Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-dnltx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T20:15:41.723Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

11 - Transcultural Fandom

BTS and ARMY

from Part V - The Band That Surprised the World

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2023

Suk-Young Kim
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
Get access

Summary

The global success of BTS demonstrates that their artistry and message have captured the attention of many. Similarly, their fandom, ARMY, has received attention for its ability to organize around social justice causes. While BTS and ARMY are pushing against and connecting across borders that often seem impermeable, this work does not happen with ease. How do people in a fandom that spans the globe both organize and educate within this fandom community? This chapter examines fandom through a case study. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests called attention to violence and racism against Black people after the murder of George Floyd. There were concerted efforts within the ARMY fandom to raise money and awareness for BLM. Many of these efforts began before BTS and their company announced support for BLM. It is important to recognize the fandom’s public-facing, collective work, and it is equally important to recognize the effort required to educate within the community about this and other social justice issues. This chapter identifies, tracks, and analyzes attempts being made in the fandom to educate and discuss race and racism around BLM by sharing stories of personal experience with racism, hashtags meant to encourage solidarity, and visual art.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, Crystal. “K-Pop Fandom 101.” Kpopkollective, December 8, 2013, https://kpopkollective.com/2013/12/08/k-pop-fandom-101/2013.Google Scholar
Arun, Thanmay. “K-Pop Singer IU Celebrates 12th Anniversary by Donating $86,000, Thanks Fans for Their Support.” International Business Times, September 20, 2020, www.ibtimes.com/k-pop-singer-iu-celebrates-12th-anniversary-donating-86000-thanks-fans-their-support-3049758.Google Scholar
Bhandari, Aditi. “The Mobilising Power of the BTS Army.” Reuters, July 14, 2020, https://graphics.reuters.com/GLOBAL-RACE/BTS-FANS/nmopajgmxva/.Google Scholar
Bruner, Raisa. “How K-Pop Fandom Operates as a Force for Political Activism.” Time, July 25, 2020, https://time.com/5866955/k-pop-political/.Google Scholar
Chin, Bertha, and Morimoto, Lori H.. “Towards a Theory of Transcultural Fandom.” Participations: International Journal of Audience and Receptions Studies 10/1 (2013): 92108.Google Scholar
Cho, Michelle. “3 Ways That BTS and Its Fans Are Redefining Liveness.” Flow.journal, May 29, 2019, www.flowjournal.org/2018/05/bts-and-its-fans/.Google Scholar
Cohen, Jonathan.Mediated Relationships and Media Effects: Parasocial Interaction and Identification.” In Nabi, Robin L. and Oliver, Mary Beth (eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Media Processes and Effects (Los Angeles, CA: Sage, 2009).Google Scholar
Dodson, P. Claire. “BTS’s Growing Fanbase Isn’t Just Teens, It’s Their Moms.” Instyle.com, July 2, 2020, www.instyle.com/celebrity/bts-fans-over-35-map-of-soul (accessed November 1, 2020).Google Scholar
Dooley, Ben, and Lee, Su-Hyun. “BTS’s Loyal Army of Fans Is the Secret Weapon behind a $4 Billion Valuation.” New York Times, October 14, 2020. www.nytimes.com/2020/10/14/business/bts-ipo.html.Google Scholar
Duffett, Mark. Understanding Fandom: An Introduction to the Study of Media and Fan Culture. New York: Bloomsbury, 2013.Google Scholar
Frater, Patrick. “BTS’ ‘Bang Bang Con: The Live’ Claims Record Viewership for Online Concert.” Variety, June 14, 2020, https://variety.com/2020/digital/asia/bts-big-bang-con-the-live-record-online-concert-1234635003/.Google Scholar
Gibson, Jenna.How K-Pop Broke the West: An Analysis of Western Media Coverage from 2009–2019.” International Journal of Korean Studies 22/2 (2019): 2446.Google Scholar
Han, Benjamin.K-Pop in Latin America: Transcultural Fandom and Digital Mediation.” International Journal of Communication 11 (2017): 22502269. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/6304/2048.Google Scholar
Hemmeke, Katelyn. “Planting Rainforests and Donating Rice: The Fascinating World of K-Pop Fandom.” Korea Exposé, February 20, 2021. www.koreaexpose.com/fascinating-world-k-pop-fandom-culture/.Google Scholar
Hinck, Ashley. Politics for the Love of Fandom: Fan-Based Citizenship in a Digital World. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2019.Google Scholar
Horton, Donald, and Wohl, R. Richard. “Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction: Observations on Intimacy at a Distance.” Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes 19/3 (1956): 215229.Google Scholar
Jenkins, Henry. Textual Poacher: Television Fans and Participatory Culture. Updated twentieth anniversary edition. New York: Routledge, 2013.Google Scholar
Jung, Sun.Fan Activism, Cybervigilantism, and Othering Mechanisms in K-Pop Fandom.” Transformative Works and Cultures 10 (2012), https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2012.0300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jung, Sun, and Shim, Dooboo. “Social Distribution: K-Pop Fan Practices in Indonesia and the ‘Gangnam Style’ Phenomenon.” International Journal of Cultural Studies 17/5 (2014): 485501. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877913505173.Google Scholar
