Beyond the Socials

One thing BTS mastered is how to harness the power of social media, and their internet reign began over a decade ago. When BTS debuted in 2013, it was uncommon for South Korean groups to interact directly with fans. It was even rarer for groups to have their own autonomy when uploading posts to the masses (the reason for this was to preserve a pristine "idol" image). BTS and their company BigHit however, were "circumventing a low marketing budget by uploading Youtube vlogs, writing tweets, and in an entirely new way, creating...[an] enormous global reach" (Sarkar)

Take a look at some early digital artifacts

Getting to know their impact:

Perhaps the most impressive product of BTS’ extensive use of mass media is the cultivation of their fanbase, called ARMY. As noted by Lyor Cohen, the global head of Youtube Music, “BTS knows how to engage fans between their big video drops with a steady stream of content” (Eun-Yeong Jeong).

Let's review the BTS ecosystem:

$33

million in ticket sales for their four nights headlining at Los Angeles, CA's SoFi Stadium. The group sold 214,000 tickets to fans who traveled from across the world, becoming the second-biggest ticket grossing for a single concert event in U.S. history (McIntyre).

$130

million worth of books, t-shirts, cosmetics, jewelry, dolls and other BTS branded memorabilia sold each year (Abramovitch).

800,

000

tourists visited South Korea to experience the band's home country, the Hyundai Research institute reports. That's 7% of 10.4 million foreign visitors (Kang).

4.65

According to the Hollywood Reporter, BTS account for $4.65 billion of South Korea's GDP, placing them in the same league as Samsung and Hyundai (Abramovitch).

7,928

more jobs were created by Dynamite's No.1 entry into the Hot 100 Billboard chart with "1.23 trillion won in production sector and 480 billion won" added to the value (Zahra)

Through advertising products on social media, performing large scale concerts (in-person and live-streamed), creating chart-topping hit songs, and self-producing variety shows and other content, BTS have produced groundbreaking results for the South Korean economy as well as for the global music industry. In fact, "Bangtan Economy" is a term that has been popularized in reference to how BTS has contributed to South Korea's culture, economy and industry; the band's efforts have augmented South Korea's soft power on the global scale (Zahra).

$504

million brought in profit as Hyundai Motor's global ambassadors (Zahra)

"We don't need Permission to Dance"

Over the past decade, BTS strategically curated a digital content empire that allowed them to connect with fans and motivate them to actively participate in community building activities and self-improvement. This effect, attributed to being part of their fandom, grew quite significant during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic where many individuals found themselves confined to their homes and lacking extended social interactions. Let's take a look at how the group utilized media to disseminate messages of hope to their "ARMY"

Bang Bang Con: The Live

When global lockdown restrictions halted live performances, BTS innovated new ways to reach their ARMY. On June 14th, 2020, the septet performed a 12-song set in front of an empty audience. Then, with the powers of mass communication resources on their side, they live-streamed the entire show on their company-created website "Weverse". Fans from 100 countries tuned in, sharing clips of them dancing, singing, and following Covid-19 safety guidelines. In fact, the show broke the Guinness World record for most viewed live stream concert ever, with over 756,000 onlookers.

Leading music artists on Korean media platform Weverse as of April 2023, by amount of members (in millions)

As of April 2023, BTS is "the most followed artist on Korean web portal and app Weverse by far, with almost 22 million registered fans worldwide" (Statista). Weverse is a social media and video content platform created by HYBE Corporation, the company behind BTS (BigHit Entertainment rebranded as HYBE). Launched in 2019, BTS use this platform to interact with fans in various ways; the members "go live" to film their everyday activities, perform live stream concerts, and respond to fans' own created content. This platform allows for mass communication on a large scale, and was a staple for ARMY during the Pandemic.

"Jamais Vu", A Bang Bang Con Performance

In this record-breaking live-stream concert, one can find the most gentle yet impactful performances. In "Jamais Vu", Jungkook, Jin and J-Hope sing in a 2-dimensional room. This detail is likely an intentional reference to how the pandemic isolation made communication only possible through 2D viewing (think: Zoom meetings). The French term "Jamais Vu" translates to "never seen", a quite fitting description for the relatively nonexistent human interactions during the Pandemic. In the song, BTS calls for a "remedy, a melody" to remind them of the convivial times now lost in memory. This live stream is a prime example of how BTS broadcast their messages of hope via mass communication technologies.

The "Permission To Dance" challenge

In the choreography of BTS' chart-topping single "Permission To Dance", the members incorporated sign language, with movements that mean "'to have fun', 'to dance' and 'peace'" (Lagarde). After revealing the choreography to fans, BTS yet again utilized the internet to call on people around the globe to join the movement and dance. Their message was received, and multitudes of people (everyone from Catholic nuns to Elton John) sent in their own videos of them dancing and signing the words/movements of peace and unity. With this, BTS showed how mass communication can positively unite diverse groups to relay the same message of peace and freedom of expression.

BTS - "Permission to Dance" performed at the United Nations General Assembly

On September 21 of 2021, BTS put their power of mass communication to the test as diplomatic envoys at the United Nations (UN). Not only did the seven deliver a speech endorsing the UN's sustainability development goals (SDG) movement to mitigate global warming and provide global Covid-19 relief, they performed "Permission To Dance" through the Assembly Hall and out onto the lawn. The UN released a statement that this performance alongside the members remarks were meant to "draw their audiences attention to the importance of Keeping the Promise of the Sustainable Development Goals and to inspire action." Sure enough, the live stream garnered over 1 million views with viewers showering support for the cause (Vigdor).

Run BTS!

"Run BTS!" is a self-produced variety show. The web series launched on V-Live in 2015.
It began with the members simply in front of a white wall, playing games with each other to introduce their personalities. Since then, the show has catapulted into a more official weekly installment, with over 150 episodes created in the last 6 years (Burt). This self-produced show that started with nothing but a camera is an example of how BTS utilized mass media (video) to facilitate mass communication with their fans. Many K-Pop companies have emulated BTS' original variety show formula to help their own groups gain public attention.

Words from BTS at the United Nations:

During the SDG Moment at the UN General Assembly, BTS were asked if they think the term "Covid lost generation" is fair to describe youngsters these days. Jin emphasized the pictures kids sent in of them "trying to learn new things", arguing they "are not lost," but "are finding new courage and taking on new challenges“. Suga followed up with this statement: "Instead of the lost generation, a more appropriate name would be the ‘welcome’ generation because instead of fearing change, this generation says “welcome” and keeps pushing ahead” (UN News)