MEDIAST10 Essay #2
.pdf
School
Mt San Antonio College**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
ENGL 20
Subject
Arts & Humanities
Date
Dec 16, 2024
Pages
8
Uploaded by AmbassadorOwlMaster152
Molina 1Noah MolinaJosh JacksonMedia Studies 1022 November 2024BTS: A Transformative Star Image from Korean Rookies to Global IconsKorean pop music, in the modern age, has globalized to audiences all around the world,adapting to this change through creating English versions of songs, touring Western countries,being on American talk shows, and more. However, in the 30 years of K-Pop’s existence, the riseto global fame only began in 2017 through the acts of K-Pop boy group Bangtan Sonyeondan,more commonly known as BTS. Their exposure overseas was made possible through publicityenacted by their fandom, an audience that shaped a profound star image for these artists. RichardDyer, an English film critic, defines one’s “star image” as being “made out of media texts thatcan be grouped together as promotion, publicity, films, and criticisms and commentaries …‘everything that is publicly available’ about stars, such as … interviews, biographies, andcoverage in the press of the star’s doings and ‘private life’” (Negra, Diane, and SuzanneLeonard). In other words, this concept of a “star image” refers to the identity and branding of acelebrity curated from media content that exists around them, essentially being crafted by howthe public perceives the celebrity both professionally and personally. While BTS started asrookies under a small Korean company their star image has unexpectedly transformed them frombeing niched as K-Pop stars to worldwide icons, due to their fanbase and company creating apowerful global presence for them in the media which demonstrates their impactful role inbuilding the identity of these artists.
Molina 2Before BTS’s transformation to the global scene, they started as rookies under the newlydeveloped company Big Hit Entertainment, who took an unconventional route in terms ofbranding their star image. Debuting in 2013, while the members followed traditional Koreannormalities in the music industry, they also were “deeply involved in songwriting, composinglyrics, arranging, and producing … a quality not always easy to come by in the K-pop world ...Such is the vision cultivated by BTS producer Bang Si-hyuk, who intended to create hip-hopidols … due to his belief that the hip-hop genre would allow idols to reveal their true selves asartists” (Kim, Suk-Young, and Youngdae Kim). By being involved in the creation of their music,BTS is perceived to have a sense of creative autonomy, making their fan bases feel more likely toresonate with the themes and emotions of these artists. The labeling of hip-hop music for BTS’sbeginning also highlights how the company desired to shape their artist’s star image through anunconventional, risky path. However, even though Big Hit’s approach to BTS was different thanother K-Pop groups, Big Hit was a small company, overshadowed by larger, older labels whosegroups followed the traditional interests of Korean audiences who are not used to seeing muchchange or innovation in music. Therefore, their fan base at large was Korean people and theyhave had yet to find their global crowd. This allowed Bang Si-hyuk to be more driven toguarantee BTS’s success, because “whereas K-pop is traditionally associated with long-term,exclusive contracts between companies and their acts that pay the talent relatively modestly andgive them little control, Bang seeks to foster a more balanced relationship with his superstar act”(Elberse, Anita, and Lizzy Woodham). This dynamic encouraged BTS’s members to trust theprocess with their label, since K-Pop groups, especially those in small companies tend to die outquickly if their level of fame did not meet the company’s expected level of success and income.
Molina 3BTS’s decision to stick with Big Hit, even though they were still fairly unpopular through theunconventional route they took towards their career, allowed them to possesscertain qualitiesfrom the start that increased their chances for global success.BTS’s catalyst for global breakthrough began once they started to gain recognition fromglobal audiences, who united into one powerful fandom and ultimately transformed this starimage for them. In 2017, BTS started to build “an enormous fan base by constantly postingcontent on social media platforms … Thanks to efficient social media, BTS has advanced theirpresence and maintained this high visibility online by regularly uploading content that isengaging to the audiences, specifically the fans” (Cai). When BTS started prioritizing socialmedia as a marketing tool, they created a global fanbase known as “ARMY,” in which theirobsession with the band members’ music, looks, personality, etc. led them to rapidly spread theword of these idols. For example, fans found that “Twitter is deemed as an ideal platform forthose who want to create reciprocal relationships with their followers … BTS has been viewed asthe most successful band for nurturing the mutual and reciprocal relationship via Twitter” (Park,Soohyun, and Taisik Hwang). While ARMY spread their love for BTS through variousmultimedia platforms, their focus on Twitter led them to have BTS trend highly often innumerous countries. Furthermore, BTS’s rise to globalization has also been influenced by malefans who have recognized that “BTS has increased the visibility of Asian men … who are oftenmisrepresented in American media … BTS's widespread visibility and the positive image willcontribute considerably to the emergence of ‘cool Asianness’" (Yao). With stereotypes of Asianmales being seen as “nerdy” or lacking emotional depth dominating popular media, BTS hascompletely shifted this perspective to Asian-American males, influencing them to further BTS’s
