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the passion of BTS’s fandom as a phenomenon called
“ horizontality,” a mutual exchange between artists
and their fans. As opposed to top-down instruction
from an icon to their followers, BTS has built a true
community. “Us and our fans are a great influence
on each other,” says J-Hope. “We learn through the
process of making music and receiving feedback.”
The BTS fandom isn’t just about ensuring the band’s
primacy—it’s also about extending the band’s mes-
sage of positivity into the world. “BTS and ARMY
are a symbol of change in zeitgeist, not just of gen-
erational change,” says Lee.
And in June, BTS became a symbol of youth activ-
ism worldwide after they donated $1 million to the
Black Lives Matter movement amid major protests in
the U.S. (They have a long track record of supporting
initiatives like UNICEF and school programs.) BTS
says now it was simply in support of human rights.
“That was not politics. It was related to racism,” Jin
says. “We believe everyone deserves to be respected.
That’s why we made that decision.”
That proved meaningful for fans like Yassin Adam,
20, an ARMY from Georgia who runs popular BTS
social media accounts sharing news and updates, and
who is Black. “It will bring more awareness to this
issue people like me face in this country,” he says. “I
see myself in them, or at least a version of myself.” In
May and June, a broad coalition of K-pop fans made
headlines for interfering with a police app and buying
out tickets for a Trump campaign rally, depleting the
in-person attendance. Later that summer, ARMY’s
grassroots fundraising effort matched BTS’s $1 mil-
lion donation to Black Lives Matter within 24 hours.
For 28-year-old Nicole Santero, who is Asian
American, their success in the U.S. is also a triumph
of representation: “I never really saw people like
myself on such a mainstream stage,” Santero says.
She’s writing her doctoral dissertation on the culture
of BTS fandom, and she runs a popular Twitter ac-
count that analyzes and shares BTS data. “Anytime
I’m awake, I’m doing something related to BTS,” she
says. “This is a deeper kind of love.”
Devotion like that is a point of pride for BTS,
particularly in a year when so much has felt uncertain.
“We’re not sure if we’ve actually earned respect,”
RM says. “But one thing for sure is that [people] feel
like, O.K., this is not just some kind of a syndrome,
a phenomenon.” He searches for the right words.
“These little boys from Korea are doing this.” — With
reporting by AriA Chen/hong Kong; MAriAh
espAdA/ WAshington; sAngsuK sylviA KAng and
KAt Moon/neW yorK □
Used to drawing huge
crowds, bottom right,
BTS this year turned
to virtual events
like livestreams and
an October online
concert with nearly
a million ticket
buyers
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: HEO RAN—REUTERS (2); KIM HONG-JI—REUTERS; DIA DIPASUPIL—GETTY IMAGES
