Creative Digital Practices to Support Sociopolitical Movements Online: The Case of BTS ARMY, BLM and the #MatchAMillion Fundraiser

Abstract

This chapter analyses how members of the BTS ARMY fandom creatively diverted the intended functionality of X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube platforms as part of their #MatchAMillion fundraiser, which raised over $1 million for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in June 2020. These creative digital practices, a concept defined by adapting the criterion for the appropriation of technical objects, demonstrate this fandom’s ability to leverage the affordances of digital platforms to achieve specific goals in a short period of time. The author analyses the levels of engagement present in these creative practices through the hierarchy of digital activism and the notion of affordances. By conducting microanalyses of posts published on X, obtained through a mixed methodological approach, the author identified five categories of creative practices, three of which the author analyses in this chapter. The analysis reveals the value of low-engagement forms of participation, such as clicktivism, in the context of BTS ARMY’s creative practices when carried out en masse, as well as the limits that can dampen their impact.