A slew of both supportive and hateful online comments over Hong Kong pop singer Keung To’s recent fall into the sea reflects divided public opinion and the social media pressures young stars face, a psychiatrist and a cultural commentator have said.
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Experts who spoke to the Post said social media was a “double-edged sword” that allowed young celebrities to connect with their fans while increasing their direct exposure to hostility, a challenge not faced by stars in the pre-internet era.
After Keung, a member of popular Cantopop boy band Mirror, fell into the waters off Sai Wan on Tuesday afternoon, fans flocked to his social media account to leave supportive comments wishing him a speedy recovery.
But the 26-year-old singer was also on the receiving end of malicious comments from online users cursing him and mocking his mishap.
Dr Chan Kai-tai, clinical professional consultant at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s department of psychiatry, said that with digitalisation, public opinion towards celebrities had become highly polarised, but noted the phenomenon was not unique to the city.
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In the past, Hong Kong’s “Four Heavenly Kings” – Andy Lau Tak-wah, Jacky Cheung Hok-yau, Leon Lai Ming and Aaron Kwok Fu-shing – who dominated the Cantopop world in the 1980s and 1990s, were more heavily protected from the public, with their companies and managers acting as a buffer, Chan said.