How BTS ARMY raised $1 million for Black Lives Matter

The

mobilizing

power

OF THE

BTS

ARMY

The

mobilizing

power

OF THE

BTS

ARMY

The

mobilizing

power

OF THE

BTS

ARMY

How the South Korean band’s fanbase – known as ARMY – raised over $1 million for the Black Lives Matter movement, mostly in just one day.

The protests against police brutality and systemic racism have seen several American and international celebrities donate to U.S. nonprofits and organizations dedicated to racial justice. On June 5, racial justice organization Black Lives Matter confirmed it had received a $1 million donation from South Korean pop group BTS and its record label, Big Hit Entertainment.

Shortly after the news became public, BTS fans organized an online campaign to match the donation under the hashtag #MatchAMillion and reached their goal in just 25 hours.

K-pop fans are known for their prolific social media activity and have used their influence to support social justice issues. On Instagram and Twitter, they have taken over white supremacist hashtags with fancams – short videos of their favourite pop idols performing. When the Dallas Police Department asked the public to submit videos of “illegal activity” during protests to its iWatch Dallas app, fans encouraged each other to submit fancams instead, and the app went temporarily offline. More recently, fans were credited alongside TikTok-using teenagers for registering en masse for tickets for President Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but not attending.

These fanbases are sometimes generalized as young and obsessive individuals who occasionally take collective action. But they have a history of raising money for charity and breaking social media records, and BTS fans in particular are enabled by the semi-structured organization of the fanbase and the diversity within their ranks.

Amount raised over time

A BTS fan account called @BTS_History613 tweeted frequent screenshots of the fundraising page as it was underway, helping the fanbase track the total amount raised.

$1,000,000

Fundraiser

surpasses

$1 million

@BTS_History613 begins

tweeting updates

$500,000

Variety reveals

$1M donation

0

12 a.m. GMT

4 a.m.

8 a.m.

12 p.m.

4 p.m.

8 p.m.

12 a.m.

4 a.m.

June 7

June 8

A BTS fan account called @BTS_History613 tweeted frequent screenshots of the fundraising page as it was underway, helping the fanbase track the total amount raised.

$1,000,000

Fundraiser surpasses

$1 million

@BTS_History613 begins

tweeting updates

$500,000

Variety reveals

$1M donation

0

12 a.m. GMT

4 a.m.

8 a.m.

12 p.m.

4 p.m.

8 p.m.

12 a.m.

4 a.m.

June 7

June 8

A BTS fan account called @BTS_History613 tweeted frequent screenshots of the fundraising page as it was underway, helping the fanbase track the total amount raised.

$1,000,000

Fundraiser

surpasses

$1 million

@BTS_History613

begins tweeting

updates

$500,000

Variety reveals

$1M donation

0

12 a.m. GMT

12 p.m.

12 a.m.

June 7

June 8

Who is BTS, and why do they have an army?

BTS is a seven-member K-pop group whose music draws from several genres, including hip-hop, pop and R&B. Since their 2013 debut, they’ve become known for their meticulous choreography, elaborate music videos with connected storylines and youth-focused lyrics that touch on themes such as self-confidence, mental health and societal norms.

Individual fans and the collective fanbase are known as ARMY, which stands for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth, and the term is often used without an article like “He’s ARMY,” and “ARMY raised $1 million.”

BTS is short for Bangtan Sonyeondan (방탄소년단) in Korean, which translates to “Bulletproof Boy Scouts”. In 2017, the group said their name is also an acronym for the phrase “beyond the scene” in English.

Kim Nam-joon

RM

Singers

Rappers

Min Yoon-gi

Kim Seok-jin

Jung Ho-seok

Jin

Suga

J-Hope

Kim Tae-hyung

Park Ji-min

Jeon Jung-kook

Jimin

V

Jungkook

BTS is short for Bangtan Sonyeondan (방탄소년단) in Korean, which translates to “Bulletproof Boy Scouts”. In 2017, the group said their name is also an acronym for the phrase “beyond the scene” in English.

Kim Nam-joon

RM

Singers

Rappers

Min Yoon-gi

Jung Ho-seok

Kim Seok-jin

Jin

J-Hope

Suga

Kim Tae-hyung

Park Ji-min

Jeon Jung-kook

V

Jungkook

Jimin

BTS is short for Bangtan Sonyeondan (방탄소년단) in Korean, which translates to “Bulletproof Boy Scouts”. In 2017, the group said their name is also an acronym for the phrase “beyond the scene” in English.

Kim Nam-joon

RM

Singers

Rappers

Min Yoon-gi

Kim Seok-jin

Jung Ho-seok

Jin

Suga

J-Hope

Kim Tae-hyung

Park Ji-min

Jeon Jung-kook

Jimin

V

Jungkook

ARMY’s history of fundraising

South Korean celebrities, including K-pop stars like BTS, rarely publicise donations, so fans often only find out about them if media organizations uncover the details.

One of the band’s few public announcements was in November 2017, when BTS partnered with UNICEF to launch the “LOVE MYSELF” campaign aimed at protecting children and teenagers from violence and sexual assault. The band and their label pledged 500 million KRW (USD 418,897.60) and 3% of the physical albums from their “Love Yourself” collection, along with six other fundraising initiatives.

In March 2018, a then 16-year-old Brazilian fan asked if any of her Twitter followers wanted to collaborate on a charity project to donate to the UNICEF campaign. Within a month, they launched “One In An ARMY.” Since then, the volunteer group of nearly 30 organizers and translators has conducted monthly campaigns for 22 charities across the globe, in addition to several other campaigns such as the “ARMY Share The Warmth” drive to donate money and items to local shelters during the winter. Instead of collecting the money and distributing it, One In An ARMY creates pages on fundraising websites for fans to donate directly to the charities.

