Recently, Kim Jae Joong made a post that had many of his fans start worrying about him, believing him to be depressed or lonely. On Twitter, I read tweet after tweet from his fans saying "We love you" and "We support you," and saying that he wasn't alone because he had his fans.
The sentiment was pure and the flood of support was well-intended. But it got me to thinking about the way we perceive the idols we support and how it is different to how they see us as their fans.
If Jaejoong really was feeling lonely at the time he made the post, there was really nothing his fans could do to change that feeling. Fans feel as if they "know" their idols because they see their celebrity on social media, in videos, in interviews and live chat streams. But do fans really know their idols? All a fan gets to see is what the idol allows them to see.
And as for how those idols perceive their fans, it is true that idols cherish their fans because without fans' support, they would not enjoy the popularity and ranking that they need to be successful in their chosen careers. It's impossible not to be thankful when knowing that there are people out there in the world, who look to you and see you as precious to them.
But besides this fact, there are downsides to having fans. There are the sasaengs who intrude on celebrities' lives and take liberties they have no rights to with the idols of their obsession. There are fans who won't "allow" their idol to date or have a private life outside of the media. There is the need to always present yourself to the fans in a certain way. Fans can frequently put a lot of pressure on their idols.
And add to that the fact that an idol doesn't really know his fans. He knows of them. He knows they are there when he looks out into the audience from the stage and he knows they care about him. But he doesn't know them individually. He doesn't know their hopes and dreams, beliefs and values or likes and dislikes. He only knows of them as a group. He can't confide in his fans or rely on them. He can't trust them to keep his secrets.
So no matter how many of Kim Jae Joong's fans say that he shouldn't be lonely because he "has his fans," those words are unlikely to make him, or any other celebrity, feel less lonely.
There's a saying about how a person can be surrounded by people and still be lonely. That is true of everyone, but it is most likely especially true about celebrities.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with showing your support through tweets and messages, even if those messages are more helpful to the fans themselves than to the idol they mean to be helping. Being positive and sending positive thoughts is always a good thing. And who knows? There's always a slim chance that your idol might actually get the chance to read your supportive words.
So on that note, let me just say:
I hope you don't stay sad for very long, Kim Jae Joong. You have a lot of people in this world who consider you as someone precious and hope for your happiness.
