Isn’t it amazing how, despite being ethnically and culturally different, music allows the human race to connect and bond in ways unimaginable? Although people from different parts of the world may share different political, religious, or cultural views in life, a song has the capability of bringing those people together to share the same emotions. Recently, a K-pop boy band by the name of BTS and their newest single “Idol” has been a perfect example of this.
Originating from South Korea, BTS is a K-pop boy band consisting of seven members: RM, J-Hope, Suga, Jin, V, Jimin, and Jungkook. It wasn’t until September of 2017 that they became a global phenomenon through their hit single, “DNA.” Their latest song “Idol” has also received a tremendous amount of success as well, surpassing Taylor Swift’s record for the most viewed video on YouTube in 24 hours with over 45 million views, largely thanks to participatory culture.
In participatory culture, the audience acts more of a contributor, rather than a consumer, in the success of how media spreads. In the case of “Idol,” there is a great sense of spreadability – which refers to the potential of how easily audiences are able to spread the content – to the song because it was posted on YouTube. YouTube videos in this day and age carry an immense amount of influence to where it can be spread, especially since it is able to reach globally with the substantial amount of people who have easy access to the web. Moreover, their fans – known as the ARMY – continuously stream their music videos upon release to garner views and share it around the web by posting links of the video to other social media platforms to spread the influence.
However, what gives “Idol” its most successful value doesn’t pertain to the aspect of spreadability, but rather its stickiness. Stickiness, to simply put it, refers to how much it attracts the audience’s attention and their want to share it. So what characteristics of “Idol” made the audience so intrigued and engaged, if the name value of BTS is neglected? First, the song uses an upbeat, fast-paced tempo, which has the audience captivated from the get go. This is complimented by the use of bright variety in colours in the music video, which portrays a feeling of liveliness to its viewers. To top it off, the lyrics of the song conveys the overall message to love yourself and accept who you are, which may resonate deeply with most audience. These three combined features played a significant factor in the “stick” to the song.
In the age of expanding media and participatory culture, spreadability and stickiness are complements of each other, and it is shown distinctly through BTS’s “Idol.”
Citations:
Jenkins, Henry, et al. Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture: with a New Afterword. New York University Press, 2018.
Romano, Aja. “How BTS and Their ARMY Changed K-Pop – and the World.” Vox, Vox, 26 Sept. 2018, www.vox.com/culture/2018/6/13/17426350/bts-history-members-explained.
Herman, Tamar. “BTS’ ‘Idol’ Has Biggest YouTube 24-Hour Debut of All Time.” Billboard, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2018, www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8472359/bts-idol-youtube-24-hour-debut.