One In An ARMY’s monthly campaigns, April 2018 – April 2020

“We are a small charity so the support was really valuable to us.” – Christina Lake from Key Changes, a U.K. nonprofit

$10,000

5,000

No projects in April and June 2019

0

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

J

F

M

A

2018

2019

2020

“We are a small charity so the support was really valuable to us.” – Christina Lake from Key Changes, a U.K. nonprofit

$10,000

No projects in April and June 2019

5,000

0

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

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N

D

J

F

M

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2018

2019

2020

“We are a small charity so the support was really valuable to us.” – Christina Lake from Key Changes, a U.K. nonprofit

$10,000

5,000

No projects in April and June 2019

0

A

J

J

S

O

N

D

M

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A

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F

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J

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2018

2019

2020

In lieu of monthly projects for May and June this year, though, the project ran seven concurrent charitable campaigns to celebrate BTS’ seventh anniversary. But when protests broke out across the U.S. at the end of May, fans asked One In An ARMY how they could support the Black Lives Matter movement and other racial justice campaigns in the U.S.

“As One In An ARMY is comprised entirely of volunteers, it would be almost impossible for us to set up a campaign to address a crisis situation,” its website’s FAQ section states, explaining that monthly campaigns are planned weeks in advance. To compromise, they set up a page on ActBlue – a U.S. Democratic party-affiliated fundraising platform – for fans to donate to 14 U.S. nonprofits. They tweeted the link on June 1.

On June 6, fans learned that BTS and their label had donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter. They decided to match that total and flocked to the ActBlue fundraiser page, raising donations to #MatchAMillion by June 8.

Over the course of the previous 22 monthly campaigns, One In An ARMY raised over $98,000 for charity in total. During these eight days in June, fans raised more than 10 times that, almost all in just 25 hours between June 7 and 8. As of July 14, they have raised more than $1.3 million dollars.

Monthly

campaigns

#MatchAMillion

campaign

$98,015

$1,000,000

$1,329,390

Monthly

campaigns

#MatchAMillion

CAMPAIGN

$98,015

$1,000,000

$1,329,390

Monthly

campaigns

#MatchAMillion

campaign

$98,015

$1,000,000

$1,329,390

ARMYs aren’t the only K-pop fans known for their acts of charity, but the speed with which BTS fans organized and the scale of the funds they raised in that time may be unprecedented, according to industry experts.

The ARMY behind BTS

One way BTS fans were able to organize on such a large scale is because of the diversity of their fanbase online, and how K-pop’s popularity has grown across older demographics.

According to Chicago-based company Vivid Seats, a growing percentage of fans are from older age groups. When tickets for the Love Yourself tour went on sale in 2018, 43% of fans searching for tickets on the BTS ticket site were women between the ages of 18 and 24. Two years later, just 24% belonged to that demographic when tickets to the Map of the Soul: Persona tour went on sale, and women over the age of 45 doubled from 7.5% to over 16%.

“Thanks to BTS, in my later stage of life I’ve got a whole new group of friends,” said Nan Paturzo, 57, who created the Bangtan Moms and Noonas online community for older fans. Paturzo, who is half-Korean, said she had never embraced her Korean heritage until she started listening to BTS three years ago. “It’s brought a whole richness to my daily life that for me, personally, has made me extremely happy.”

Web traffic for 2020 Map of the Soul tour tickets

= 1% of web traffic

Male

Female

18-24

years

old

“As a young Asian-American man, it's cool to have role models like them who are redefining aspects of music and culture."

– Andy K., 26, U.S.

CEO of aerospace startup

25-34

“I like to think that they have found me, because I needed them, and not the other way around.”

– Elisa Greco Gambino, 37, Italy

Works in customer care for software company

35-44

45-54

55-64

“Their performances were beyond the talents and expressions I'd seen before. I just slowly sunk into it and went from being curious to appreciating it, and from appreciating it to embracing it.”

@KpopDad, 51, U.S.

YouTuber, webmaster, art director

“I found it so refreshing that BTS sings and talk about emotional pressures, pressures that youth face from home, & society; pressures of expectations; loving yourself, loving others.”

– Shirley Lee, 51, Hong Kong

Works in retail supply chain operations

65+

= 1% of web traffic

Male

Female

18-24

years

old

“As a young Asian-American man, it's cool to have role models like them who are redefining aspects of music and culture."

– Andy K., 26, U.S.

CEO of aerospace startup

“I like to think that they have found me, because I needed them, and not the other way around.”

– Elisa Greco Gambino, 37, Italy

Works in customer care for software company

25-34

35-44

45-54

“Their performances were beyond the talents and expressions I'd seen before. I just slowly sunk into it and went from being curious to appreciating it, and from appreciating it to embracing it.”

@KpopDad, 51, U.S.

YouTuber, webmaster, art director

55-64

“I found it so refreshing that BTS sings and talk about emotional pressures, pressures that youth face from home, & society; pressures of expectations; loving yourself, loving others.”

– Shirley Lee, 51, Hong Kong

Works in retail supply chain operations

65+

= 1% of web traffic

Male

Female

18-24

years

old

25-34

“As a young Asian-American man, it's cool to have role models like them who are redefining aspects of music and culture."

– Andy K., 26, U.S.

CEO of aerospace startup

“I like to think that they have found me, because I needed them, and not the other way around.”

– Elisa Greco Gambino, 37, Italy

Works in customer care for software company

35-44

45-54

“Their performances were beyond the talents and expressions I'd seen before. I just slowly sunk into it and went from being curious to appreciating it, and from appreciating it to embracing it.”

@KpopDad, 51, U.S.

YouTuber, webmaster, art director

“I found it so refreshing that BTS sings and talk about emotional pressures, pressures that youth face from home, & society; pressures of expectations; loving yourself, loving others.”

– Shirley Lee, 51, Hong Kong

Works in retail supply chain operations

55-64

65+

= 1% of web traffic

Female

Male

18-24

years

old

“As a young Asian-American man, it's cool to have role models like them who are redefining aspects of music and culture."

– Andy K., 26, U.S.

CEO of aerospace startup

25-34

“I like to think that they have found me, because I needed them, and not the other way around.”

– Elisa Greco Gambino, 37, Italy

Works in customer care for software company

35-44

45-54

“Their performances were beyond the talents and expressions I'd seen before. I just slowly sunk into it and went from being curious to appreciating it, and from appreciating it to embracing it.”

@KpopDad, 51, U.S.

YouTuber, webmaster, art director

“I found it so refreshing that BTS sings and talk about emotional pressures, pressures that youth face from home, & society; pressures of expectations; loving yourself, loving others.”

