When the social media platform threatened to delete a deceased K-pop idol’s account, thousands of fans turned it into a living memorial.
This launch feature for Rest of World is a deep dive on Shawols (the fandom for the boy band Shinee) and their efforts to change Twitter’s policy on deceased users. The campaign started to preserve the account of Jonghyun, an idol who died by suicide in 2017. The story documents the organizing tactics, volunteer translator groups, and global fan networks used by K-pop fandoms to push a shared agenda, but also reflects on evolving mourning and memorializing practices on social media.
May 2020, Rest of World
read the full story