Twitter has developed to become one of the most popular social networking sites, and even in this year alone, we have already seen numerous Korean idol group members, actors, and entertainment companies joining the Twitter world as a way of officially reaching out to their fans and using the site as a critical marketing tool for exposing their music and name. However, even when entertainment companies are aware of Twitter being able to attract new fans and increasing awareness, they make the site a 'banned territory' from their rookie idol groups. This is an unusual and ironic measure to take considering they are the ones who would benefit the most from such an effective publicity scheme. It's not only Twitter that's banned either, but also Cyworld minihompys, blogs, and other various popular social networking sites. So why are entertainment companies so cautious about the use of such social networking sites? Although frequently writing tweets may drive towards good publicity, writing even just one bad comment can have potentially disastrous consequences. These days, casually writing comments about a sensitive issue with a friend has the capability to be instantly flipped around and tagged as 'dissing'. There have been extreme cases in the past where celebrities were even forced out of the country because of comments that were loosely written about their troubles in the past. Even popular celebrities can be caught in controversies easily, so there is more of a possibility for rookie groups to make an innocent mistake in the internet world, purely because they are not yet familiar with public opinions and the influence of the media. In addition, since these young rookie members are still in the process of developing their character and individuality, many entertainment companies believe that it would be more beneficial to take on the traditional route of promoting in order to avoid the harshness of public opinions and criticisms. Being able to directly contact other fellow celebrities through Twitter can also become a burden for the companies. They must be cautious of members, especially ones who are still in their young teens, who spend too much time trying to 'build friendships' with those of the opposite sex. They must also make sure that members don't emulate the bad habits of celebrities who have already gained a decent amount of popularity. A representative for one idol group stated, "Considering the fact that even one trivial photo can turn into a hot topic, it's true that Twitter has a huge influence on good publicity. But since there is that possibility of unnecessary problems arising because of one thoughtless comment by one of the members, at this stage we are thinking that its disadvantages outweigh the advantages." Meanwhile, celebrities who did not usually share their personal lives to the public in the past are becoming increasingly addicted to Twitter once they begin. Singer Kim Bum Soo stated, "Even as a singer, I didn't meet up with as many people, and I was someone who was very shut in my own personal life, but ever since I started Twitter, I found interacting with people really fun. I can feel that my personality has changed too. However, I still always write my comments carefully, and take great care in my spelling." Source + Photo: Osen