– Shirley Lee, 51, Hong Kong

Works in retail supply chain operations

55-64

65+

Older fans often have more disposable income. That helps them afford the band’s merchandise and concert tickets and creates an advertising market for products the band promotes to older consumers, including Samsung phones and Hyundai cars.

“We’re buying cars and selling out stadiums; you can’t just do that with some overexcited girls,” said Erika Overton, 40, one of the administrators of One In An ARMY. “This is not just a fan group to enjoy music – it’s an economic force, and something you can’t really dismiss as something trivial.”

BTS performs during 2019 New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square. From left: RM, V, Jungkook, Jimin, Jin, J-Hope and Suga. Jeenah Moon for Reuters.
BTS performs during 2019 New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square. From left: RM, V, Jungkook, Jimin, Jin, J-Hope and Suga. Jeenah Moon for Reuters.

A sprawling network

Though the economic power of some BTS fans is part of how the #MatchAMillion reached its goal, the structure of the online fanbase enabled fans to share the idea and the hashtags quickly with each other and with non-fans.

“What ARMY demonstrates from the very beginning of their existence but especially in moments like these is that you don’t need people with a million dollars,” said Elliot Sang, a writer and YouTuber in New York. “You can have people who are just volunteering who are just working from wherever they want that just simply care about doing something come together and volunteer out of their own desire.”

"That’s what One In An ARMY was premised on; it’s just random people from all parts of the world and all age groups saying, ‘Let’s do this.’”

One In An ARMY is part of a larger ecosystem of the BTS fanbase. ARMY’s Twitter presence can be roughly sorted into eight types of accounts.

A non-exhaustive guide to the BTS ARMY Twitter ecosystem

1. Official

There are nine official Twitter accounts.

BTS

Japanese

27.1 million

followers

@SSB_JP_Official

@BTS_jp_official

@BTS_twt

7.5 million

@bts_bighit

21.8 million

Online games and content

@ARMYPEDIA

@BTSW_official

UNICEF campaign

@bts_love_myself

@SuperStarBTStwt

@BT21_

6.6 million

2. Translators

Fan translators help share BTS’ Korean and Japanese lyrics, social media posts and press releases for international audiences.

Indonesian

English

Portuguese

@INDOMY

@BTS_BR

@BTS_Trans

1.5 million

Arabic

Thai

Spanish

@Purple_armyss

@BTS_TransTH

@BangBangtan_Esp

3. MobiliSing

Accounts like these create and trend hashtags, release streaming goals when new music or videos drop (e.g. “13M YouTube views in 24 hours”) and organize voting drives for music awards.

Voting

Streaming

Hashtags

@bts_spotifydata

@for_ARMYs

@BangtanTrends

@btsyoutubedata

@BTSxMVP

@btsvotingorg

@btschartdata

906,114, runs music and video streaming parties

4. Statistics

Accounts that share streaming data and chart positions work with mobilizing accounts to reach their goals.

@BTSChartDaily

@btsanalytics

@BTS_graphs

2.2 million

@BTS_Billboard

@TrendsBTSARMY

@BTSPublicity

1.3 million

5. Fanbases

Geographical fanbases exist at national, state and city levels. Some organize in-person meet-ups or provide instructions to get BTS to the top of local music charts.

@BTS_Tunisia

@BTSMalaysia

@USBTSARMY

605,623

@bangtanUAE

@BTS_algeria

@BTSTurkey

@btscotedivoire

@btsarmykerala

@BTSBolivia

@BTSxMaldives

@bts_sydney

6. Research

There are several researchers and teams studying BTS and ARMY.

@ResearchBTS

@BangtanScholars

49,374

@TheR3Journal

@BAA_twt

BTS research journal

Brazilian academics

7. original content

ARMYs have made podcasts, a magazine and even a documentary about their experiences as BTS fans.

@INTERLUDEARMYPD

@ARMYMAGofficial

38,712

@armypurplepod

@amidocumentary

8. MISC.

Though most ARMY accounts focus on helping BTS, some focus on helping each other as a community.

@BTS_AHC

@BTSARMYBarAssoc

@BTSBookClub_twt

legal commentary and information e.g. copyright infringement

book club by and for ARMYs

informal mental health support in 13 languages

@OneInAnARMY

@BTSARMYKitchen

@armyacademics

135,678

charity program

recipes for dishes featured in BTS’ videos and vlogs

free online tutoring for six academic subjects

1. Official

2. translatORS

There are nine official Twitter accounts.

Fan translators help share BTS’ Korean and Japanese lyrics, social media posts and press releases for international audiences.

@BTS_twt

@bts_bighit

BTS

27.1 million

followers

21.8 million

Portuguese

English

@BTS_BR

Online games

and content

Japanese

@BTS_Trans

1.5 million

@BTS_jp_official

Spanish

Indonesian

@ARMYPEDIA

7.5 million

@BangBangtan_Esp

@INDOMY

@SuperStarBTStwt

@SSB_JP_Official

Thai

Arabic

@BTSW_official

UNICEF campaign

@BTS_TransTH

@Purple_armyss

@BT21_

@bts_love_myself

6.6 million

3. Mobilizing

4. Statistics

These accounts create and trend hashtags, release streaming goals when new music or videos come out (e.g. “13M YouTube views in 24 hours”) and organize voting drives for online music awards.

Accounts that share streaming data and chart positions work with mobilizing accounts to reach their goals.

Voting

Streaming

@btsanalytics

@BTS_Billboard

@btschartdata

@for_ARMYs

906,114, runs music and video streaming parties

2.2 million

1.3 million

@btsyoutubedata

@BTSxMVP

@BTSChartDaily

@BTS_graphs

Hashtags

@btsvotingorg

@bts_spotifydata

@BangtanTrends

@BTSPublicity

@TrendsBTSARMY

5. Fanbases

Geographical fanbases exist at national, state and city levels. Some organize in-person meet-ups or provide instructions to get BTS to the top of local music charts.

6. Research

There are several researchers and teams studying BTS and ARMY.

