The difference between trolling and criticism is that of hate and feedback. While one is based on logic and sound reasoning, giving way to discussion and growth, the other is just mindless criticism. Social media applications give us a platform to connect with like-minded people and express ourselves without inhibitions. The flip side of the coin is that this applies to hate as well. It is a true fact that we all carry some dissatisfaction within us. It could be due to failed ambitions, unfair treatment, or just the general injustices of society. These feelings are all relevant in their own right, but what we choose to do about them makes a huge difference. While some work on their own lives in productive ways, others choose to try to bring about certifiable changes in the system. Then there are others who simply try to bring them down. Soon Young in Celebrity was one of them.
It is undeniable that skewed ambitions, driven by aspirations of which influencers are often flag bearers, have created a society that breeds dissatisfaction. It is not impossible to be happy if you don’t own a collection of luxury bags. It can still be a great wedding even if it does not happen at an exotic destination. You don’t have to visit those ten places before you die just because someone with a lot of followers says that you should. But in a society obsessed with productivity and achievement, unless there is constant proof of a checklist being covered, it is not considered a life well lived. That was the exact problem with Soon Young. Sure, she did not have any money, but that never meant that she was bereft of everything. She had coworkers who seemed decent, and the only reason they talked behind her back was that she lied and was insultingly aloof with them.
Our point is that having good coworkers meant that she could have had nice friends if she wanted. Additionally, how hard was it to clean her apartment? It may not have been a sprawling mansion, but it could have been live-able. She also seemed to have spent substantial money on fake luxury items and expensive car rides. She could have used that instead for a genuinely better life. Finally, the number of hours she spent online also meant that she had enough time for herself, meaning that she could have invested in a self-improvement course or a better opportunity. Soon Young could genuinely have had a better life, but she was simply stuck on the fact that it would never be as good as anyone in the Gabin society in Celebrity.
It is funny that when Soon Young assumed the identity of bbbfamous to help A Ri, she said that she was doing it because A Ri knew “the value of hard work and had worked hard to come to the top” because Soon Young was not working hard at all. She would have been if she was doing the things mentioned above, but she was simply spending her energies online. We must also remember that everyone in Gambi society, except Chae Hee, had worked their way up. Soon Young may not have known that about Min Hye since she lied about her family being rich, but Angela and Yu Ran were certainly the exceptions. Or maybe Soon Young couldn’t tolerate that they had married rich, so they always had a safety net of finances for themselves, which Soon Young didn’t. Therefore, she became the judge of whether they deserved what they had. This behavior is very common among trolls, who are barely ever in touch with reality and base their judgments on mostly superficial factors.
Though it was not shown in Celebrity, the Gabin society must have had a fair bit of hustle to be where they were. They spent money recklessly, but they had to have been working just as hard for it. But Soon Young did not see that aspect of their lives, and the one that she did, she hated. It did not help that the members of the Gabin society acted so entitled like they were the literal masters of the world. Isn’t that the exact reason why they hated A Ri so much—because she came from humble roots and established herself as one of the best? It did not matter that they had done the same; they couldn’t stand it when A Ri’s rank was above them. Soon Young could never hope to do what A Ri had done, so she chose to help her instead. Acting as the Gabin society’s masseuse, she had collected enough of their secrets that she could destroy them.
Soong Young helping A Ri become famous in Celebrity was nothing more than her riding a power trip. She felt powerful when she saw the people she was forced to serve being brought to their knees. These were the very people who treated her awfully and often acted entitled toward her. Bringing them down made Soon Young feel that they were probably on “the same level.” But the collateral effect of that was that she started believing that A Ri owes her success to the bbbfamous’ account. In a way, bbbfamous was no different from the members of the Gabin society, except that they were on different levels of the so-called hierarchy. Soon Young would have been no different than a Min Hye or a Chae Hee had she been an influencer like them. That is why she was so angry with A Ri for not replying to her, even though it was for genuine reasons, because Soon Young believed that she was herself above A Ri since she had supposedly “made” her.
As bbbfamous, Soon Young felt in control of A Ri, and she must have thought that whatever belonged to A Ri belonged to her because if not for her helpful tips, she would have never reached that level of success. Therefore, she was just as entitled to destroy her. This was when she joined hands with Gabin society, which was airheaded enough to let it slide that this account was the very thing that had destroyed them, and things could be turned around again in the future. Think about it: if Tae Joon had not intervened and made Min Hye do that particular livestream, they would have all been destroyed, and bbbfamous would have been of no help. It was only because Tae Joon needed to protect his family that A Ri was truly destroyed.
At the end of the day, Soon Young could have had a better life if she focused on herself instead of other people. She had the means necessary to do that, no matter how limited, and if she had used for herself the strategy and brains with which she had destroyed A Ri, she would have led a much more fulfilling life. But the need for an ugly designer bag ended up ruining everything.
