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Expansion of services

Communication network service, that started from
K-pop idol, has also expanded to other areas.
In the case of Weverse, Weverse company has
established ‘Weverse America’ and ‘Weverse Japan’.
Accordingly, in Weverse application, there are not
only K-pop idols but also American artists such as
Lauv, Conan gray, Jeremy Zucker and Japanese
artists such as AKB48, Imase. Because it’s a service
that stands out for the convenient communication
between artists and fans, it’s growing globally.
In the case of Dear U bubble, the service is expanding around Korea. It’s making applications in ‘bubble of
____’ format. They usually made application of idol agency, but afterward they made ‘bubble for ACTORS’,
‘bubble for SPORTS’, and ‘bubble for TROT’. You can communicate with actors who you like, and sports
players such as Kim Yeon-Koung who play in volleyball. Most recently, you can also communicate with trot
singer. They are emphasizing communication in various areas. Now, they have more than 570 celebrities
communicating in application.

Shortcomings of Communication Network Service

Through the given explanation, you may only think of positive effects of communication network service.
But in reality, as these services have developed, some difficulties started to emerge.
From a fan’s perspective, the person you are talking to is only one, the celebrity. On the other hand,
think about the celebrity. They are talking to hundreds and thousands of people. Because they are
communicating in an online space where the content about the communication is permanently recorded,
this aspect could become stressful for the celebrity.
Some services, like Dear U bubble, have to be paid for the application. Is it a right thing to calculate profits
from celebrities talking to their fans? Some people claim that it’s inappropriate to commercialize the
sentiment between people.
Also, there is a risk of judging celebrities too easily. As you might have experienced, online conversation
is definitely different with offline conversation. Conversation does not only consist of language, it requires
nonverbal elements, too. But in an online service, this is hard to show. Judging someone by looking at only
a part of them, could be a very risky assessment.

If you use communication network service, weigh the pros and cons to see if it’s suitable for you.

Son ChaeRin (2-6)
crson108k@gmail.com