@BTS_Tunisia

@BTSMalaysia

@USBTSARMY

605,623

@TheR3Journal

@ResearchBTS

@bangtanUAE

@BTS_algeria

49,374

BTS research journal

@BTSTurkey

@btscotedivoire

@btsarmykerala

@BAA_twt

@BangtanScholars

@BTSBolivia

@BTSxMaldives

@bts_sydney

Brazilian academics

7. original

content

8. MISC.

Though most ARMY accounts focus on helping BTS, some focus on helping each other as a community.

ARMYs have made podcasts, a magazine and even a documentary about their experiences as BTS fans.

@BTS_AHC

@BTSARMYBarAssoc

@BTSBookClub_twt

legal commentary and information e.g. copyright infringement

book club by and for ARMYs

informal mental health support in 13 languages

@INTERLUDEARMYPD

@BTSARMYKitchen

@OneInAnARMY

@armyacademics

@ARMYMAGofficial

135,678

charity program

recipes for dishes featured in BTS’ videos and vlogs

free online tutoring for six academic subjects

38,712

@armypurplepod

@amidocumentary

1. Official

3. Mobilizing

2. Translators

There are nine official Twitter accounts.

These accounts create hashtags and streaming goals when new music or videos come out (e.g. “13M YouTube views in 24 hours”) and organize voting drives for online music awards.

Fan translators help share BTS’ Korean and Japanese lyrics, social media posts and press releases for international audiences.

@BTS_twt

@bts_bighit

BTS

27.1 million

followers

21.8 million

English

Spanish

Portuguese

Online games

and content

Japanese

@BangBangtan_Esp

@BTS_BR

@BTS_Trans

@BTS_jp_official

Voting

Streaming

1.5 million

@ARMYPEDIA

7.5 million

Indonesian

Arabic

Thai

@bts_spotifydata

@for_ARMYs

@SuperStarBTStwt

@SSB_JP_Official

@Purple_armyss

@BTS_TransTH

@INDOMY

@btsyoutubedata

@BTSxMVP

@BTSW_official

UNICEF campaign

@btsvotingorg

@btschartdata

@BT21_

@bts_love_myself

6.6 million

906,114

runs music and video streaming parties

Hashtags

@BangtanTrends

5. Fanbases

4. Statistics

Geographical fanbases exist at national, state and city levels. Some organize in-person meet-ups or provide instructions to get BTS to the top of local music charts.

Accounts that share streaming data and chart positions work with mobilizing accounts to reach their goals.

6. Research

There are several researchers and teams studying BTS and ARMY.

@BTS_Tunisia

@BTSMalaysia

@USBTSARMY

@btsanalytics

@BTS_Billboard

605,623

@TheR3Journal

@ResearchBTS

@bangtanUAE

@BTS_algeria

2.2 million

1.3 million

49,374

BTS research journal

@BTSTurkey

@btscotedivoire

@btsarmykerala

@BTSChartDaily

@BTS_graphs

@BAA_twt

@BangtanScholars

@BTSBolivia

@BTSxMaldives

@bts_sydney

@BTSPublicity

@TrendsBTSARMY

Brazilian academics

8. Misc.

7. Original Content

Though most ARMY accounts focus on helping BTS, some focus on helping each other as a community.

ARMYs have made podcasts, a magazine and even a documentary about their experiences as BTS fans.

@BTS_AHC

@BTSARMYBarAssoc

@BTSBookClub_twt

legal commentary and information e.g. copyright infringement

book club by and for ARMYs

informal mental health support in 13 languages

@INTERLUDEARMYPD

@ARMYMAGofficial

38,712

@armypurplepod

@OneInAnARMY

@BTSARMYKitchen

@armyacademics

@amidocumentary

recipes for dishes featured in BTS’ videos and vlogs

135,678

charity program

free online tutoring for six academic subjects

1. Official

There are nine official Twitter accounts.

@BTS_twt

@bts_bighit

BTS

27.1 million

followers

21.8 million

Online games

and content

Japanese

@BTS_jp_official

@ARMYPEDIA

7.5 million

@SuperStarBTStwt

@SSB_JP_Official

@BTSW_official

UNICEF campaign

@BT21_

@bts_love_myself

6.6 million

2. translatORS

Fan translators help share BTS’ Korean and Japanese lyrics, social media posts and press releases for international audiences.

Portuguese

English

@BTS_BR

@BTS_Trans

1.5 million

Spanish

Indonesian

@BangBangtan_Esp

@INDOMY

Thai

Arabic

@BTS_TransTH

@Purple_armyss

3. Mobilizing

Accounts like these create and trend hashtags, release streaming goals when new music or videos drop (e.g. “13M YouTube views in 24 hours”) and organize voting drives for music awards.

Voting

Streaming

@btschartdata

@for_ARMYs

@btsyoutubedata

@BTSxMVP

@btsvotingorg

@bts_spotifydata

906,114

Hashtags

runs music and video

streaming parties

@BangtanTrends

4. Statistics

Accounts that focus on streaming data and chart positions work in tandem with mobilizing accounts to reach their goals.

@btsanalytics

@BTS_Billboard

2.2 million

1.3 million

@BTSChartDaily

@BTS_graphs

@BTSPublicity

@TrendsBTSARMY

5. Fanbases

Geographical fanbases exist at national, state and city levels. Some organize in-person meet-ups or provide instructions to get BTS to the top of local music charts.

@BTS_Tunisia

@USBTSARMY

605,623

@bangtanUAE

@BTSTurkey

@btscotedivoire

@BTSBolivia

@BTSxMaldives

@BTSMalaysia

@btsarmykerala

@BTS_algeria

@bts_sydney

6. Research

There are several researchers and teams studying BTS and ARMY.

@TheR3Journal

@ResearchBTS

49,374

BTS research journal

@BAA_twt

@BangtanScholars

Brazilian academics

7. original content

ARMYs have made podcasts, a magazine and even a documentary about their experiences as BTS fans.

@INTERLUDEARMYPD

@ARMYMAGofficial

38,712

@armypurplepod

@amidocumentary

8. MISC.

Though most ARMY accounts focus on helping BTS, some focus on helping each other as a community.

