Thread by @sweetbtstea

#BTSARMY Weapons: Beating An Industry At Its Own Game, Part I

(BY THREAD POLL)

QUICK DISCLAIMER

I don't know what the Twitter algorithm would think of my original title so I tweaked it a little. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Okay, back to the thread!

INTRODUCTION
When we say we're the music industry, I think we're half-joking.

I mean, I can't think of any OTHER fandom that has kept their foot pressed so tightly to the industry's throat, that Billy Board bothered our faves under the pretense of a cover story to cry about it.

As I expressed in my most recent thread, a lot of the anger and hate directed at BTS and ARMY is a weak attempt to mask a lot of fear—and I do feel like there is a portion of the music industry that genuinely fears BTS and ARMY.

https://twitter.com/sweetbtstea/status/1440149939066073101

There isn't anything that these people can do or say to get us to doubt ourselves or stop supporting BTS and their careers.
And when there is no mental or emotional trigger you can pull on, I imagine that it is quite worrying.

If not terrifying.

The industry has gotten so comfortable with its lopsided game that it throws a tantrum in the face of the one fandom willing to challenge them.

They aren't able to cope with our fandom's unique arsenal.

...But just what is in said arsenal? 👀

🥷🏾BTS ARMY "WEAPONS" 🥷🏾

+ Diversity
+ High Collective IQ
+ Competitiveness
+ Empathy & The Capacity for Emotional Investment
+ “Money As A Weapon” (MaaW)
+ Sheer Numbers
+ The "Secret" Weapon

As part of this series, I'll explore my theories as to what is figuratively within our fandom arsenal, including a "secret" weapon that we haven't made much use of. 👋🏾

#1 - DIVERSITY
When it comes to how ARMYs find BTS, there are various "types" of ARMY, as demonstrated in the little graphic below. 😂

But diversity in terms of how ARMY came to the fandom is just one aspect. There are other ways
in which ARMY is remarkably diverse:

- AGE
- NATIONALITY
- ETHNICITY
- GENDER
- SEXUALITY
- RELIGION
- MUSIC TASTES
- LIFE EXPERIENCES
- OCCUPATION

One of the reasons it's so hard to lock ARMY inside of a stereotype is that for many of us, it just doesn't gel with who we are as individuals.

And while we have a strong sense of fandom community, I feel we also each have a sense of who we are as individuals.

We each bring so many unique experiences, thoughts, abilities, etc. to the table. Combined with our various differences, we as a fandom are able to provide a wide range of perspectives.

We are also able to see each other and appreciate that there are so many of us around the world and appreciate and embrace our diversity.

t's really fascinating watching people attempt to place 20th-century labels on a 21st-century fandom.

...And diversity IS one of the major marks of a truly modern fandom.

#2 - HIGH COLLECTIVE IQ

I know people associate IQ with genius or smarts but that’s not exactly accurate. Your IQ or “intelligence quotient” merely refers to your ability to “use information and logic to answer questions or make predictions.”

IQ testing “measure(s) how well people can solve puzzles and recall information they’ve heard — and how quickly.”

sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/what-i…

I believe that ARMY has a remarkably high collective IQ as we repeatedly demonstrate the ability to solve puzzles & recall useful information VERY fast. We also apply information to making fairly predictions and influencing desired outcomes or course-correcting quickly.

That would also explain how we can create effective strategies for everything from handling exponential fandom growth to setting and achieving various music purchase-related goals.

We may not get everything right the first time. But because we are relentless, we have a sense that we'll get where we need to be eventually, whilst making the right improvements to our goals and strategies to get there.

And that takes me to my next point. ➡️

3# - COMPETITIVENESS

ARMY has a very strong competitive streak. I believe in theory this is due to a couple of factors: negative experiences of being harassed & bullied by larger fandoms when ours was very small and constantly getting underestimated.

Because we're so diverse, different people tend to internalize our competitiveness in different ways.

Some constantly manifest a terror that we won't hit our goals and that will allow other people to mock us and BTS. And this is very distressing to them. 😨

Meanwhile others like the rush of going for it, of seeing how high we can climb together and are very happy when we achieve our goals.😁

Now, in the event we don't quite get what we were after, some people don't take it to heart and instead look at it as an opportunity to do better in the future.

🤓🗒️

These differing mentalities, often shaped not just by fandom experiences but by individual life experiences and even cultural expectations will contribute to the whole, and ultimately serve as the fire that drives us forward.

Yet, as our fandom ages and as things have gone so well, I feel the more negative elements of our fandom competitiveness aren't as strong a driving factor as they once were.

We're able to use our competitive nature to move forward but also with the understanding that we can only do our best, and that we cannot be blamed for factors (such as pay0la and racism) over which we have zero control.

/END PART I

Thanks for reading my thread! I can't wait to get to the next part. In the meantime, if you want to show support or check out my exclusive content, feel free to subscribe!

https://twitter.com/sweetbtstea/status/1435397053207695360