Volume 01 Issue 10 part 2
On ARMY using their talents to support BTS
Last week, I wrote about attending a webinar called “BTS & ARMY: A Synergistic Experience in Transcultural Fandom.” The recording is now available at this link. I do encourage you to watch it especially if you don’t know much about BTS and ARMY because it’s very friendly to baby ARMY.
One of the things Dr. Epps-Robertson talked about was that ARMY often gets dismissed as a homogenous entity of teenage fangirls, but the reality is that the fanbase is incredibly diverse, spanning genders, age ranges, backgrounds, areas of expertise, etc. The barrier to entry is low -- you only need to like the music, really -- and anyone can hop onto ARMY Twitter anytime and start engaging with the community. (There are also ARMY on IG/FB and other platforms, but the algorithms make feeds work a certain way, so it’s a little harder to engage.) Anyone who decides to join the conversation brings with them their own individual talents and experiences. “[The fans] are here to support BTS, but can choose to express that support in any number of ways.”
I feel like I found my corner of ARMY Twitter this weekend when I attended the 2020 ICAMA-KAS International Conference. One of the tracks was specifically focused on BTS, co-hosted by the R3 Journal, an academic journal that’s focused on BTS. (Here’s the list of topics covered that day.) It was a delight to listen to around 20 speakers go deep into how they’ve applied their skills and talents into professional research about BTS. I’m not even in marketing, but I am a big ol’ nerd who loves learning, and this weekend I was virtually surrounded by like-minded fans who have taken their fandom back to their areas of expertise. I’ll try to share the recordings if they’re made available, too. My favorite talks were by Sharon Blady on mental health (“From N.O. to On and Beyond: BTS’s Journey of Innovation in Mental Health Discourse and Modality Modeling”); Tvine Donabedian on fans paying back the band’s intimacy through purchasing (“I Do What I Can, I Do My Part: Participation in Fan-organized Marketing as a Form of Community Engagement and Individual Responsibility Surrounding BTS’ Musical Releases”); and Nicole Santero on fan voting (“Competition and Collaboration of BTS ARMY on Twitter”).
Another section of ARMY that I’m really enjoying is video editor ARMY. These fans churn out montage video after montage video, usually centered around a particular bias or pair. When the new album Be was announced (coming November 20!) ARMY editors published comeback goals videos. Basically, ARMY sets goals for pre-sales and streaming on different platforms (Spotify, Youtube, etc), different goals per country, and shares guides on how to purchase the album so that it counts towards local charts. It’s so strategic and impressively organized; one ARMY even bought a domain to centralize the action plan. My favorite comeback goals videos are by RedmontxBTS (a Pinay! She’s a med student!) and Ben_UGH. Truly blown away by the talent and effort that’s gone into these, and the montage clips are a daily (and sometimes hourly) source of joy. Thank you, ARMY!
Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t call out a spectacular essay I read called “Like Dionysus” by Yung In Chae, published on Eidolon. I mentioned it in part 1 of my newsletter, but wanted to mention it again in part 2 as another example of an ARMY using her skills to make a powerful product: an essay on BTS and their reception by the American music industry, Western imperialism, her Korean-American identity, the struggle to assimilate, and her own field of study (ancient Roman and Greek literature, known as “Classics”). I’ve read it three times and have highlighted so many sections. It’s a masterpiece, and I think valuable even for non-fans. Just trust me on this one. There seems to be a practice of not letting ARMY journalists cover BTS, for the sake of impartiality. I’ve seen a debate about the merits of this approach, but I think the resulting story would be so much richer if a writer like Yung In Chae was holding the pen. I hope she gets that chance. I loved reading about the art referenced by BTS in their videos and would love to read more articles like that. There’s a great Twitter account called @artansonyeondan that compares BTS visuals to art. Amazing.
Other resources and content I enjoyed last week:
The timing and transitions on this edit (BTS through the years) are top-notch.
So random but Jungkook’s off-screen rant about uncooked steak is hilarious. He cares about his food, ok?? “Can’t even fork it.” He’s known for snacking throughout award shows even when they’re seated in the front row. This boy loves food. LOLOL all this while Jimin’s showing off how flexible he is on camera. As a person with tight hamstrings forever and ever, this was amazing.
I love this thread about Yoongi’s generosity towards the other members. I love everything about him. Ella’s “90% of my friends have him as their bias/bias wrecker” comment is accurate! Everyone I’m chatting with loves him!
Glamour released a video of BTS watching fan covers this week. First of all, they picked great covers that really showed originality! Second: how sweet is it that their reaction is “We’re motivated to work harder” ?? Third: Ysabelle Cuevas (Pinay!) who sang the Boy with Luv cover kept it real with her strangled screaming/ shaking and crying reaction. Same, sis. Taehyung is her bias daw. Can you imagine being a YouTube artist and then learning that your bias watched your work, liked it, and said he’d look for it again? Living her best life!! This was yet another romcom I started writing in my head immediately.
When I wrote about intimacy in the last newsletter, I did not expect the boys to drop handwritten postcards as part of their teasers for Be a few days later. Huhuhu. So personal and heartfelt, and always inviting a response. It’s never just them talking to us. Actively pursuing an intimate connection with fans!
Read part 1 of last week’s newsletter here (regular non-BTS content) and everything I’ve published about BTS here. The next issues will land in your inbox if you subscribe using this button. Thanks for reading!
I purple you,
Pinky