@BTSBookClub_twt

@BTSARMYBarAssoc

legal commentary and information e.g. copyright infringement

book club by and for ARMYs

@BTSARMYKitchen

@armyacademics

recipes for dishes featured in BTS’ videos and vlogs

free online tutoring for six academic subjects

@BTS_AHC

@OneInAnARMY

135,678

charity program

informal mental health support in 13 languages

This wide, interconnected network of fans is what enabled individual accounts to spread the message of the #MatchAMillion campaign so quickly.

“ARMY evolved with social media; they were smarter, savvier and more strategic especially in utilizing these platforms and combining them with grassroots marketing efforts,” said Nicole Santero, a PhD student studying BTS and their fans’ online activity. “On the individual aspect, every ARMY that enters the fandom feels that they play this really significant role where they come in.”

Tracking the hashtag campaign

June 1

7:04 pm

GMT

One In An ARMY tweets their ActBlue donation link for organisations supporting Black Lives Matter.

ARMY, we have put together a carrd with some of the options for donating to #BlackLivesMatter that have met OIAA guidelines.

 

You can donate to individual fundraisers or split your donation between all of them to help with advocacy & the protest movement.

23.8 K

33.7 K

– @OneInAnARMY

June 4

6:01 am

BTS shares a statement against racism and violence in English and Korean.

우리는 인종차별에 반대합니다.

우리는 폭력에 반대합니다.

나, 당신, 우리 모두는 존중받을 권리가 있습니다. 함께 하겠습니다.

 

We stand against racial discrimination.

We condemn violence.

You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.

 

#BlackLivesMatter

– @BTS_twt

1 M

2.1 M

“Their tweet was actually fascinating to me because it was written in Korean and English and it was one tweet; not a thread. They must have really worked on that for a couple of days to make sure if you put it in Google Translate or you put it in Bing, there was no mistranslation whatsoever.”

– @modooborahae, fan translator

June 6

9:47 pm

Variety reveals Big Hit Entertainment and BTS donated $1M to Black Lives Matter

BTS and Big Hit Entertainment Donate $1 Million to Black Lives Matter (EXCLUSIVE) @bts_bighit @bts_twt

– @Variety

179.2 K

340 K

11:45 pm

Two fans discuss using a hashtag to coordinate fundraising efforts

So since there's been so much talk about trying to match BTS' donation through the OIAA link, should we make a hashtag for it? Like #/MatchTheDonation? Just to spread the word or sumn.

– @naija0329

270

418

“A hashtag just helps spread awareness, and because of the huge audience that we have it spreads quite quickly. I knew that if we were all left to do our own thing, we might not have a cohesive enough effort and we might not be able to do it.”

– @naija0329

ooo what about #/MatchAMillion

– @Monosplaylist

64

282

“When it comes to hashtags, it's something that needs to be trendy and that catches the eye.”

– @Monosplaylist

11:50 pm

@naija0329 messages her ARMY friends with more followers asking them to share the hashtag with their network

hashtag MatchAMillion

June 7

0:06 am

YouTuber @BTSBEINGBTSYT begins posting updates and tells his friends with more followers about the hashtag

let's match the $1M donation for Black Lives Matter

#matchamillion #blacklivesmatter

690

1.2 K

– @BTSBEINGBTSYT

One of his friends tweets the hashtag to an audience of more than 80,000 followers

2:17 am

Writer and marketer Frederick Joseph

So @BTS_twt fans are using the hashtag #MatchAMillion to organize and match the $1 million donation the group made to Black Lives Matter.

 

This is the type of fandom I respect. #BTS #BlackLivesMatter

16.8 K

35.7 K

– @FredTJoseph

5:12 am

Fan account @BTS_History613 begins tweeting screenshots of the ActBlue tracker

#MatchAMillion Project - UPDATE

 

As of now, OIAA already collected a total of 315K DOLLARS #BlackLivesMatter in less than 2hrs!

 

To those who want to partake on the project pls, choose the 'SPLIT DONATION' that OIAA provided so that they can track how much has been donated

– @BTS_History613

127

243

“I really didn’t know how I exactly did it because throughout that day I was the only one who was collecting the screenshots and posting them onto our account.”

– Jam, a 19-year-old Philippines-based admin of @BTS_History613 who posted one screenshot every 17 minutes on average.

5:33 am

@Monosplaylist reaches out to @modooborahae, who tweets at celebrity fans encouraging them to donate and/or share the word

Hey @LaineyGossip! We’re trying to match

@BTS_twt’s donation to #BlackLivesMatter. Would you consider helping? Please use the “split donation” option if you do so OIAA can track the donations. Thank you #MatchAMillion

– @modooborahae

564

1.7 K

“A lot of us had already donated, so if we wanted to match that million we were going to have to reach out to people who have deeper pockets. I started tweeting and tagging every celebrity, every celebrity fan, every brand, company I could think of.”

– @modooborahae

5:50 am

Canadian entertainment writer Elaine Lui

DONE. Thanks for inviting me to this party.

2.7 K

10.9 K

– @LaineyGossip

12:46 pm

Hey @AlexShibutani @maiashibutani! We’re trying to match @BTS_twt’s donation to #BlackLivesMatter. Would you consider helping us? Please use the “split donation” option if you do so OIAA can track the donation! Thank you #MatchAMillion

– @modooborahae

264

675

7:22 pm

Olympic ice skaters Alex and Maia Shibutani

This is great! We can help. :)

353

1.5 K

– @MaiaShibutani

We just donated! Thanks for organizing!

1 K

4.3 K

– @AlexShibutani

The Mexico fanbase of U.S. singer Becky G tweets about the campaign

7:17 pm

Army está haciendo un proyecto, #MatchAMillion, que consiste en alcanzar 1 millón de dólares como los que donó @BTS_twt, pero estas donaciones serán de parte del fandom para #BlackLivesMatter.

 

RT para difundir. Entra aquí para + info: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/btsarmy

– @BeckyGMexico

93

182

“I asked a couple of friends who are fluent in Spanish to reach out to Becky G’s fanbases because we worked together on the Chicken Noodle Soup promotions.”

– @Monosplaylist, referring to the song by BTS member J-Hope and Becky G

June 1

7:04 pm

GMT

One In An ARMY tweets their ActBlue donation link for organisations supporting Black Lives Matter.

ARMY, we have put together a carrd with some of the options for donating to #BlackLivesMatter that have met OIAA guidelines.

