ARMY and BTS’ force
A group of people gathered around something they believe in and love is unstoppable, for good or bad.
Written in collaboration with María Mercedes Vera.
Right now we live in a world where everything is changing, and social perceptions are evolving right along with it. In this article, we will look to the K-pop group BTS and their fan base, ARMY, as examples of how social movements are coalescing with, and changing how we look at fandoms and their involvement in the political landscape.
The social movements seen around the world today are the result of “new ways of a collective organization” [1]. This theory explains how the new social movements, in which a common culture is essential for the formation of movements, and their great capacity of organization in a global phenomenon draws power from creating spaces focused on identity and belonging. In these spaces, people can identify with other people or other ideas and mobilize with symbolic and cultural factors [2]. By this we mean that culture is an important factor because the movement keeps the mark of the cultural context and the ability to develop a specific culture of the movement. This influences the cultural elements that characterize the global society [3]. This imaginary space transcends all physical limits and exists as a union of one place in time and history. In the ARMY fandom, themes of identity and belonging emerge through a shared love and passion for BTS.
These new social movements transcend class, social status, age, gender, and sexual orientation [4]. This means that members of the movements are diverse but with an important element in common: they carry out unifying collective action. This action is a complex combination of affirmations of their individual and collective identities [5], where members are involved in individual and collective daily activities revolving around a shared interest. This is why we can say that a fandom can have these characteristics.
ARMY is not just a fandom, they are connected with fan-activism, which can be seen with examples like: charity projects and projects of massive purchase of songs that are prepared by organizations inside the fandom, or in current emerging situations for example, the massive donation of money from the tickets of the BTS concert in Seoul that were returned after the cancellation of the event because of COVID-19 in April 2020, and in the manifestations in the USA on June 2020 supporting the “Black Lives Matter” movement with the #MatchAMillion proposal of “One in an ARMY” on Twitter to match the donation that BTS made for Black Lives Matter of one million dollars (USD).
In his theory of the future of social movements [6], Charles Tilly describes something called “action repertory.” This is where a variety of tools are utilized in response to injustice. Action repertory is different from traditional social movements where direct action is emphasised because it makes use of social media. This added element connects users to events in real-time, and makes movements accessible on a global scale.
These social movements employ something called “revindication.” This is the action of requiring something as a social right, of which there are three types:
I. Programmatic
The programmatic action is “the support or explicit opposition to real actions or proposal of the objects of vindication in the movement” [7]. This means that a social movement expresses explicit actions to show support or opposition to specific causes. It should be clarified that ARMY doesn’t self-identify as a social movement, but the unified actions of support or opposition to specific causes are explicit because we can find so many projects inside the fandom. This is showcased by fandom donations to multiple social justice organizations and charity projects, as well as the efforts to boost BTS up the charts by coordinated streaming and buying of songs that are prepared by organizations inside the fandom like Funds for Bangtan — an organization to donate and receive funds for USA and Puerto Rico to support BTS, so the songs could top the charts in the USA.
II. Identity
The identity action is an idea of a collective “us” that works towards achieving a unifying goal. In a fandom, we found common ideas and interests and create a link for people of diverse ages and cultures. This link helps to create an identity among the members of the fandom and gives a space of belonging. This explains why people from diverse backgrounds joined the Black Lives Matter movement protests in the USA in June 2020; a common identity was formed in the face of social and political injustice. This “us” identity was also adopted by many ARMYs, who following BTS mentioning and donating to the Black Lives Matter movement, organized activities to educate each other and to act against the injustice as one.
III. Position
The position action refers to the reaffirmation of ties and similarities with other political actors. In BLM protests, empathy for vulnerable groups was seen because of the murder of George Floyd by members of the Minneapolis police force. This led to actions organized by Black Lives Matter in more than 400 cities in the USA. In other countries like France, England, Brazil, and South Korea, protests and financial aid for organizations against racism were joined by other non-political groups, including BTS’ fandom, ARMY. Which, for example, contributed to the cause with the campaign “MatchAMillion,” donating one million dollars ($1,000,000) to Black Lives Matter movement.
ARMY is characterized as a diverse collective people from varied ethnic, social, political and national identities. They are brought together by the shared identity as an ARMY, where social bonds are fortified by their emotional and passionate nature.
So how did people interested in a band end up supporting a social movement for human rights? The answer takes us to the roots of fan activism. In Henry Jenkins’ “Cultural Acupuncture”, the author shows that fan activism isn’t a new or isolated phenomenon. For example, the “Harry Potter Alliance” (a Harry Potter fan community), has made massive donations in support of vulnerable groups, and encouraged people to vote for same-sex marriage rights. These interest-driven activities encourage people to participate in “important aspects of civic and, at times, political life” [8].
Fandoms involved in more activities than just sharing stuff about the common interest that unified them are a reflection of how these communities, and their peculiar structures, can transcend beyond a “typical” fan space. Fandoms are more than that, and can create an exchange of perspectives — where suddenly differences are bridged by a common identity; in other words, the “others” don’t seem that different anymore.
They become a place where external hierarchies don’t restrict people from organizing and expressing themselves. As Jenkins mentions:
“We may be able to talk across our differences if we find commonalities through our fantasies.” [9]
BTS and their message move their fandom into this common and open space for everyone, where bonds can be created, but, how exactly has BTS moved ARMY? That question may have thousands of answers, depending on each member of the fandom. However, the main message of BTS has always been about self-love, understanding, and justice. So, ARMY can be understood as a reflection of that.
This is why members of the BTS ARMY — a giant fandom with members all over the world — organize online campaigns and donations, teach each other about different cultures and ideas, and act in accordance with their common values.
Many people may see fandoms as a superficial or wasteful thing but the fandom phenomenon is more than what meets the eye. Such a big generalization misses the best part: the feelings of identity and belonging that can be created in a fan space, as well as the incredible force and empowering voice that they are given to act for what they believe in. Fan activism is showing us how important common identities between people are, how a message of self-love, understanding, and justice can be a motto worldwide, and no fandom demonstrates this quite like the BTS ARMY.
Works Cited
Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide.
Jenkins, H. (2012). ‘Cultural Acupuncture’: Fan Activism and the Harry Potter Alliance. Transformative Works and Cultures, №10.
Johnston, H., Laraña, E., & Gusfield, J. (2001). Identidades, ideologías y vida cotidiana en los nuevos movimientos sociales. En E. Laraña, & J. (. Gusfield, Los nuevos movimientos sociales. De la ideología a la identidad (pages. 03–58). Madrid: Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS).
Tilly, C. (2008). Capítulo 7: El futuro de los movimientos sociales. En C. Tilly, Los movimientos sociales, 1768–2008. Desde sus orígenes a Facebook. (pages. 279–303). Barcelona: Crítica.
McAdam, D. (2001). Cultura y movimientos sociales. En E. Laraña, & J. (. Gusfield, Los nuevos movimientos sociales. De la ideología a la identidad (págs. 43–67). Madrid: Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS).
[1] (Johnston, Laraña, & Gusfield, 2001, page. 6) Translated by: Vera M.; Loza, S. (2020)
[2] Ibídem p. 11
[3] (McAdam, page. 54) Translated by: Vera M.; Loza, S. (2020)
[4] (Johnston, Laraña, & Gusfield, 2001, page. 6) Translated by: Vera M.; Loza, S. (2020)
[5] Ibídem p. 8
[6] (Tilly, 2008, page. 289) Translated by: Vera M.; Loza, S. (2020)
[7] Ibídem p. 291
[8] (Jenkins, 2012)
[9] (Jenkins, 2006, page. 239)
