[2] However again in 2012, socialtainer was still defined by some media as "referring to entertainers who express their political ideas and give their opinions on social issues.
[2][8][9] At Dongguk University they compared it to the ranking of the real-time word search referring to the internet expression "bright entertainers" on social networking service (SNS) sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
"[8] On July 13, 2011, a controversy ensued, after one of the major Korean broadcast stations, MBC, banned appearances by socialtainers, including actress and activist Kim Yeo-jin, which expanded to a debate over whether it was appropriate for entertainers to use their celebrity to influence the public, using SNS sites, a popular communication among young people; and also, whether such media prohibitions was appropriate.
"[5][6] Celebrities in Korea are seen to be influential, but sharing their opinions on certain topics is something they monitor, due to media and "netizen" scrutiny.
[2] A June 2012 news report listed the results of a poll by Panelnow, which asked about 20,000 people, "Who is the socialtainer that best represents Korea?"