 

You can donate to individual fundraisers or split your donation between all of them to help with advocacy & the protest movement.

23.8 K

33.7 K

– @OneInAnARMY

June 4

6:01 am

BTS shares a statement against racism and violence in English and Korean.

우리는 인종차별에 반대합니다.

우리는 폭력에 반대합니다.

나, 당신, 우리 모두는 존중받을 권리가 있습니다. 함께 하겠습니다.

 

We stand against racial discrimination.

We condemn violence.

You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.

 

#BlackLivesMatter

– @BTS_twt

1 M

2.1 M

“Their tweet was actually fascinating to me because it was written in Korean and English and it was one tweet; not a thread. They must have really worked on that for a couple of days to make sure if you put it in Google Translate or you put it in Bing, there was no mistranslation whatsoever.”

– @modooborahae, fan translator

June 6

9:47 pm

Variety reveals Big Hit Entertainment and BTS donated $1M to Black Lives Matter

BTS and Big Hit Entertainment Donate $1 Million to Black Lives Matter (EXCLUSIVE) @bts_bighit @bts_twt

– @Variety

179.2 K

340 K

11:45 pm

Two fans discuss using a hashtag to coordinate fundraising efforts

So since there's been so much talk about trying to match BTS' donation through the OIAA link, should we make a hashtag for it? Like #/MatchTheDonation? Just to spread the word or sumn.

– @naija0329

270

418

“A hashtag just helps spread awareness, and because of the huge audience that we have it spreads quite quickly. I knew that if we were all left to do our own thing, we might not have a cohesive enough effort and we might not be able to do it.”

– @naija0329

ooo what about #/MatchAMillion

– @Monosplaylist

64

282

“When it comes to hashtags, it's something that needs to be trendy and that catches the eye.”

– @Monosplaylist

11:50 pm

@naija0329 messages her ARMY friends with more followers asking them to share the hashtag with their network

hashtag MatchAMillion

June 7

0065 am

YouTuber @BTSBEINGBTSYT begins posting updates and tells his friends with more followers about the hashtag

let's match the $1M donation for Black Lives Matter

#matchamillion #blacklivesmatter

690

1.2 K

– @BTSBEINGBTSYT

2:17 am

One of his friends tweets the hashtag to an audience of more than 80,000 followers

Writer and marketer Frederick Joseph

So @BTS_twt fans are using the hashtag #MatchAMillion to organize and match the $1 million donation the group made to Black Lives Matter.

 

This is the type of fandom I respect. #BTS #BlackLivesMatter

16.8 K

35.7 K

– @FredTJoseph

5:12 am

Fan account @BTS_History613 begins tweeting screenshots of the ActBlue tracker

#MatchAMillion Project - UPDATE

 

As of now, OIAA already collected a total of 315K DOLLARS #BlackLivesMatter in less than 2hrs!

 

To those who want to partake on the project pls, choose the 'SPLIT DONATION' that OIAA provided so that they can track how much has been donated

– @BTS_History613

127

243

“I really didn’t know how I exactly did it because throughout that day I was the only one who was collecting the screenshots and posting them onto our account.”

– Jam, a 19-year-old Philippines-based admin of @BTS_History613 who posted one screenshot every 17 minutes on average.

@Monosplaylist reaches out to @modooborahae, who tweets at celebrity fans encouraging them to donate and/or share the word

5:33 am

Hey @LaineyGossip! We’re trying to match

@BTS_twt’s donation to #BlackLivesMatter. Would you consider helping? Please use the “split donation” option if you do so OIAA can track the donations. Thank you #MatchAMillion

– @modooborahae

564

1.7 K

“A lot of us had already donated, so if we wanted to match that million we were going to have to reach out to people who have deeper pockets. I started tweeting and tagging every celebrity, every celebrity fan, every brand, company I could think of.”

– @modooborahae

5:50 am

Canadian entertainment writer Elaine Lui

DONE. Thanks for inviting me to this party.

2.7 K

10.9 K

– @LaineyGossip

12:46 pm

Hey @AlexShibutani @maiashibutani! We’re trying to match @BTS_twt’s donation to #BlackLivesMatter. Would you consider helping us? Please use the “split donation” option if you do so OIAA can track the donation! Thank you #MatchAMillion

– @modooborahae

264

675

7:22 pm

Olympic ice skaters Alex and Maia Shibutani

This is great! We can help. :)

353

1.5 K

– @MaiaShibutani

We just donated! Thanks for organizing!

1 K

4.3 K

– @AlexShibutani

The Mexico fanbase of U.S. singer Becky G tweets about the campaign

7:17 pm

Army está haciendo un proyecto, #MatchAMillion, que consiste en alcanzar 1 millón de dólares como los que donó @BTS_twt, pero estas donaciones serán de parte del fandom para #BlackLivesMatter.

 

RT para difundir. Entra aquí para + info: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/btsarmy

– @BeckyGMexico

93

182

“I asked a couple of friends who are fluent in Spanish to reach out to Becky G’s fanbases because we worked together on the Chicken Noodle Soup promotions.”

– @Monosplaylist, referring to the song by BTS member J-Hope and Becky G

One In An ARMY tweets their ActBlue donation link for organisations supporting Black Lives Matter.

June 1

7:04 pm

GMT

ARMY, we have put together a carrd with some of the options for donating to #BlackLivesMatter that have met OIAA guidelines.

 

You can donate to individual fundraisers or split your donation between all of them to help with advocacy & the protest movement.

23.8 K

33.7 K

– @OneInAnARMY

BTS shares a statement against racism and violence in English and Korean.

June 4

6:01 am

“Their tweet was actually fascinating to me because it was written in Korean and English and it was one tweet; not a thread. They must have really worked on that for a couple of days to make sure if you put it in Google Translate or you put it in Bing, there was no mistranslation whatsoever.”

– @modooborahae, fan translator

우리는 인종차별에 반대합니다.

우리는 폭력에 반대합니다.

나, 당신, 우리 모두는 존중받을 권리가 있습니다. 함께 하겠습니다.

 

We stand against racial discrimination.

We condemn violence.

You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.

