K-pop fans hijack #ImpeachBidenNow hashtag on social media, causing it to trend worldwide on Twitter

Fans are using the hashtag, created by a congresswoman who filed articles of impeachment against US President Joe Biden, to promote K-pop stars and create memes

While such behaviour is generally seen as a playful attempt at silencing dangerous or hateful speech, some think it helps perpetuate the messages

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A K-pop meme tagged #ImpeachBidenNow on Twitter. Photo: Twitter

Published: 6:30pm, 25 Jan 2021Updated: 6:30pm, 25 Jan 2021

If you’ve seen posts on social media in recent days calling for the impeachment of newly inaugurated United States President Joe Biden, there’s a chance you will have also seen posts by K-pop fans promoting their favourite stars after they overran the hashtag #ImpeachBidenNow.

Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene created the hashtag after filing articles of impeachment against Biden on January 21, the day after he took office, that accused him of abusing his power. Shortly after, K-pop fans started taking the hashtag, and others related to attempts at impeaching the new US president, and using it on meme posts and other viral content, causing it to trend worldwide on Twitter while detracting from Greene’s anti-Biden agenda.

Many fans told anyone looking at their posts to follow their K-pop “bias”, or their particular favourite artists.

Some fans even created memes of the situation itself, with one user saying, “I was so confused why #ImpeachBidenNow was trending then I press[ed] the hashtag and [saw] all these kpop stans hijacking the hashtag. [I swear to god] kpop stans are something else.” A “stan” means an ardent fan.

K-pop fans have a history of hijacking hashtags connected to US political and social justice issues with content relating to their favourite stars. Their aim is often to flood the topic and make it useless for those who may support the cause or want to use the hashtag for informative purposes.

Though typically seen as a playful, positive attempt at silencing dangerous or hateful speech, some think this fan behaviour could help perpetuate the messages, especially racist ones that end up trending for longer and become part of the news cycle.

Last year, K-pop fans together with TikTok users were also credited with reducing the turnout at former US president Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa, snapping up tickets online but not attending the event.