These 3 K-Pop Fandom Words Have Lost Their Meaning A Little – Kpopnews
K-pop fandoms have taken social media by storm in recent years. As each fandom continued to grow, they occupied ever larger spaces over time. These close-knit communities share so many experiences that they often had to create new words or phrases to identify them.
The reason for the need for new “words” is that many K-pop fandom experiences are very unique and different from Western fandoms. However, as time passed and more and more people were introduced to these communities, fans began to feel that some of these words had begun to lose their original meaning.
1. “Fancam”
Many fans feel the term “fancam” — a word widely used in K-pop fandoms — has deviated from its original meaning, and people mostly blame music streaming companies for this.
(embedded)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmKuGxb23z0(/embed)
Fancams have been uploaded to YouTube in droves by music show channels in recent years, with newer versions such as “Facecam” or “Fullcam” also being tested. Fans commented that this changed the original meaning of fancams, which were originally just videos recorded by fans.
Another misuse of the term, according to K-pop fans, comes from fan-made video compilations of various idols on various songs. This trend has reached an all-time high since TikTok also became a huge social media platform. Some creators have used the term “fancam” to refer to their compilations, and K-pop fans have repeatedly said that using the term is incorrect in this case.
#PJHTHV: I AM A SLAVE 4 U
Park Jihoon & Kim Taehyung V BTS Fancam Modifier pic.twitter.com/JrbR6KKYyP
– by (@pjhthv) February 28, 2023
2. “Dance Practice”
Dance practices are another form of media promotional content unique to K-pop. These videos began as footage of idols practicing their new choreographies before a comeback that was released after the official YouTube release.
(embedded)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqW4xXUgmno(/embed)
These videos were also sent to music shows or other events for staging and camera positioning purposes. But after bands like SHINEe started uploading them to social media, they became easy-to-create fan-favorite promotional content for the artist labels.
(embedded)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovztfpWPo5M(/embed)
Not only was the dance practice a great way to see the true dancing skills of different idols, but it also became the best way for fans themselves to learn the choreography of their favorite K-pop songs. With this growing popularity, labels began to put more effort into making dance practice as professional as possible in order to get as much credit for their artists as possible.
(embedded)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lXwMdnpoFQ(/embedded)
However, the move left fans missing the dance practice’s original format — many said it felt more authentic and “real.”
3. “As”
While “fancam” etc “dance training” are terms that have started to change due to the influence of big players in the industry such as music labels and broadcasters “as” mainly changed because of K-pop fans themselves.
“Ace” was first used by Korean companies and media to refer to idols who could sing, dance, or rap exceptionally well. The word ace itself as an adjective is used as a synonym for “very”. GOOD” or “excellent.” However, in recent years, K-pop fans have started using the term to describe idols who excel at all three talents an idol can have: singing, dancing, and rapping. This gives ace a new meaning of “all-rounder” rather than being exceptionally good at one thing.
Some attribute this change to SHINee taeminmakes his solo debut with his first mini-album AS.
(embed)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtG9jIhvIwU(/embed)
Some fans also feel that ace’s “versatile” meaning is used loosely by many as well, with some using the word to refer to idols who are average in all three skills, rather than just those who are excellent in this area.
Not everyone who can sing and dance is an ace https://t.co/VU0h4vral5
— Bangdinho JUTDAE #1 FAN (@Foivechxn) March 6, 2023