 

#BlackLivesMatter

– @BTS_twt

1 M

2.1 M

Variety reveals Big Hit Entertainment and BTS donated $1M to Black Lives Matter

June 6

9:47 pm

BTS and Big Hit Entertainment Donate $1 Million to Black Lives Matter (EXCLUSIVE) @bts_bighit @bts_twt

– @Variety

179.2 K

340 K

Two fans discuss using a hashtag to coordinate fundraising efforts

11:45 pm

“A hashtag just helps spread awareness, and because of the huge audience that we have it spreads quite quickly. I knew that if we were all left to do our own thing, we might not have a cohesive enough effort and we might not be able to do it.”

– @naija0329

So since there's been so much talk about trying to match BTS' donation through the OIAA link, should we make a hashtag for it? Like #/MatchTheDonation? Just to spread the word or sumn.

– @naija0329

270

418

“When it comes to hashtags, it's something that needs to be trendy and that catches the eye.”

– @Monosplaylist

ooo what about #/MatchAMillion

– @Monosplaylist

64

282

11:50 pm

@naija0329 messages her ARMY friends with more followers asking them to share the hashtag with their network

hashtag MatchAMillion

YouTuber @BTSBEINGBTSYT begins posting updates and tells his friends with more followers about the hashtag

One of his friends tweets the hashtag to an audience of more than 80,000 followers

June 7

0:06 am

Writer and marketer

Frederick Joseph

2:17 am

So @BTS_twt fans are using the hashtag #MatchAMillion to organize and match the $1 million donation the group made to Black Lives Matter.

 

This is the type of fandom I respect. #BTS #BlackLivesMatter

let's match the $1M donation for Black Lives Matter

#matchamillion #blacklivesmatter

690

1.2 K

– @BTSBEINGBTSYT

16.8 K

35.7 K

– @FredTJoseph

@BTS_History613 begins tweeting screenshots of the ActBlue tracker

5:12 am

#MatchAMillion Project - UPDATE

 

As of now, OIAA already collected a total of 315K DOLLARS #BlackLivesMatter in less than 2hrs!

 

To those who want to partake on the project pls, choose the 'SPLIT DONATION' that OIAA provided so that they can track how much has been donated

“I really didn’t know how I exactly did it because throughout that day I was the only one who was collecting the screenshots and posting them onto our account.”

– Jam, a 19-year-old Philippines-based admin of @BTS_History613 who posted one screenshot every 17 minutes on average.

– @BTS_History613

127

243

@Monosplaylist reaches out to @modooborahae, who tweets at celebrity fans encouraging them to donate and/or share the word

“A lot of us had already donated, so if we wanted to match that million we were going to have to reach out to people who have deeper pockets. I started tweeting and tagging every celebrity, every celebrity fan, every brand, company I could think of.”

– @modooborahae

5:33 am

Hey @LaineyGossip! We’re trying to match

@BTS_twt’s donation to #BlackLivesMatter. Would you consider helping? Please use the “split donation” option if you do so OIAA can track the donations. Thank you #MatchAMillion

Canadian entertainment

writer Elaine Lui

5:50 am

DONE. Thanks for inviting me to this party.

– @modooborahae

2.7 K

10.9 K

564

1.7 K

– @LaineyGossip

U.S. Olympic ice skaters

Maia and Alex Shibutani

12:46 pm

7:22 pm

Hey @AlexShibutani @maiashibutani! We’re trying to match @BTS_twt’s donation to #BlackLivesMatter. Would you consider helping us? Please use the “split donation” option if you do so OIAA can track the donation! Thank you #MatchAMillion

This is great! We can help. :)

353

1.5 K

– @MaiaShibutani

We just donated! Thanks for organizing!

– @modooborahae

264

675

1 K

4.3 K

– @AlexShibutani

7:17 pm

The Mexico fanbase of U.S. singer Becky G tweets about the campaign

Army está haciendo un proyecto, #MatchAMillion, que consiste en alcanzar 1 millón de dólares como los que donó @BTS_twt, pero estas donaciones serán de parte del fandom para #BlackLivesMatter.

 

RT para difundir. Entra aquí para + info: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/btsarmy

“I asked a couple of friends who are fluent in Spanish to reach out to Becky G’s fanbases because we worked together on the Chicken Noodle Soup promotions.”

– @Monosplaylist, referring to the song by BTS member J-Hope and Becky G

– @BeckyGMexico

93

182

Twitter trends are determined by large spikes in activity involving a hashtag or phrase rather than a sustained effort. After a few hours on Twitter’s trending section, #MatchAMillion eventually dropped out of the list and fans began to suggest new hashtags.

hashtag ARMYMatch1M

BTS fan @DarlingSpectrum was one of the first to use the new tag

June 7

4:31 pm

New hashtag? Let’s go!! #ARMYMatch1M

– @DarlingSpectrum

500

770

“It was important to put emphasis on the fact that it had been an ARMY-led movement, however the real focus was raising the money for the BLM movement. Which was why we switched gears to supporting the more inclusive #MatchTheMillion tag.”

– @DarlingSpectrum

The hashtag made its way to wrestler and noted BTS fan John Cena

June 8

2:32 pm

One of the many reasons I respect @BTS_twt and #ARMY #ARMYMatch1M #ArmyMatchedForBLM thank you #BTS and #BTSARMY

72 K

231.9 K

– @JohnCena

Very happy to join #BTSARMY in efforts to match @BTS_twt tremendous donation #ARMYMatch1M

 –@JohnCena

82.1 K

290 K

hashtag MatchTheMillion

Fan account @JJKBTS14 was one of the first to suggest using the #MatchTheMillion hashtag to One In An ARMY

June 7

3:04 pm

Hey @OneInAnARMY can we suggest a new tag for today so we can trend to bring awareness to ARMY efforts? #MatchTheMillion would be a great one to use! @BTS_twt

9

10

– @JJKBTS14

3:58 pm

One In An ARMY begins using the updated hashtag

If you come across anyone who did not use the "Split donation" option on the carrd & wants their individual donations to count with #MatchTheMillion PLEASE tell them to fill this form: http://bit.ly/MatchAMillionTracking

 

If you used "Split donation" then there is no need to fill the form

 –@OneInAnARMY

4.3 K

8.3 K

hashtag 2MForblm

@Monosplaylist announces a new hashtag to celebrate reaching the goal

June 8

0:33 am

To make it not about us and show priority for the cause, FINAL DRAFT of the celebration ht is ‼️ #/2MforBLM ‼️

975 K

1.7 K

– @Monosplaylist

She also credits one of the fans who helped create it

originally suggested by @monohoped !!

