One netizen compiled a list of K-Pop boy groups and the fluctuations in their popularity. The list reveals which groups have risen, declined, or remained steady in their popularity over the years. The blog post is titled, 'Indisputable: Rising vs. Declining idols" and though this poster isn't an expert by any means and is just expressing a personal opinion based solely on what s/he thinks, it has created a heated debate online. While many netizens agreed with the post there were an equal amount of netizens who took offense and disputed the 'indisputable.'
DECLINING
Under 'Declining,' the netizen ranked the groups as such:
1. Teen Top--No joke, they have continued declining [in popularity].
2. B1A4--They peaked with "Baby Good Night," Tried to Walk," What's Happening?" and started falling afterwards. Not sure why because "Sweet Girl" was alright...it's good that they have a solid fan base.
3. 2PM--"My House" was a flop. The song was actually good though.
4. Super Junior--They're still popular but compared to before their popularity has declined tremendously.
5. Boyfriend--I'm listing them because I just thought of them. If you think about it, didn't they get a lot of attention when they first debuted?
RISING
Under 'Rising,' the ranking went:
1. Seventeen--They rose.
2. BTS--They have a strong fan base not only domestically but also abroad. They became noticeably big suddenly.
3. BTOB--They seemed like they may or may not rise but after Sungjae's drama 'School,' they blew up and because their song "It's Okay" was good, they are gradually expanding their horizon.
4. GOT7--They seem to have quite a lot of fans.
GROUPS WHO ARE STILL GOING STRONG
Under 'Groups who are still going strong,' the netizen named these five idol groups:
1. Big Bang
2. EXO
3. SHINee
4. B2ST
5. INFINITE
SEE ALSO: 2PM take us 'Higher' in their new short PV!
The netizen gave the further reasoning behind his/her opinion, writing, "Weren't SHINee's "Married to the Music" and "View" alright? They weren't hits like "Why So Serious," Dream Girl," or "Sherlock" and the songs are not very K-Pop-ish, but considering the reception, they seem good enough. B2ST and INFINITE are starting to show signs of decline but they've remained strong for several years and it's a bit unfair to put them under 'Declining,' just because of a couple songs that didn't do as well as their past songs. BTOB was rising slightly but they seem to be faltering a little now... but their popularity is steadily rising so I put them under 'Rising.' BTS gained so many fans so suddenly. Their amount of international fans is almost at the same level of EXO's international fans but now they have a lot of domestic fans, too. I'm not an expert or a fan; just a muggle who's saying how it is."
Some of the netizen comments went, "Only one member in BTOB became big. There are a lot of muggles who don't even know Sungjae is a part of BTOB," "After ten years, SHINee will be regarded as the best group...album quality, personality, vocals, trendiness, they're magnificent in all aspects," "I don't know about BTOB..I don't think they'll rise," and "I laughed when I read that Seventeen is rising. If you ask random people on the street, you think they'll know Seventeen? The bar is too low these days. It's not important to be big among fans nor is it important to gain more fans."
What do you think about this list? Do you agree or disagree?