The closure of an X (formerly Twitter) fansite dedicated to NEWJEANS’ Danielle has created a stir online, with a divided response from fans.
The fansite @Danielle_Bar described itself as “Danielle China’s First and Only Fanbase”. On Aug 5, 2023 the fansite’s admin posted a message announcing that they would be closing due to “lack of support and lots of doubts from [China-based] fans of Danielle”.
The message went on to add that they would continue to support Danielle individually, but “not as a group”.
A quick look at the fansite’s online activities showed that they shared photographs of Danielle, and were also selling merchandise relating to the NEWJEANS idol. In recent days, however, they had mostly been retweeting posts from other fansites.
Most fellow fans responding to the tweet were shocked and saddened by the announcement. They also thanked the members of the fansite for their work promoting Danielle.
However, there were others who were upset over the reason given for the fansite’s closure. They called out the admin for putting the blame solely on China fans, pointing out that such a statement could cause misunderstanding.
There were even allegations that the real reason for the fansite’s closure was poor sales of fan merchandise.
Whatever the reason for the closure, it is always sad to see any fansite shut down. We sincerely hope that the fans will be able to carry on, and continue to show their support for Danielle and the rest of NEWJEANS.