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Fan Autoethnography

I discovered BTS back in 2017 when watching the Billboard Music Awards. At the time I didn't think much about their appearance in the award show, but it wasn't until August of that year that I would become a fan. Just like many other K-pop fans, I discovered BTS from watching people react to them on the YouTube channel The Fine Brothers (is now called REACT). This channel had Youtubers, teens, etc. react to different trends that were big on social media. When BTS and Kpop were starting to become more well known these videos were big. Me and my sister would start watching these videos and started to become curious about the members and their music. What would ensue would be me binge-watching all the content I could find of BTS and trying to remember who was who. By the end of August, I was a full-on fan.

Becoming a fan of BTS not only introduced me to the world of K-pop, it also introduced me to Korean culture. When watching videos of the members, I always looked at the food they would be eating and wanted to try it myself. Because of BTS, I discovered Korean food, which has now become one of my favorite foods in the world. I also desperately wanted to go to Korea so I could see all the cool things the country has to offer. For my 15th birthday, I exactly did that. Me and my family went to South Korea that summer and it became one of the best trips ever. Being able to experience it influenced me to want and study abroad in the country.

One of the things that I desperately wanted to do as a fan was to finally go to one of their concerts. Back in 2019, I had never been to a concert in my life so I had to convince my parents to let me and my sister go. We were finally able to snag some tickets and I saw BTS live in Metlife Stadium in New Jersey. It felt nice to be surrounded by people who had the same appreciation for the group just like I did. You feel safe in the environment since no one will judge you which is something that I've struggled with ever since I became a fan.

In the present day, I am still a fan of BTS and K-pop. I've been a fan for 6 years and I don't see myself getting out of the fandom. Of course, I get annoyed with how other fans act but that's how it is for every fandom, there's always going to be toxic fans. Although it hurts to know that BTS is on hiatus due to military service, I've been happy to support all the members solo work since I do love them all equally.

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Fandom Cookbook

The concept of the cookbook is quite simplistic in the most aesthetically pleasing way. With the cover being green the cookbook stands out from other merchandise the group has put out.

The recipes in the cookbook come from different dishes that the group has either made or eaten in their video content. By seeing the members eat and/or cook the food, fans are influenced to want to make the food themselves and learn more about the Korean culture and language. The cookbook also has pictures of how the food looks and screenshots of what video the dish was in.

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Ethics and Platform Analysis

The Star Wars fandom is very hostile when it comes to the franchise. With ongoing misogyny towards female actors and racism, Star Wars fans have been dubbed one of the worst fandoms ever. Jake Lloyd who played Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace was bullied in school after the film came out. It became so bad that Lloyd burned all his Star Wars merchandise and has come to hate the franchise. Many fans have also made sexist remarks towards Daisy Ridley and Kelly Marie Tran due to fan's hatred of their characters. This resulted in Ridley and Tran deleting their Instagram accounts.

The platform(s) that are important in our analysis was mainly Instagram. When looking at the harassment of Ridley and Tran, we noticed that it mainly happened on this platform. Many people would post comments on their posts and would also tag them in pictures ridiculing them. Hate accounts are another thing that fans made to show their disdain for the actresses. This contributes to our analysis because these accounts are posting these things that will permanently be online for the world to see.

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Worldbuilding: Athua

Gods/Religion: Monotheistic religion, Udarr is the god, the people of Athua go to the temple every Saturday to give food to Udarr and pray for a happy and healthy life.

Udarr:

Government: The Athuan government is a communist government. After bringing down the monarchy two years ago, the Athuan people took into account the wants and needs of the people. President Yo Jin-Sang has made the economy better, has ended poverty, and has given universal healthcare to the people. Athua is a neutral country like Switzerland in which they promote peace and have only gone to war once. Although Athua is a country of peace and neutrality, monarchy loyalist Benjamin Cummings has plotted to overthrow the government and bring in a new royal family.

President Yo Jin-Sang:

Benjamin Cummings:

Culture/Social Structure: Every year on June 13, the people of Athua celebrate the discovery of the country with a huge concert and food stalls with traditional Athuan food. The celebration ends with a baby being presented to the Athuan people as a symbol of new life for the legacy of the Athuans.

A big name in Athuan pop culture is boxer Hugh Lorenzo Dinlayan Capistrano. He is a five-time lineal champion and has 6 gold medals from the 2020 Olympics. He is considered one of the best boxers of all time. He also has a singing career which has garnered him international fame.

Hugh Lorenzo Dinlayan Capistrano:

Geography: The country of Athua is next to the Pacific Ocean. With beautiful beaches, Athua has become a tourist hotspot. Athua has also become one of the cheapest places to travel to.

Athua:

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Culture Venn Diagram

It was a bit hard to think about some signifiers but I realized that both of the cultures that I chose both have a strong sense of community. I chose the Puerto Rican flag because Puerto Ricans feel very proud about where they come from. I chose the BTS lightstick because during concerts you tend to see a sea of colors.

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Fan Autoethnography Rough Draft

With being a fan of BTS I have become part of the community on Instagram but also on Tumblr. I've never created content for the fandom since I much rather see the content that has been made by other fans. As of 2022 all except one member of BTS have their own separate Instagram accounts so I follow all of them and sometimes repost their posts up onto my Instagram stories.