Written by Staff Writer
The BTS fandom is in absolute euphoria today. The Korean boy band has announced they will make their American debut with a performance on Jan. 21 in Los Angeles.
If you thought you couldn’t top their mega-successful debut at the 55th Grammy Awards , you thought wrong. BTS has gone even further and announce their own Instagram accounts – apparently the first ever virtual fan pages.
Best known by their idol handle @bts_album_2, the band’s Twitter account (@bts_officials) shows the love between members. But those accounts will not be going away on Jan. 21.
What makes the move so exciting is the next milestone in BTS’ transformation from a K-pop group into a global celebrity. The band will introduce individual BTS accounts, including individual member handles.
Even the band’s three idols released their own personal Instagram accounts this morning.
Fans must now differentiate between those accounts and official BTS accounts. BTS’ official Instagram — account under @bts–and Twitter handle –under @bts_info — respectively, (@officialbtsos) will still be there.
But the personal accounts of each member will be different. For example, @minbros will be different than @sammelbros. The first fan Instagram page will debut at noon.
By taking this first step toward personalization, BTS allows fans to interact with each idol in a private way. It’s sure to appease many die-hard fans who have been eagerly waiting to get an update on the band.
By creating distinct accounts and individual profiles for each member, it will allow the band to cross-promote different videos, music and app updates while maintaining their identity and a bit of group-style unity.
However, the plan is not without its challenges. Other bands have encountered a great deal of backlash for personalizing their user pages. Sometimes, groups become a pawn in the popularity game, and fans are unhappy when their idols leave.
It will likely be a balancing act and let the fans decide for themselves how the move will evolve.