They say that when one door closes, another one opens, and for ARMY these are the magical doors of BTS. This blog is dedicated to ARMY as much as it is about ARMY: a global community of BTS fans as diverse as the galaxies in our universe.
Many have attempted to characterize ARMY, yet we cannot be so easily defined. Not by age, ethnicity, or gender; not by education, job, or spending power. Just as there are no walls to contain the love that we have for BTS, there are also no words to fully capture who and what we are. On occasions where someone has tried (and failed) to capture this essence, ARMYs have been quick to respond, such as after the SNL (Saturday Night Live) promo earlier this year. Once in awhile, however, a gem comes along and ARMYs speak back with clarity, respect and factual accuracy.
WHEN DID IT ALL BEGIN?
A month after debuting in 2013, BTS announced the name of their fan club as A.R.M.Y (or 아미 in Korean, which stands for Adorable Representative MC for Youth). The name ‘A.R.M.Y’ resonated with the ‘military’ theme attached to their own name of 방탄소년단 (Bangtan Sonyeondan /Bulletproof Boy Scouts). At that time, ARMY comprised a small yet loyal group of fans, but as BTS’ exposure to the world increased via social media and various public events, ARMY responded in kind with its growing membership. Since then, BTS and ARMY have been inseparable, and just as the two groups have evolved over the past six years, so too has the relationship.
WHO IS ARMY?
For thousands, perhaps even millions, of ARMYs worldwide, BTS breathed new life into us at a time when we needed it most. In reality, however, only we know what it was that captured our hearts, our minds, and for some of us, our souls. The beauty and meaningfulness of their music and lyrics or their warm and sincere personalities? The synchronicity of their dance moves or their stylish fashion and flawless visuals? Whatever it was, from that moment on BTS became an integral part of our lives and we became part of the BTS/ARMY family.
For BTS, ARMY gave them unwavering support to weather the continuous barrage of criticism and judgement to which they were subjected. More importantly though, ARMY gave BTS their wings to fly and BTS unashamedly acknowledges this every chance they get. This is not an exaggeration but a reality that many outsiders struggle to understand, let alone appreciate. Look at BTS’ recent remixed release of “Make It Right” (featuring Lauv). The accompanying music video pays homage to ARMY with Love Yourself Speak Yourself concert footage and a heart-warming animation that portrays ARMY as their comforter and protector. Not surprising considering the number of times ARMY has spoken up against racist and xenophobic attacks on BTS.
To highlight BTS’ relationship with ARMY, look carefully at this for a not-so-hidden message.
Do you see it?
For those wanting more concrete evidence, the numbers speak for themselves. BTS have amassed more than 22 million followers on their Twitter account, ranking them #88 out of the Top 100 Twitter profiles. To put that into perspective, former US President Barack Obama ranks #1 with 109 million followers. While there’s no way of knowing whether ALL of those followers are ARMY, we do know that BTS ranks #1 when it comes to social engagement. As a testament to that, BTS has won Billboard’s Top Social Artist award for three years running, a record previously held by artist Justin Beiber. That on its own is a significant feat.
THE KEY TO BEING ARMY
A desire to support and engage with BTS is the only key that’s needed. Whether we dive in head first or take a more deliberate approach, experiencing BTS is as phenomenal as BTS themselves.
Being ARMY is not dependent upon paid membership. We can go our entire ARMY lifetime without paying a membership fee; however, it comes with certain benefits. Nor are we expected to “spend, buy, purchase” BTS products to prove our loyalty. There are multiple ways for us to experience BTS.
Perhaps the main thing to know is this: BTS are KINGS when it comes to social media, so we need to up our own game to be in the same ‘virtual’ spaces as BTS. Spaces such as these allow us to experience BTS, interact with other ARMYs, and keep us up-to-date globally with BTS-related activities and events. At a minimum, Twitter, YouTube, VLive and Weverse are our ‘go to’ spaces.
WHO IS ARMY TO BTS?
ARMY and BTS share a special relationship that acknowledges the struggles of life and the importance of passion, resilience, and hope. Whether we were there in 2013 to witness BTS’ debut or arrived with the most recent comeback, our own debuts as ARMYs should also be celebrated. Since this is the Year of the Pig let’s hear from our ’95 line, V & Jimin, about the place ARMY holds in BTS’ hearts:
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any audio & visual content in this essay except for the editing. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS. No copyright infringement intended.
Written By: Mama Shelley
Edit By: Anna