“A slippery, terrifying slide down a black diamond ski slope,” “spread like wildfire,” and “spiral out of control” are all descriptors used by writer Anna Moon in last month’s edition of “Check Yourself: Facts.” Anna’s blog highlighted the potential damage that can be caused to a person or an entity when unverified or unconfirmed ‘information’ is promoted as factual truth - especially within the virtual realm of social media - emphasizing the point that “half a fact is not a fact.”
This month’s blog continues along this trajectory, delving further into the arbitrary nature of rumor and innuendo as weaponized tools to smear, tarnish, or ruin one’s name, image, and/or reputation. There is nothing honorable or admirable about bringing disrepute upon someone or something. Likewise, any campaign, project, or activity (planned or otherwise) that intentionally uses smear tactics to push its own agenda is not concerned with addressing social injustices or righting wrongs. Its sole purpose is to “undermine an individual's or group's reputation, credibility, and character.”
This type of activity is not uncommon in the realms of politics and business, especially as a successful smear campaign can often result in the demise of a perceived competitor or rival. With that in mind, it might not be a stretch of the imagination to consider the possibility that Big Hit Entertainment recently became the victim of smear tactics, noting that in May of this year they filed a preliminary review for an initial public offering” (IPO).
An IPO basically means that Big Hit Entertainment will be offering their stock or shares on a public stock exchange, that will then allow the public to invest in the company by purchasing shares. According to Investopedia’s fintech expert Adam Hayes, “this is a big step for a company” - one that will allow them to grow, expand and generate further income as a public entity.
What might cause Big Hit Entertainment to become the target of a smear campaign?
There is no singular answer to this question, but fear may have something to do with it. Fear that Big Hit’s financial growth might threaten someone else’s growth, or that Big Hit’s success might result in failure for someone else. Jealousy may also play a part, as might anger or malice towards the company and/or its artists. Let’s not forget the power of social media though, to hype keyboard warriors and netizens alike who might jump on the ‘smear campaign’ bandwagon simply because it’s there, adding fuel to the fire by choosing to participate in the smear tactic of “propounding negative propaganda,” without bothering to check the facts for themselves.
What are the signs to look for?
Attacks, allegations, or threats made against an individual or a group in the form of rumor, innuendo, or outright lies by individuals or groups who are only interested in their version of the truth prevailing.
An example of this is the 2010 smear campaign that Korean rapper Tablo of Epik High experienced when his academic credentials were called into question by a netizen group of antagonists. Despite all of the evidence produced by Tablo, the antagonists would not back down, insisting instead that all of his evidence was ‘doctored’ by himself and his supporters. In the process, new claims were fabricated to the point that even his identity was questioned.
According to writer Kate Abbott, no one was spared, with the first attacks coming to light on Tablo’s Twitter account, before spreading to other forms of communication such as phone and email. To see the extent of the abuse he and those around him received - all of which was built on misplaced anger and jealousy - is difficult to fathom. Not least is the mentality that there’s ‘no smoke without fire’ and ‘I am not responsible for how people interpret my comments.’
Eventually, this smear campaign ended up in the court system as a defamation case and several key antagonists were identified. Interestingly, throughout all of this Tablo was not supported or protected by his agency. Had they done so, things may not have escalated so quickly or fiercely.
This perhaps is one of the defining characteristics of Big Hit Entertainment who, when necessary, have stepped in with an official statement. Either to clarify misunderstandings, apologize for any wrongdoings committed, or vehemently deny accusations that are factually incorrect, both in the past and in more recent times.
Within the past two months, we have seen all three take place. As a result, it is not surprising that ARMYs began to question if there was a more sinister intent behind the barrage of accusations being fired at Big Hit Entertainment and its artists. Particularly because much of this activity coincided with Big Hit’s announcement to pursue the IPO mentioned earlier in this blog.
In order to understand how one (potential smear tactics) might affect the other (IPO), one clever person shared this post on twitter, in an attempt to help ARMYs better understand the situation. For someone like myself lacking in business acumen, using ‘ice-cream’ as an analogy to describe the relationship between the two cemented my understanding quickly and effectively. We share this link, encourage you to read this post for yourself, and come to your own conclusions.
Regardless of a person’s circumstances though, there is no excuse for causing harm to another individual whether you feel aggrieved or not, justified or not. Likewise, smear campaigns are not about getting to the truth; they are purely an attempt to discredit or humiliate, and just as we highlighted ‘cancel culture’ as a maligned sense of justice, so too are smear campaigns. We encourage everyone to take the time to ‘check the facts yourself’ before heading down this slippery slope.
DISCLAIMER: We do not own any audio & visual content in this video except for the editing. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS. No copyright infringement intended.
Written By: Shelley
Edit By: Aury
Checked By: Ash
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