<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This research note is aimed at exploring the opportunities and challenges faced by teenagers living in an underprivileged region in Romania as fans of an internationally popular K-pop band. We used desk research and netnography to explore similarities and differences between the local and international BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) fandom, also called “Army”. Which are the barriers a Hungarian “Army” from Romania encounters when engaging with their idols? What is the role of K-pop in opening up the language and cultural bubble in which Hungarian youth in rural Romania live?1 The innovative element in our empirical research is the <italic>focus on family context</italic>: we interviewed both BTS fans and their parents in order to assess to what extent is K-pop in general and BTS in particular part of their daily lives. With its limitations as a small-scale qualitative analysis, such research can give insights into fan studies from a comparative perspective.</p></abstract>

This research note is aimed at exploring the opportunities and challenges faced by teenagers living in an underprivileged region in Romania as fans of an internationally popular K-pop band. We used desk research and netnography to explore similarities and differences between the local and international BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) fandom, also called “Army”. Which are the barriers a Hungarian “Army” from Romania encounters when engaging with their idols? What is the role of K-pop in opening up the language and cultural bubble in which Hungarian youth in rural Romania live?1 The innovative element in our empirical research is the focus on family context: we interviewed both BTS fans and their parents in order to assess to what extent is K-pop in general and BTS in particular part of their daily lives. With its limitations as a small-scale qualitative analysis, such research can give insights into fan studies from a comparative perspective.

Global Stars on Local Screens: BTS and Its “Army”

Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania

Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Communicatio

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Global Stars on Local Screens: BTS and Its \u201cArmy\u201d"}

This research note is aimed at exploring the opportunities and challenges faced by teenagers living in an underprivileged region in Romania as fans of an...

Global Stars on Local Screens: BTS and Its “Army”

Published Online: Jan 29, 2021

Page range: 151 - 165

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/auscom-2020-0011

Keywords
K-pop, Hungarians from rural Romania, cultural bubble, BTS fandom

© 2020 Rozália Klára Bakó, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Global Stars on Local Screens: BTS and Its “Army”

Published Online: Jan 29, 2021

Page range: 151 - 165

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/auscom-2020-0011

KeywordsK-pop, Hungarians from rural Romania, cultural bubble, BTS fandom

© 2020 Rozália Klára Bakó, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
K-pop, Hungarians from rural Romania, cultural bubble, BTS fandom