By Melody Li
Ha Sung Hwang, a visiting fellow at UCSB’s East Asia Center, focuses on the effects of social media and the role it plays in the popularity of Korean pop music.
Online fandom activities are breaking language and cultural barriers for both pop music celebrities and their fans, says Ha Sung Hwang, a professor of media and communication at Dongguk University in Seoul.
“Having a digital community strengthens both the bond among fans and the connection between fans and celebrities,” Hwang told a virtual UC Santa Barbara audience earlier this month. The talk was hosted by UCSB’s East Asia Center, where she is a visiting fellow.
Hwang specializes on the effects of social media and the role it plays in the globalization and popularity of Korean pop music (K-pop). Her latest research focuses on how social media affects the band BTS and its impact on American fans.
In 2017, K-pop group BTS partnered with UNICEF to launch its Love Myself campaign that promoted self-love and anti-violence.
BTS, which stands for Beyond the Scene, is the most popular K-pop boy band in the world. The group has broken multiple records in the American music industry, such as being the first Korean artists to top the U.S. Billboard chart and sell out a U.S. stadium, which barely hints at their popularity in Asia.
Following The Beatles and One Direction before them, BTS’ global popularity is not an entirely new phenomenon. But unlike its predecessors, BTS is breaking ground without specifically catering to Western audiences. The majority of the group’s songs are in Korean and only one out of seven members speak fluent English. Breaking language barriers and time zones, social media has become the ideal place for BTS to both promote its music and connect with global fans.
“Online fan culture has contributed to the global acceptance of K-pop,” Hwang said. “Social media plays an important role in validating the K-pop business model.”
The millions of devoted followers on social media, who call themselves ARMY, are an essential part of BTS’ success. Currently, BTS holds the world records for the most Twitter engagements and most music video views within a 24-hour period. Fueled by digital power, BTS and its ARMY are contributing to a new and diverse boy band culture.
“BTS fever is integrated into the culture of social media,” Hwang said.
Additionally, the social media interactions are beneficial for both sides. Hwang believes that media involvement can have a positive impact on an individual’s psychological well-being. Interacting with a celebrity on Twitter increases an individual’s identification with the celebrity, leading to media effects such as positive behavior change or adoption of a healthy message promoted by a media persona.
According to Dongguk University media and communication professor Ha Sung Hwang, online fandom activities can lead to happiness for fans.
“Because BTS’ music talks a lot about the struggles of the younger generation, ARMY believes BTS is similar to them,” Hwang said.
BTS’ discography heavily focuses on themes that are front and center in the younger generation’s discourse, such as mental health issues, suicide, and female empowerment. In 2017, the band partnered with UNICEF to launch its Love Myself campaign that promoted self-love and anti-violence and became the first K-pop group to address the United Nations.
“ARMY starts to love themselves and change themselves for the better because of BTS,” Hwang said.
Melody Li is a third-year Communication and Sociology double major at UC Santa Barbara. She is a Web and Social Media Intern with the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts.