Members of SHINEE World, the official fandom of SHINEE, recently reacted to Twitter's new policy of deleting accounts that have been inactive for the past six months and moved to protect the account of SHINEE's deceased member, Jonghyun.
According to a report by All Kpop, Shawols trended the hashtags #OurPreciousMemories_WithJonghyun and #PleaseDon'tDelete_OurPreciousMemories to prevent Twitter from deactivating Jonghyun's account.Fans took to the platform to explain that if Twitter deletes Jonghyun's account, all of their previous interactions with the idol will disappear.
Some Shawols also said that while no new posts were coming from the account, fans take comfort from revisiting Jonghyun's previous messages. Twitter received the message loud and clear and addressed the concern aired out by fans.
"We've heard you on the impact that this would have on the accounts of the deceased. This was a miss on our part. We will not be removing any inactive accounts until we create a new way for people to memorialize accounts," the platform's administrators assured in their public post.
It can be recalled that in 2017, SHINEE's Jonghyun took his own life after succumbing to his battle with depression. In his final note, he explained that he was "broken from the inside," and added that his depression ate away at him and finally consumed him. He also shared that even though he did his best to prevail over his mental health issues, he was unable to beat it in the end. Jonghyun's death was mourned by his friends and fans all over the world, who remembered him as a kind and beautiful soul, the Washington Post reported.
Most recently, Jonghyun's good friends Sulli and Goo Hara, were also found in their homes only a month apart from each other. Sulli died at the age of 25 last October 14, while Goo Hara died at the age of 28 last Sunday.
While police never directly pinpointed suicide as the cause of death, no foul play was revealed in the investigations. A handwritten note was also found in Goo Hara's home, which contained a "pessimistic" view on life.
The deaths of Kpop idols so close to each other drew the world's attention to the immense pressure that stardom has brought to Korean artists. It also shone the spotlight on the issue of cyberbullying from malicious commenters and online bashers who spread rumors and criticize celebrities using fake names.
Lawmakers recognized the growing problem, so the Sulli Law is expected to be tackled before the National Assembly next month. The proposed law will require netizens to use their real names when posting online to promote accountability for online behavior and prevent derogatory and demoralizing posts on social media, SCMP reported.
