Black Lives Matter: how K-pop stans drowned out racist voices by posting fancams – and fans matched BTS’ US$1 million donation to the BLM movement
On social media, especially on Twitter, K-pop stans love posting fancams – videos focused on their favourite star – on conversation threads that have nothing to do with their K-pop idol. This is how they show the world that whatever the conversation, their minds and hearts only have room for their idol. Spamming with fancams is also a way of paying tribute to their favourite stars and getting them more attention.
Why K-pop artists are supporting the Black Lives Matter movement
But spamming with fancams has taken a more serious turn of late. With racism in the US dominating the media following the killing of George Floyd by a police officer, citizens went online to stage protests, spread awareness and raise funds in support of #blacklivesmatter.
K-pop fans, known for their power to make hashtags trend in a matter of minutes, were quick to drown racist voices using the opposing hashtag #whitelivesmatter by flooding it with fancams. On Twitter and on Instagram, the hashtag was filled with memes, fancams, and posts from non K-pop fans expressing solidarity.
According to CNN, K-pop stans also spammed a police app, called iWatch Dallas, which the Dallas Police Department used to call on citizens to submit videos of “illegal activity from the protests”. In response, K-pop stans bombarded the app with fancams, and by that afternoon, the app crashed.
Many speculate that the “technical difficulty” was caused by fancam spam.
Will Anna Wintour be forced out of US$2 million-a-year Vogue editor’s job?
Likewise, in the Philippines, citizens who are opposed to a proposed anti-terror law, expressed concern that its vague provisions may be misused to tag administration critics as “terrorists”, silence dissent, and lead to groundless arrests. Filipinos who voiced their stance online used the hashtag #junkterrorbill; while K-pop stans made #supportantiterrorbill trend – but filled with gifs and fancams.
This is not the first time K-pop stans have shown how they can make an impact on pressing issues. Soon after BTS and BigHit made a donation of US$1 million to Black Lives Matter, the BTS ARMY started to raise money through charity collective One in an ARMY, with the hashtag #matchamillion.
Forbes reported that in less than a day, more than 34,500 fans donated, eventually surpassing its goal and raising over US$1.4 million.
George Floyd race protests: which celebs marched and who donated only $50?
Usually, K-pop stans are called out whenever they post fancams that are unrelated to the original posts, but because of their contribution to the online protests, they received love from all over the world. K-pop stans, it appears, are the only global group that can mobilise the muting of a hashtag like no one else.
Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter .
It’s not just about music: K-pop fans are using their social media skills to effect change on today’s most important social issues, including racism