Molina 4global presence in the media. This idea relates to the concept of “relevant fantasy,” which mediascholar John Fiske describes as “...pleasurable to the extent that it reverses social norms, and,when the fantasy can be connected to the conditions of everyday life-when, that is, it is a relevantfantasy-it can make the ideal into the achievable” (Fiske). In other words, celebrities createalternative identities for their audiences, and Asian-American men globalized BTS’s artistry asan act of embracing the new outlook of this representation on the media. Therefore, while BTSwas able to gradually find its presence in the industry through their marketing strategies andthemes, they were able to find a fanbase who connected with them strongly and ultimatelyheightened their popularity on a global scale.After BTS’s successful transformation into the global industry, they started responding tothis change and adapting their music and themes to fit audiences beyond Korea. By 2020, “BTShas leaned into adding completely English songs into their musical repertoire. Both Dynamite(2019), Butter (2020), and Permission to Dance (2021) have all been attempts at solidifying theirpopularity in the United States” (Souders). The promotion of entirely english singles for a K-Popgroup has not been widely recognized before, but BTS was able to successfully do this to appealto their large global audience. Additionally, BTS began to shift their branding and themes to fitglobal issues, as “in tandem with the anxiety many feel towards the state of our world generally… BTS’s art offers fans an antidote to this despair. By applying a queer and hopeful reading toBTS … young fans employ BTS to visualize a more optimistic future” (Zuo, Mila, and KathleenM. Wise). Topics regarding queer individuals and the LGBTQ+ community is commonly seen astaboo in Korean culture, but BTS’s inclusion of representing queer themes in their music,fashion, and storytelling are also intentionally placed to please global fans. To please global fans
Molina 5further, they would frequently make appearances in American variety and talk shows such asBuzzFeed,The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and more. They even campaigned in global countries, asdemonstrated in “the band’s ‘LOVE MYSELF’ campaign [which] has successfully raised $2.98million USD globally for UNICEF’s work to end violence against children and young people,highlighted in the heartfelt speech delivered by the group’s leader at the 75th UN GeneralAssembly” (Le). Attending an assembly and delivering a speech during the United Nations is ahigh honor, granted from the fact that BTS’s fans gave them a prestigious reputable platform asartists. BTS gaining and accepting this offer represents their response to a shift into the globalindustry, as they ultimately decided to give into the global appeal rather than rejecting it.Although BTS began as rookies under a small Korean company, their star image hasunexpectedly changed from being underground K-Pop stars to global icons due to their fandomgiving them a strong global media presence, indicating their significant influence in shapingthese artists' identities. BTS’s star image has initiated a “Korean wave,” where many otherK-Pop artists have globalized, resulting from inspiration from BTS’s success, along with otherforms of Korean multimedia such as K-drama television series. Their company, Big HitEntertainment, has also rebranded into HYBE Labels which now oversees over fifteen musicartists, being the industry giant of the Korean music scene. All of this success has been generatedby the support of the fans; those who invested their time and money into the business of BTS.From wearing merchandise in public, having “stan” accounts on social media for the members,creating video content and more, the relationship that BTS has with ARMY is a two way streak.This duality allowed BTS to break free from the restraints of Korean stereotypes since throughglobal fans, they found people who embrace their authentic star image.
Molina 6Works CitedCai, Arabella. “How Social Media Helped K-Pop Become a Global Phenomenon.”NYUCOMM CLUB, NYU COMM CLUB, 20 July 2024,www.nyucommclub.com/content/2021/11/24/how-social-media-helps-k-pop-become-a-global-phenomenon#:~:text=Technology%20has%20helped%20advance%20K,interactions%20between%20fans%20and%20artists.Elberse, Anita, and Lizzy Woodham. “Big Hit Entertainment and Blockbuster Band BTS:K-Pop Goes Global.”Big Hit Entertainment and Blockbuster Band BTS: K-Pop GoesGlobal - Case - Faculty & Research - Harvard Business School, Harvard Business School,June 2020, www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=58273.Fiske, John. “Reading the Popular.”Routledge & CRC Press, Routledge, 29 Sept. 2010,www.routledge.com/Reading-the-Popular/Fiske/p/book/9780415596510.Kim, Suk-Young, and Youngdae Kim. “The BTS Phenomenon (Chapter 10) - theCambridge Companion to K-Pop.”Cambridge Core, Cambridge University Press, 2 Mar.2023,www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-companion-to-kpop/bts-phenomenon/3B747EEC5E98FCA7C0F94948BFFEE23B.Le, Nguyen. “BTS: From K-Pop Idols to Diplomats: The Right Formula for EffectivePublic Diplomacy?”USC Center on Public Diplomacy, 28 Oct. 2021,
Molina 7uscpublicdiplomacy.org/blog/bts-k-pop-idols-diplomats-right-formula-effective-public-diplomacy.Negra, Diane, and Suzanne Leonard. “‘Stardom and Celebrity’ by Suzanne Leonard andDiane Negra.”Academia.Edu, 29 Nov. 2018,www.academia.edu/37863251/_Stardom_and_Celebrity_by_Suzanne_Leonard_and_Diane_Negra.Park, Soohyun, and Taisik Hwang. “A Social Networks Approach to Interaction Patterns ofBTS Compared to Justin Bieber on Twitter.”Digital Scholarship@UNLV,digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/fwpca/34thannual/three2/3/. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.Souders, Avery J.The Globalization of K-Pop and the Role of Parasocial Relationships,The Temple University Graduate Board, June 2022,scholarshare.temple.edu/bitstream/handle/20.500.12613/8039/Souders_temple_0225M_14919.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.Yao, Xinzi. “K-Pop Transcends Traditional Boundaries: -- Taking the Analysis of BTS asan Example.”ResearchGate, Aug. 2022,www.researchgate.net/publication/363141969_K-pop_Transcends_Traditional_Boundaries_--_Taking_the_analysis_of_BTS_as_an_example.Zuo, Mila, and Kathleen M. Wise. “‘You Never Walk Alone’ : BTS and the Significance ofHeightened Parasocial Relationships during the COVID-19 Pandemic.”Open Collections,
Molina 8University of British Columbia, 1 Apr. 2022,open.library.ubc.ca/soa/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0413033.