BLOGGING is not a glamorous job. For many, the working hours are sporadic, with bursts of busyness followed by intermittent patches of downtime. Nor is it one of those projects that warrant giving up your day job. Ask any blogger, and nine times out of ten they will tell you that they didn’t become a blogger for the financial rewards, because for most — there aren’t any.
Instead, if you’re anything like the bloggers here at Borasaek Vision, it is more about passion and wanting to contribute more meaningfully to the BTS x ARMY community. For others, it is also an opportunity for further personal and/or professional development in the art, science, and spirit of writing. For all of us, it’s a way to merge two passion areas, writing, and BTS.
“The ARMY Writers Club page retweeted Borasaek Vision’s post that said it was hiring. I took a look and I was immediately captivated by the thought of writing for an ARMY magazine and about BTS. I mean, the very thought of being able to channel my passion for BTS in a professional way had me in.”- Ananya
As a person and as a writer, I naturally think in 3s — Big Hit x BTS x ARMY; Rap line, Vocal line, Dance line; “피 땀 눈물” – “Blood, Sweat & Tears.” Quirky as that may seem, it is the reason why you’re now reading a blog titled “3 Reasons to be an ARMY Blogger.” In keeping with the “I” theme, let’s take a look at the first reason.
Reason #1: To “INSPIRE”
As ARMY bloggers, we have the ability to inspire others, just as BTS continues to inspire us on a daily basis. With a wealth of BTS content constantly flowing from Big Hit Entertainment, BTS themselves, and the ARMY fandom, there tends to be a never-ending supply of “inspiration.” Throw into the mix, the global “misadventures” of 2020, and now more than ever, inspiration is needed.
Often, we hear the BTS members talk about how they want their music to touch people’s hearts. As bloggers, we too would like our words and messages to touch people’s hearts or, at the very least, open their minds to the BTS that we know and respect as fans. If our words inspire ARMYs to step forward into their own hopes and dreams or inspire them to want to learn more about BTS as artists and as ambassadors for the Korean language and culture, then we are doing the right things for the right reasons.
Reason #2: To “INFLUENCE”
While we are not “influencers” in terms of social media practice, as bloggers we do have the potential to be influential. When Borasaek Vision first began to publish blogs and magazine articles a little over a year ago, we were very much an unknown entity. Presenting at the BTS Conference in London earlier this year gave Borasaek Vision members an invaluable opportunity to network with other ARMYs on an international scale and to share our own origin story. Likewise, a spot at Rhizome Connect (a free virtual ARMY convention hosted by The Rhizomatic Revolution Review) in August gave us more exposure, placing us alongside a collective of ARMY-led publications.
This exposure and recognition meant that little by little, our networks grew, and our readership increased. While most of the feedback from our readers to date has been constructive and positive, every now and then we are challenged on something that we wrote. Fortunately, knowing the process of due diligence dedicated to each body of writing, we have been able to stand by our words with integrity. This is evidence that our writings are starting to have an influence on what is being discussed, debated, and critiqued in the wider community of BTS x ARMY.
Reason #3: To “INFORM”
As bloggers, we are ever mindful that our words have the ability to move people’s hearts and minds, and with that knowledge comes a deeper sense of responsibility and accountability. Recently, One in an ARMY, a “BTS fan collective that focuses on charity-based campaigns and projects,” expressed their concerns of misrepresentation in the media, describing the actions of the interviewer as “journalistic malpractice” (as opposed to journalistic integrity). As bloggers, we need to stay informed with regard to what is happening in the BTS x ARMY community, especially when the septet, their agency, and the fans are considered to be “newsworthy.” However, as one of our earlier blogs highlighted, too often we see journalists publishing “opinions as facts and offering little or invalid evidence to support their claims.”
As an organization, Borasaek Vision’s goal is to produce “high-quality, insightful content.” High-quality, for us, means that our content is factually accurate, evidence-based, and contextually relevant. Regardless of who our audience is, we know that every blog or article has to possess these attributes. We also know that as ARMYs ourselves, we naturally come with our own biases. While we don’t necessarily have to leave these at the door when we arrive, we do need to be transparent about those biases, as they will color the way in which we perceive the world around us, and in turn why, what, and how we write.
Ending Ment
To be an ARMY blogger is a heart mission, as much as it is a fan-based approach to modern journalism. Borasaek Vision provides our team of bloggers with a platform to speak back to dominant narratives rife with factual inaccuracies, innuendos, and misrepresentation. We speak with a voice that is distinctly ARMY, yet we do so with integrity. We don’t claim to represent all ARMYs, but we do acknowledge that whatever topics we decide to publish are all, in some way, relevant to the BTS x ARMY community. Ultimately, we’re not afraid to dip our metaphorical pens into the murky waters of journalism, as our intent is always to inspire, influence, and inform.
DISCLAIMER: We do not own any audio & visual content in this video except for the editing. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS. No copyright infringement intended.
Written By: Shelley
Edit By: Vera
Checked By: Mheer
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