How ARMYs Can Avoid Becoming A Toxic Fandom Filled With Bullies: A Thread

They say if you hang around someone long enough, you will either influence them, or they'll influence you.

ARMYs have spent a lot of time interacting with toxic cyberbullies.

And these people have not changed.

So then, are WE in danger of being influenced?

I am writing this thread out of concern not just for the pointless toxicity that is routinely engaged in throughout social media, but because, inevitably, there will be new groups that debut and that people take interest in them.

And I worry how this fandom will take it.

I worry about ARMYs because there is a LOT of negative emotion and anxiety in this fandom.

And what I DON'T want to happen is this negative emotion transform us into a bunch of threatened bullies.

So how do we BREAK the vicious cycle of fandom toxicity associated with K-idol fandoms towards others, and especially towards younger fandoms whose faves start to break out?

STEP 1: FOCUS ON BTS AND OUR FANDOM ACTIVITIES & GOALS

The good news is that as we're moving into uncharted territory, we shouldn't, in theory, have TOO much time to worry about what's going on with anyone else.

As BTS compete with some true monsters on the musical world stage, they'll need our full attention and support!

I believe the more time we focus on ARMY-related projects & activities that build fandom unity, the less likely we'll have time to sit around and feed negative emotions like fear and hate, and are therefore less likely to spend time channeling them at other fandoms.

STEP 2: ELIMINATE TOXIC FANDOM THINKING TYPICAL OF K-IDOL FANS

This is going to be tough, as some people are mentally married to the K-idol life cycle.

That means they feel threatened when new, popping idols emerge, because they fear a heavy loss of fans in their own fandom.

This is often a reality for many K-idol groups and those who are used to the cycle may automatically assume that if other K-idol bgs and ggs It's one of the main reasons that older fandoms tend to shade and attack younger, up and coming fandoms.

It's one of the main reasons that older fandoms tend to shade and attack younger, up and coming fandoms.

And it's why you noticed that certain fandoms who claimed to be "friendly" with ARMYs turned on this fandom when BTS started becoming bigger than their faves.

"Idol fandom" thinking demands that new fans bow down to old fandoms and past groups in the hopes that it will keep their faves from falling off or experiencing a drop in contemporary relevancy. It doesn't really work, though.

Even in the multi-fandom friendly international-

Kpop community, eventually people just move on to newer groups, especially when older ones become largely inactive.

.... This can lead to a LOT of toxic resentful behavior. I'm sure a few examples easily come to mind.

While BTS may eventually have mostly non-Kpop/K-idol fans, it would be good if those who stick by them learn to shed their K-idol fandom thinking and not look at new groups and new fandoms as serious threats that needs to be "crushed."

Just let them be and focus on BTS & ARMY.

STEP 3: LEARN TO FEEL EMPATHY

Even if you weren't around, you can imagine how bad it might have felt to have the early major achievements in BTS's career marred with hate hashtags and ugly rumors. https://twitter.com/sweetbtstea/status/948390641645621248

So imagine if a new baby fandom manages to do something amazing -- like break a BTS record and they're very proud of themselves.

Are WE going to trend hate hashtags?

Are we going to ACCIDENTALLY trend our shade and resentment?

... Or are we going to congratulate them, let them have their fun and go right back to stanning BTS?

Ideally, we'll do that second thing.

Realize there are healthier ways of coping with competition than moving to emotionally scar, harass, and threaten others.

If it didn't feel good being directed at you, hold onto that feeling, and imagine causing others that kind of pain.

I hope that as we mature as a fandom, we also mature as people and begin to move on from thinking and behaviors that are often expected from older fandoms towards newer ones or towards new groups.

STEP 4: BE MINDFUL WHO YOU FOLLOW AND THE BEHAVIOR YOU CHOOSE TO MIMIC

I am trying to be careful about what I say and what I react to (even though I sometimes fail because I'm human) because I understand that as my account grows, so does my reach and my ability to influence the thoughts and behaviors of other people.

It's hard to be yourself when yourself wants to drag someone from one end of Twitter to the other ... and you might incidentally start a massive dog-pile that causes someone to have a panic attack and potentially hurt themselves.

I get frightened by how often I hear from people asking me what they should do or what they should think merely because of my follower count or because I seem smarter than the average bear.

I worry because I always want people to be mindful of their own thoughts and actions and to not look to others as to what to think or do. I want people to look within themselves and decide what is right and not be led by peer pressure or hopes of impressing a big account.

So many people do things for clout ... even when they SAY they don't do things for clout!

And sometimes it's not even about clout; it's about the pressure that comes along with knowing that thousands and thousands of eyes are on you and you're expected to act a certain way.

AND, if "that certain way" is ultimately more harmful than helpful, it can begin a landslide of routine behavior in the direction of constantly attacking other people for no other reason than because you want to fit in.

There are MILLIONS of ARMYs trying to fit in!

Suddenly that one tweet blows up and becomes international news and creates an international perspective that doesn't reflect well on you, doesn't reflect well on your followers, and certainly doesn't reflect well on the fandom.

What I'm trying to say is that the only person you have control over is yourself. You can't force a big account to be what you want them to be and they shouldn't be what, at the end of the day, determines what kind of person you are.

Both online and in your actual lives.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I prepared this thread because I wanted to say all of this before I go on hiatus and it's something I've been thinking A LOT about lately.

My gut says that things in the K-idol realm are going to get nuts, especially over the next couple of years. Ideally, we'll be so wrapped up in BTS and our fandom that we won't get dragged in.

Multi-fans ... you might be about to go through it.

But for all of us, I think we need to start thinking more carefully about to whom we give our time and energy. Let's not repeat the mistakes and ugliness of the past.

Let's all accept our imperfections, but also strive to be better people.

That's all, and thanks for reading!

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