Kang, Haeryun. “K-Pop’s Digital ‘Army’ Musters to Meet the Moment, Baggage in Tow.” NPR, June 24, 2020, www.npr.org/2020/06/24/882867577/k-pops-digital-army-musters-to-meet-the-moment-baggage-in-tow.Google Scholar
Kelley, Caitlin. “Meet the BTS Fan Translators (Partially!) Responsible for the Globalization of K-Pop.” Billboard, February 8, 2018. www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/8078464/bts-fan-translators-k-pop-interview.Google Scholar
Kim, Rieun, Lim, Hyunkyung, Oh, Minji, and Lee, Yejin. “BTS & ARMY, We Walk Together: BTS & ARMY’s Story during the Pandemic.” Weverse Magazine, September 21, 2020, https://magazine.weverse.io/article/view?lang=en&colca=3&num=1.Google Scholar
Kim, Suk-Young. K-Pop Live: Fans, Idols, and Multimedia Performance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2018.Google Scholar
Kim, Youngdae. BTS the Review: A Comprehensive Look at the Music of BTS. Trans. H. Chung. Seoul: RH Korea, 2019.Google Scholar
King-O’Riain, Rebecca Chiyoko. “‘They were having so much fun, so genuinely …’: K-Pop Fan Online Affect and Corroborated Authenticity.” New Media & Society 23/9 (2020): 28202838.Google Scholar
Lee, Eunbyul.When Korean Wave Flows into the Islamic World.” In Yoon, Tae-Jin and Jin, Dal Young (eds.), The Korean Wave, 163181. Lanham, MD: Lexington, 2017.Google Scholar
Lee, Jeeheng. BTS and Army Culture. Trans. O. Han. Seoul: Communication Books, 2019.Google Scholar
Lee, Jiyoung. BTS, Art Revolution: BTS Meets Deleuze. Trans. C. Yi and S. Kim. Seoul: Parrhesia, 2019.Google Scholar
Lee, Jiyoung. [@JeeLee06767883]. “#WeLoveYouBlackARMY.” Twitter, June 1, 2020, https://twitter.com/JeeLee06767883/status/1267519009303326720.Google Scholar
Lee, Minji. “New Korean Learning Kit Aims to Help More Fans Study Korean with BTS.” Yonhap News Agency, April 28, 2021, https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210428003500315.Google Scholar
McLaren, Courtney., and Jin, Dal Young. “‘You can’t help but love them’: BTS, Transcultural Fandom, and Affective Identities.” Korea Journal 60/1 (2020): 100127. https://kj.accesson.kr/assets/pdf/8511/journal-60-1-100.pdf.Google Scholar
Min, Wonjung, Jin, Dal Young, and Han, Benjamin. “Transcultural Fandom of the Korean Wave in Latin America: Through the Lens of Cultural Intimacy and Affinity Space.” Media, Culture & Society 41/5 (2019): 604619.Google Scholar
Moon, Kat. “Inside the BTS ARMY, the Fandom with Unrivaled Organization.” Time, November 18, 2020. https://time.com/5912998/bts-army/.Google Scholar
Morris, Seren. “Kpop Fans Are Spamming the Grand Rapids Police after Crashing the Dallas Police App.” Newsweek, June 3, 2020, www.newsweek.com/kpop-spamming-fancams-grand-rapids-police-department-protest-evidence-1508043.Google Scholar
One in an ARMY. “Black Lives Matter.” 2020. www.oneinanarmy.org/black-lives-matter.Google Scholar
One in an ARMY. “OIAA Rewind 2019” (video). YouTube, January 31, 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMmbz7Dzolc.Google Scholar
One in an ARMY. “On the Impetus behind ARMY Charitable Giving.” Medium, July 2030, 2020, https://oneinanarmy.medium.com/on-the-impetus-behind-army-charitable-giving-.Google Scholar
One in an ARMY Charity Project [@OneInAnARMY]. “Hey ARMY! Are you up for a lil conversation about the cause and the org (@freethegirls) we are supporting for #KeepGoingWith Jimin?” Twitter, October 9, 2020.,https://twitter.com/OneInAnARMY/status/1314558725601071110.Google Scholar
Otmazgin, Nissim, and Lyan, Irina. “Hallyu across the Desert: K-Pop Fandom in Israel and Palestine.” Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review 9/1 (2013): 6889.Google Scholar
Rohr, Nicolette. “Where the Fans Are: Listening to Music and Fandom.” The American Historian, February 2019, www.oah.org/tah/issues/2019/february/where-the-fans-are-listening-to-music-and-fandom/ (accessed September 1, 2021).Google Scholar
Sherman, Maria. Larger Than Life: A History of Boy Bands from NKOTB to BTS. New York: Black Dog and Leventhal, 2020.Google Scholar
Siriyuvasak, Ubonrat, and Shin, Hyunjoon. “Asianizing K-Pop: Production, Consumption and Identification Patterns among Thai Youth.” Inter-asia Cultural Studies 8 (2007): 109136.Google Scholar
Stanfill, Mel. “Straighten Up and Fly White: Whiteness, Heteronormativity, and the Representation of Happy Endlings for Fans.” In Bennett, Lucy and Booth, Paul (eds.), Seeing Fans: Representations of Fandom in Media and Popular Culture, 187196. New York: Bloomsbury, 2018.Google Scholar
Song, Sooho.The Evolution of the Korean Wave: How Is the Third Generation Different from Previous Ones?Korea Observer 51/1 (2020): 125150.Google Scholar
Yoon, Haein. “Hangeul Holds the ARMY World Together.” Weverse Magazine, October 9, 2021, https://magazine.weverse.io/article/view?lang=en&colca=6&num=250.Google Scholar
Yoon, Kyong.Korean Wave | Cultural Translation of K-Pop among Asian Canadian Fans.” International Journal of Communication 11/17 (2017): 23502366. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/6303/2053Google Scholar
Yoon, Kyong.Transnational Fandom in the Making: K-Pop Fans in Vancouver.” International Communication Gazette 81/2 (2018): 176192.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×