A week ago, an announcer of Radio Bayern3 said that BTS is like a corona virus just because he does not like BTS’s covering a song of Coldplay, Fix You on MTV Unplugged. He really got fucked up when BTS ARMY made him a twitter trending for days because of it. Well I tell you what Mathias, you are scientifically wrong by calling BTS a virus because they are nothing like it. BTS is a social network, you should read more.
People don’t just admiring BTS because they are viral and today become the biggest boyband in the world. You can track why someone become an ARMY within their own network. In social network theory there are strong ties network and weak ties network. Yeah, I just read the book “Changes” in fact only two chapter so far, but I really got into it and trying to explain BTS from the angle of social network. One is never been a passive receiver of a message, a new idea, or new information. People negotiate within self, using their culture capital, values and will be convince only by their strong ties network such as families, best friends, or someone that they looked up to. Once they accept the new idea or new things, and its redundance in their life, it become a norm and values that they integrated into. Those processes are definitely taking more times than corona virus where you can get it from just sitting next to a stranger. That is also explain why “viral” is become a myth in social network theory.
BTS is NOT just a one time wonder, or a one night magical boyband (they are boys but not in a band) but it took them almost 8 years to be where they are now. When they are signing an extended campaign of Love Myself with UNICEF, they knew exactly what is the first thing to start and where to start. Like Jin said, since the first time they involve in the campaign, first thing he did was to love himself first. To really implemented what it means to “love myself”, and how it has make him more happy and enjoying life as he is today. Those experiences that he is aiming to share with ARMY and the world through this campaign.
What does it says then? It means, just because BTS is worldwide artist, it does not means that everything they say will be accepted by ARMY and others. But since they made themselves as a good examples in implementing the campaign itself, that convince the ARMY to follow their steps. Using the theory of #newpower, the strong ties probably related to super participants that is ARMY and weakties is represent by participant which is fans. Since the ARMY is the one who redundance the message of the campaign within their real life network, the campain of LOVE MYSELF will become a new norm, and changing behavior of ARMY and their network.
Do I get “contagious” by social media that tells BTS is a viral or by my strong ties network? The second one obviously. I am the one who don’t give a shit about what is viral on social media, and only notice things that being brought by my strong ties network such as best friends, close colleagues and family. My niece is ARMY, nevertheless, I wasn’t convince by her because she failed to explain who is BTS in deeper meaning, but it was my best friend Sarie who was playing their music for three days while we were on a trip and she kept explaining 5W1H about BTS. Since then, I started to listen to BTS and going to the rabbit hole and I stay here.
So if you are ARMY reading this note, you might want to remember how you got to BTS in the first place? Who convince you to love them like you are now? who are in your strong ties network also BTS ARMY?
This note is being post on Suga’s birthday. Happy Birthday SUGA the coolest member in BTS, I still like you even if in the next life you chose to be a stone, you still become the coolest stone in the planet. We make a special activity on your birthday, we open a book donation called Book for 2nd Chance. The books go to Women and Children Prison in Bandung because books become their refuge and give them a healing time, also because we believe in second chance in life that must be better than today.
nroshita 