5

31

– @Monosplaylist

hashtag ARMYMatch1M

BTS fan @DarlingSpectrum was one of the first to use the new tag

June 7

4:31 pm

New hashtag? Let’s go!! #ARMYMatch1M

– @DarlingSpectrum

500

770

“It was important to put emphasis on the fact that it had been an ARMY-led movement, however the real focus was raising the money for the BLM movement. Which was why we switched gears to supporting the more inclusive #MatchTheMillion tag.”

– @DarlingSpectrum

The hashtag made its way to wrestler and noted BTS fan John Cena

June 8

2:32 pm

One of the many reasons I respect @BTS_twt and #ARMY #ARMYMatch1M #ArmyMatchedForBLM thank you #BTS and #BTSARMY

72 K

231.9 K

– @JohnCena

Very happy to join #BTSARMY in efforts to match @BTS_twt tremendous donation #ARMYMatch1M

 –@JohnCena

82.1 K

290 K

hashtag MatchThEMillion

Fan account @JJKBTS14 was one of the first to suggest using the #MatchTheMillion hashtag to One In An ARMY

June 7

3:04 pm

Hey @OneInAnARMY can we suggest a new tag for today so we can trend to bring awareness to ARMY efforts? #MatchTheMillion would be a great one to use! @BTS_twt

9

10

– @JJKBTS14

One In An ARMY begins using the updated hashtag

3:58 pm

If you come across anyone who did not use the "Split donation" option on the carrd & wants their individual donations to count with #MatchTheMillion PLEASE tell them to fill this form: http://bit.ly/MatchAMillionTracking

 

If you used "Split donation" then there is no need to fill the form

 –@OneInAnARMY

4.3 K

8.3 K

hashtag 2MForblm

@Monosplaylist announces a new hashtag to celebrate reaching the goal

June 8

0:33 am

To make it not about us and show priority for the cause, FINAL DRAFT of the celebration ht is ‼️ #/2MforBLM ‼️

975 K

1.7 K

– @Monosplaylist

She also credits one of the fans who helped create it

originally suggested by @monohoped !!

5

31

– @Monosplaylist

hashtag ARMYMatch1M

BTS fan @DarlingSpectrum was one of the first to use the new tag

June 7

4:31 pm

“It was important to put emphasis on the fact that it had been an ARMY-led movement, however the real focus was raising the money for the BLM movement. Which was why we switched gears to supporting the more inclusive #MatchTheMillion tag.”

– @DarlingSpectrum

New hashtag? Let’s go!! #ARMYMatch1M

– @DarlingSpectrum

500

770

The hashtag made its way to wrestler and noted BTS fan John Cena

June 8

2:32 pm

One of the many reasons I respect @BTS_twt and #ARMY #ARMYMatch1M #ArmyMatchedForBLM thank you #BTS and #BTSARMY

Very happy to join #BTSARMY in efforts to match @BTS_twt tremendous donation #ARMYMatch1M

 –@JohnCena

82.1 K

290 K

72 K

231.9 K

– @JohnCena

hashtag MatchTheMillion

Fan account @JJKBTS14 was one of the first to suggest using the #MatchTheMillion hashtag to One In An ARMY

One In An ARMY begins using the updated hashtag

June 7

3:04 pm

3:58 pm

Hey @OneInAnARMY can we suggest a new tag for today so we can trend to bring awareness to ARMY efforts? #MatchTheMillion would be a great one to use! @BTS_twt

If you come across anyone who did not use the "Split donation" option on the carrd & wants their individual donations to count with #MatchTheMillion PLEASE tell them to fill this form: http://bit.ly/MatchAMillionTracking

 

If you used "Split donation" then there is no need to fill the form

9

10

– @JJKBTS14

 –@OneInAnARMY

4.3 K

8.3 K

hashtag 2MForblm

@Monosplaylist announces a new hashtag to celebrate reaching the goal

She also credits one of the fans who helped create it

June 8

0:33 am

To make it not about us and show priority for the cause, FINAL DRAFT of the celebration ht is ‼️ #/2MforBLM ‼️

originally suggested by @monohoped !!

5

31

– @Monosplaylist

975 K

1.7 K

– @Monosplaylist

A moment of reflection

At the same time the #MatchAMillion campaign was trending, some Black BTS fans were using the international spotlight to talk about their experiences with racism in the fanbase.

This isn’t the first time they have brought up these issues. In 2018, several Twitter hashtags highlighting their experiences and stories went viral such as #BlackARMYBeauty, #BlackARMYsequality and #BlackoutBTS, which continues to recur. In the past, U.S. media coverage has painted K-pop fanbases as a monolith of socially-progressive activism.

“The positioning of the fandom as inherently or automatically progressive lets people who are racist slide under and ignores the fact that it’s a fandom, which is made up of people – who are problematic, because they’re people,” said fan and media critic Zina H., who writes under the name Stitch.

Some Black ARMYs say BTS has a responsibility to continue publicly supporting the racial justice protests that affect them. And BTS has also publicly acknowledged their music is based on hip-hop and R&B – genres that were created and popularized by Black American artists.

“It was important for them to take a stand against racism to show not only are they influenced by the music to make their own music, but also to show that they stand with them in terms of the struggles they face,” said @naija0329, who helped coin the #MatchAMillion hashtag.

But some fans are also concerned the wider fanbase’s attention to these racial issues may be fleeting.

“When people care – like seriously care – they’re going to put action behind that and not just words. And to actually see action behind it? That made me wake up and have hope,” said Nico Edward, who runs a BTS reaction video YouTube channel. “People lash out and do the hashtags and stuff and that’s fine to raise awareness, but it usually, historically, dies out and people’s attention moves to other things. But we’re still dealing with this every single day.”

By Aditi Bhandari

Edited by Jon McClure and Gerry Doyle

Sources

One In An ARMY, VividSeats, Twitter, FontAwesome, Foller.me