It argues that although Western media tends to paint K-pop and BTS fans as a monolithic group
This write-up discovers exactly just how the influence and also arranging electrical power of fandoms has actually disperse much past electronic fandom rooms towards determine real-world political and also social activities, making use of the BTS ARMY's activism in the course of the 2020 #BlackLivesMatter activity as a case history.
It argues that although Western side media has the tendency to recoat K-pop and also BTS supporters as a monolithic team, either as crazed preteen ladies or even socially mindful dynamic activists, hearing supporters straight supplies an extra accomplish, nuanced image of exactly just how and also why fandom may come to be overtly politicized. Via examining people ARMY actions towards Western side media portrayals of ARMY #BLM activism, I show that supporters and also celebs have actually a cooperative and also rhizomatic, as opposed to top-down partnership when it pertains to motivating supporter activism.
I contend that in the beginning supporters involve along with political creates as an "activist that takes place to become a supporter," once the protest of fandom (within this particular instance, BTS) uses assist for a reason, it comes to be achievable for supporters, reporters, and also academics towards tag it "fandom activism." This is actually due to the fact that supporters purposefully stay clear of rallying the fandom all around a singular create for BTS or even ARMY just before BTS offers specific assist, to start with due to the fact that supporters do not wish their individual activist campaigns towards influence BTS, and also also due to the fact that the variety of a transcultural fandom as if the BTS ARMY produces it tough towards rally as a natural device without a generally uniting aspect, including BTS on their own. Hence, classifying all of them "supporter activists" threats minimizing the subtleties in their activism.
In the summer season of 2020, BTS and also K-pop fans' participation in on-line #BlackLivesMatter protests was actually plainly included in headlines media, coming from hijacking white colored supremacist hashtags, towards difficult cops security applications, towards elevating $1 thousand for #BLM charities in a time (Alexander, 2020; Andrews, 2020; Kirkland, 2020; Playground et alia., 2021). Academics have actually created substantially approximately "supporter activism" just before, succinctly described as "the series of willful activities through supporters, or even making use of fanlike methods," featuring supporter fiction, remixed video recordings, self-published media analyses, fundraising, and also activity arranging, "towards provoke transform" (Brough & Shresthova, 2012, p. 2.4).
Although there's dispute involving where free throw line in between supporter activism and also true public involvement is actually pulled, it has actually come to be significantly unobstructed that the fanlike methods linking electronic fandom all together, particularly electronic activity arranging and also fundraising, have actually come to be a plan for arranging towards more comprehensive social transform.
