Netizens Air Their Concerns Regaring SM's New Girl Group aespa
Fans are already hyped for the debut of SM Entertainment's new girl group aespa. But the buzz of anticipation, some netizens cannot help but raise some concerns about the group, particularly their use of virtual counterparts aside from the real-life members.
SM Entertainment announced two weeks ago a never before seen concept for aespa. Founder Lee Soo Man said that aside from the real-life members, there will also be 2D avatars for each. A video was then shown of member Karina with her fictional counterpart ae-Karina. Most recently, they uploaded another "SYNK" video, this time with member Winter and her counterpart ae-Winter.
While it may be a trailblazing move on the part of the company, some concerned netizens wondered how these avatars could be exploited. Some cited K/DA, the fictional League of Legends girl group, as an example. All over the Internet, nude pictures and even pornographic films of the characters are seen.
What makes it a problem with aespa is that unlike K/DA which has fictional characters voiced only by real people, aespa is presenting actual characters based on themselves. Many are concerned that the members, averaging at the age of 20, will now be the subject of sexual harassment due to this move by the entertainment company.
