Spend any amount of time-consuming content about and around BTS, and you will sooner or later stumble upon an unfortunate by-product of fame: clout chasers. Some of them are almost undetectable, but all of them have a few things in common.
There’s no true technical definition of a “clout chaser,” and they come in a lot of different varieties - none of which are exclusive to BTS but almost all of which have appeared in the microcosm in which ARMY and BTS operate.
The foundation of all clout chasers is the idea of using a famous person or entity to get attention and gain influence within their social sphere. The selection process behind which famous entity is chosen is fairly simple: whoever is most popular in the zeitgeist at the moment.
In other words, right now, BTS has a big neon arrow hanging over their heads. The shining aura of fame that surrounds BTS attracts clout chasers like moths to a proverbial flame.
However, there are a lot of entities and people around BTS gaining attention by being near them who aren’t just using them to get attention - so how do you spot which ones are clout chasers and which ones are genuine?
Spotting clout chasers in a crowd
The terrible news is that there’s no “good” way to spot a clout chaser - especially because sometimes clout chasers don’t start off that way. Sometimes people who use others for clout start off as friends or mentors or colleagues and then decide they like the spotlight.
Here are some things a clout chaser might do:
A sudden switch from their “normal” content to 100% BTS content
Taking an “edgy” perspective on BTS and BTS content
Plugging BTS in their promotions and then barely talking about them or to them in the end product
Trying to play up to the “ARMYs are all crazy” agenda by using language or images geared towards stirring up delusional behavior - and then saying all “real ARMYs” will consume their content
Playing up a connection with BTS - no matter how minor
Bringing up BTS whenever possible, even if it doesn’t really make sense
However, this isn’t an exhaustive list. Celebrities in the past have taken pictures with BTS because they “looked like somebody” and figured it might get them some attention. Big accounts on social media can sometimes be caught engaging in this type of behavior - plugging their own content by way of posts connected to BTS’ posts.
Ultimately, here’s the verdict: you’ll know a clout chaser when you see one.
The problem with identification
If the best way to spot clout chasers is basically to say “you’ll know it when you see it,” this spawns an inherent problem: identifying clout chasers is highly subjective. Depending on who is asked, you might even find BTS being called clout chasers by Western media personalities who say they are trying to gain clout by collaborating with Western artists. While this is not accurate (considering the fact that BTS has enough influence on their own, sans collaborations), there is a lot of personal opinions involved in the designation of clout chaser, which makes the designation a contentious issue.
In some instances, it can even be argued that clout chasing is relatively harmless. A big account on Twitter plugging their cover under the boys’ tweets about one of their solo songs doesn’t really harm anything in the grand scheme of things, even if it might be considered to be in questionable taste by some. People might not even call them clout chasers in this instance - they might just say they’re attention-seekers, or may not bother with them at all.
When does it become a problem?
Some might say that clout chasing isn’t really a problem - it’s a job hazard and should be expected; everyone does it, so it’s just a fact of life for the celebrity crowd.
However, there’s a counterpoint: there are certainly toxic clout chasers, and the use of the term also creates an environment which breeds toxicity in fans.
Recently, a media personality was doing an interview with BTS and promoted it by tweeting a picture of hair clippings and captioning it “We’ve got BTS hair, people!” When ARMYs responded negatively, he claimed that any “real ARMY” would watch his interview anyway, because any “real ARMY” would watch BTS content no matter what it was.
This is an example of toxic clout chasing - of the “gaining attention” variety (as opposed to gaining influence). The interviewer was blatantly trying to get views from ARMY - first by the tweet about the hair and then by attempting to guilt ARMYs into watching the interview by implying they weren’t real ARMY if they didn’t.
It would be an understatement to say that this is problematic. First, it is in incredibly poor taste - hair clippings? Really? - and second, it pushes the “all ARMYs are crazy” agenda. It’s not a good look. Does it directly harm BTS or their reputation? No. However, in furthering the “ARMYs are crazy” agenda, it could be considered damaging to ARMY (additionally, the interviewer did actually call ARMY “crazy” in his interview).
This is not to say that ARMY is entirely blameless. In some cases, ARMYs have been very vocal regarding artists with whom BTS has collaborated, calling the artist's clout chasers for wanting to collaborate with BTS. Generally, this is a vocal minority and the majority of ARMY doesn’t share the same opinion, but the behavior is still questionable and provides no helpful discourse in the community.
The solution
With the topic being so subjective, it’s difficult to find a solution or to even think that there might be one. However, throughout this article, careful watchers may have noticed something.
No names were used.
This is the key point in fighting clout chasers and toxic behavior in general. If an account or personality is acting suspiciously or voicing toxic opinions, the best way to combat them is not to use their name. People trying to get attention by slandering BTS, making edgy jokes about ARMY, or making claims that any “real ARMY” would follow them - or generally engaging in questionable or toxic behavior - achieve their goal if they are acknowledged. Oddly, they might be encouraged by ARMY protesting their behavior.
Engaging in toxic behavior for the express purpose of gaining attention is in general in poor taste, and in reality, there is very little we can do, especially if they are the type to be encouraged by even the most polite attempts to question them.
They want to see their name in the headlines - and the only way to truly combat this is to refuse to give them what they want.
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: Anna Moon
Edit By: Ash
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