Contractualism in the ARMY fandom: a legion prepared and mobilised at BTS’s service

Although the phenomenon of fandom had its origins in the 19th century, in recent years, it has undergone significant evolution, becoming a fundamental component of the expansion and proliferation of transmedia universes. Currently, one of the largest and most globalised fan communities is ARMY, the...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Díaz Ardiaca, Lara, Freire-Sánchez, Alfonso, Vidal-Mestre, Montserrat
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/157299
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/157299
https://doi.org/10.12795/Ambitos.2024.i64.08
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:ARMY
BTS
K-pop
Fandom
Contractualism
Contractualismo
Descripción
Sumario:Although the phenomenon of fandom had its origins in the 19th century, in recent years, it has undergone significant evolution, becoming a fundamental component of the expansion and proliferation of transmedia universes. Currently, one of the largest and most globalised fan communities is ARMY, the fandom of the K-pop group BTS. The purpose of this manuscript is to reflect on the distinctive elements that characterise the ARMY community, understand its unique relationship with BTS in relation to contractualist theories, and analyse the peculiarities of its content production. Through a questionnaire-type survey directed at BTS followers, with the participation of 275 people in English and 128 in Spanish, quantitative information was collected. The goal was to extrapolate, through structured procedures, certain aspects of the behaviour of BTS fans. The results obtained allow for establishing the points of connection between the band and its fandom, understanding the importance of narrative as a driver of fan loyalty, evaluating the predominant influence of YouTube compared to other content consumption channels, and finally extrapolating these characteristics as a model that stimulates fan communities through fundamental elements of contractualism.