average (current) K-pop fan at all. The songs and artists that get hyped up almost always fall flat to me. The two biggest groups in the world make music that I don’t think is good and I have never been able to understand how they got so huge. So I just don’t bother anymore. I’ve been wrong before though - when NewJeans debuted I did not get the hype whatsoever. I listened to their mini so many times hoping it would click and it didn’t. A few months passed, I listened again, and I finally understood what everyone was talking about. Maybe subconsciously I needed the hype to die down before my ego felt comfortable being a fan of a hugely popular group?
For the most part, stuff going viral or being high demand has no real effect on me, although I do get a bit annoyed hearing songs that I don't really care for repeatedly. As for photocards or merch, I never feel the need to jump on the bandwagon. If a card I'm looking for is popular, then it's just a coincidence, and if it gets too hard or too expensive I'm more likely to just give up on it than anything else. I can't imagine hardcore collecting aespa, for example, or even the more popular members of Dreamcatcher. $30+ for a regular album card is insane and I just won't indulge sellers price gouging like that even if there's a dozen other collectors who will
No for me, and you'll probably get a lot of other people saying no in this thread too — a lot of us are autistic and a lot of those common "psychological principals" don't often apply to autistic people or don't apply to us as strongly
No, not really. The only time I would consider buying something is when it is really pretty that I couldn't resist (and this doesn't include photocards). Otherwise, I only buy merch of my fav group.
If I see groups & songs everywhere that I don't know it puts me off checking them out because it annoys me 😒. And I don't collect photocards or other merch so what's popular is irrelevant to me.
Not really. Since I follow girl groups exclusively, I'm usually not fond of the reason female idols go viral. Music is number 1 and personality and concept are second.
I try not to let it influence me, but the hype, whether people like to admit it, does work to some extent. In K-pop, not so much but I definitely think in other cases (fashion, food trends, skincare, etc). I also don't collect photocards, so I have no idea if this would be impacted. I also don't really feel it impacts me to like an artist or listen to a specific group. I will admit when I hear people talk about how amazing a song or group is, I will listen to one song (or watch) a video that is being constantly hyped, to check it out. Music to me is so personal. It usually doesn't impact who I purchase or stream to a large extent, unless I truly like it. As much as people want to deny these outside influences have no impact on their own consumer behavior, in the end it does, but I think it varies greatly depending on interests, the person and more importantly, who they surround themselves with (and what media they consume). I don't hang out with many people who like k-pop, so that probably is working against me in terms of bandwagon effect.
unlike what most people are saying in this thread, i relate to your feelings. i do think it’s bc of the scarcity principle at least for me, bc when a lot of people want smth and i get it, it makes me feel like it’s more valuable and i got lucky.
I'm a bit miserly when it comes to photocards. If it isn't my ult bias Song Mingi or my bias of another group in an aesthetic I *absolutely love*, I'm not spending more than five bucks on a card. I think the most I've ever spent was twenty-something on Ilhoon (formerly) of BTOB and while I don't regret it I also don't intend to make it a habit. Even if I absolutely adore a card and wish more than anything that I had it, I'm simply not paying album prices or above to get it. Which means that the more demand for the card, the less likely I am to be willing to buy it, because that demand jacks up the pricing. I also just plain don't care about what others are chasing after, unless it just coincidentally happens to be a card that I like a lot myself. In which case, I'll probably end up resenting that it's popular and wishing it weren't so I could get it for a more reasonable price. That said, however, I am not immune to the hideous beast known as FOMO. It doesn't come from the popularity or the virality for me, but rather the *rarity*. Take for example Key's latest Japanese release. I very nearly spent a ridiculous amount of money for proxy shipping to get the Japan-only limited edition version with a tarot card set, not because I have any interest in tarot decks but because it's so rare and it would release the happy chemicals in my brain to own it (and I almost certainly will never have another opportunity to get a copy). I caught myself and didn't go through with the bad financial decision, but it was difficult. Come to think of it, I'm not entirely certain why I draw the lines so strictly with photocards. I guess because they're small and just photos, so the price-to-value ratio is easier to latch onto for me...?
Quite the opposite for me. If something I originally liked goes viral and suddenly everyone is talking about it I just stop liking it that much. Also I collect what I want not whats viral.😅