Being an ARMY is an amazing experience. The ARMY fandom is a diverse and supportive community that was brought together by seven astounding young men from South Korea. Joining a community who loves BTS as much as you do can be incredibly fulfilling.
Every ARMY knows how it feels like to be invested in BTS. One could describe it as a fun and emotional ride of loving who BTS are, believing in what they stand for, and meeting fellow fans who love and support them too.
There are ARMYs who are more reserved and simply follow the group’s music and shows, while others are always up to date with what the BTS members do in their lives via Twitter. These types of fans often create various fan content, organizations, and projects dedicated to BTS.
With the surge of new ARMYs entering the fandom due to BTS’ growing international fame, RM reminds ARMY that “no matter when you become our fans, we are always thankful for your love.” The only requirement to be an ARMY is to love all members and their music.
However, given that the ARMY fandom is huge, it is unavoidable for ARMYs to experience some negativity. Despite BTS’ message of loving oneself through their songs, actions, and advocacies, there are ARMYs who find it difficult to apply these principles in their own lives. ARMY believes that “You [ARMY] find them [BTS] when you need them the most,” but sometimes even BTS can’t stop certain spiraling thoughts.
Just like any other online community, fandoms can have a huge impact on a fan’s mental health.
Merchandises in the K-pop World
BTS, like other artists, sell official merchandise to promote their group and their music. From albums and concert DVDs to lightsticks and books — there is so much merchandise that allows ARMY to explore work created by or related to BTS.
It’s unavoidable for fans to spend money on their favorite artists. But in the world of K-pop, artists are stepping it up a notch. Unlike other artists who release only a few calendars or hoodies, K-pop artists also have group-specific lightsticks and collectible photo cards.
The volume of BTS merchandise is astounding (as shown in the graphic below). Aside from the typical merchandise mentioned above, BTS and Big Hit created alternate universes, cartoon characters, and games to engage with ARMY. Not all ARMYs can afford to buy official merchandise, however. Official merchandise can be expensive, definitely not wallet-friendly, so some ARMYs resort to creating unofficial merchandise.
This is where things can get messy. For some, having a more extensive official merchandise collection is proof of being a “better” fan. Failing to buy the latest official merchandise shows lack of commitment. “Merch-shaming” in K-pop fandoms is real.
Streaming Culture
Social media has also taken a major role in boosting the popularity of artists. BTS promotes their music through social media platforms; ARMY spreads the word to the general public by ensuring that every release beats records — number of views, rankings on charts, etc.
Due to the eagerness to have BTS’ name on top of every record, ARMY organizes mass streaming events to encourage fellow ARMYs to stream BTS’ latest release. Mass streaming is supposed to be an engaging activity for ARMY and other listeners. However, there are a few instances when it could become detrimental.
There is peer pressure that comes alongside BTS’ new releases — the pressure to contribute to making BTS number 1. Some fans end up feeling obligated to be streaming around the clock and dedicating all their time to supporting the new release, which could have damaging effects on an ARMY’s mental health.
Some ARMYs feel like streaming is something all loyal fans must do. They actively pressure fellow ARMYs into streaming and attack them if they don't want to stream BTS’ new release. This perpetuates a notion that ARMYs who don’t stream are not real fans.
Prioritize Mental Health
People know that BTS are passionate mental health advocates — they tackle mental health in their music, talk about it in their interviews, and even launched their Love Myself campaign in partnership with UNICEF. The group reminds ARMY time and time again that we should love ourselves before anything else, and yes — that also means that we should prioritize loving ourselves before giving our love to BTS.
ARMY is bound to feel a lot of pressure to support BTS by constantly engaging — be it through buying merch or streaming, but we should pace ourselves. We don’t have to stream and buy everything. We can only do so much; let’s allocate what we want to do in a healthy way. To love BTS doesn’t mean we have to give up on ourselves. If we cannot afford to buy BTS merchandise or stream all night, we shouldn’t feel ashamed. We might have placed our money and time on other priorities, but it doesn’t mean that we are not real ARMYs. The ARMY fandom shouldn’t be a source of financial stress or pressure. Plus, BTS would want us to take care of ourselves rather than neglecting ourselves just to give them our support.
Spending money on BTS and streaming their music all day can be fun, but it is not what makes a fan. We shouldn’t force other ARMYs to buy merchandise or dedicate their free time to stream. If we can’t buy every BTS merchandise or stream every release, we shouldn’t worry! BTS would still love and appreciate us for who we are, and we should too.
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: Euni
Edit By: Esme
Checked By: Clara
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