Meet the huge, leaderless web of fans fueling BTS 🎶 Ashley Hackworth, BTS A.R.M.Y.

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Episode at a glance:

GUEST: Ashley Hackworth

COMMUNITY: BTS A.R.M.Y.

HOSTS: Mia Quagliarello, Maggie Zhang, and Mira Zhang (Maggie’s sister)

"We are a part of their success. We are a part of their team.” - Ashley Hackworth

Show Notes

BTS is a seven-member South Korean boy band. They became the fastest-growing group since The Beatles to earn four US number-one albums, doing so in less than two years. The rise of BTS is in part thanks to a huge leaderless web of dedicated fans who call themself A.R.M.Y.

People like Ashley Hackworth host accounts that serve as informational and even emotional hubs for millions of fans. They don’t just love BTS’s music, they support each other through mental health issues and other very human challenges, many of which the band sings about in their music. They have banded together to impact the outcome of political movements (including foiling a Trump rally this summer), raised millions of dollars for the Black Lives Matter movement, and flooded social media platforms to drown out racist voices. Members feel like they are part of this big family across the world, a point that Maggie’s 14 year-old sister Mira, a BTS superfan who helped co-hosted the interview, emphasized to us.

Activism is as important as the catchy tunes for Ashley, Mira and their fellow fans. Ashley manages one of the biggest UK fan accounts for BTS. Not only does she report on what's happening with the band in the region, the account also serves as a hub for worldwide BTS news and media requests, translation requests, fundraising, and more.

We talked with Ashley about how fans gather to support each other in many ways without formal leadership and beyond music.

Just like when building a fire, there’s an order of operations you can follow to cultivate communities that burn bright.

In our book, Get Together: How to build community with your people, we take you through three stages of building a community: sparking the flame, stoking the fire, and passing the torch.

Here’s Ashley on the second step, stoking the fire.

Communicating shared values.

The A.R.M.Y. shows up in many interests that extend beyond music. For example:

A.R.M.Y. Academy helps fans with homework.
There is an A.R.M.Y. for medical professionals, doctors and nurses that give health tips.
There is an A.R.M.Y. for cooks and chefs to gather, too.

The premise of all these offshoots of the BTS A.R.M.Y. is that fans “have similar experiences, not just to the boys, but with each other,” Ashley tells us. They stand up to take care of and support each other as the band advocates for in their music.

Songs like “Magic Shop” hit on one of the band’s core values of mental health awareness and support. The introduction in the music video describes “Magic Shop” as “a psychodramatic technique that exchanges fear for a positive attitude.”

The song sheds light on depression, low-self esteem, and struggling with mental health issues. They’re honest about their feelings and extend the conversation beyond their music on YouTube and in live discussions. Ashley explains that they are telling fans, “let's go in together.” Together they could do more than they ever could alone.

Decentralized leadership

Ashley explains the structure of the BTS A.R.M.Y. is to that of a corporation.

Big Hit, the entertainment company that oversees BTS’s label, is the “CEO.” Big Hit has made consistent investments to bring fans close. They host a quarterly debriefing that fans tune into live to see Big Hit’s plans for BTS. Their effort doesn’t go unnoticed. Fans like Ashley are left feeling like they “are a part of the team.”

But outside of BTS and Big Hit, there is no established leadership. Everyone has their own carved out space to make an impact. Fans raise their hand and pitch projects in translation, media representation, voting, research, academics and more. Because the community is so large and they have created a robust online space to connect, fans can find someone to join them in a project and get excited about it too.