First off I’d like to point out that I can’t talk about Kpop in general since I know too little. I made that assumption to not demonize one group who might just be part of a bigger system. The following is what I’ve observed by keeping up with BTS' content. Media people sometimes wonder how they could build such a devout fandom and such proximity to the fans. I think it’s not a miracle at all. It starts off with giving the fandom the specific name and an assigned character (the A alone stands for adorable) that everyone will be happy to identify themselves with ("I am ARMY"). I think now whenever the members address ARMY, people will feel addressed personally. With this they accomplish two things: Firstly building close proximity to the individual viewer while simultaneously evading having to actually deal with individuality of fans by providing a framework that they’re happy being lumped together in. I don’t think everyone is so aware, rather everyone still feels individually seen and cared for. ("ARMYs please stay healthy... ARMYs rest well...") But they’re not. And that’s why ARMYs are so desperate and noisy to get some attention from the members back. If you’ve ever gone to weverse out of curiosity, there’s thousands of comments literally just saying "please give me a heart/upvote, so that xy member oppa sees my post". I believe that the same effect might drive all the Twitter crazes and emotionally fueled fan wars and protective behavior. It’s a competition. People haven’t evolved to get emotionally attached to other people who give nothing back. In real life this would be an abusive relationship. Are you a fan and not personally attached to these lovely people? What takes the place of "giving something back" now is all the stuff you can buy and consume. If BigHit's motto still is "Artists for healing" then this reminds me a little of church or televangelists to be honest. You get attached to these charismatic figures, then buy into your own "salvation". I think this is all very dangerous for vulnerable people and I’m not so astonished by the amount of fan screaming and more so the crazy sound of it sometimes, which sounds not happy but desperate and I’m not astounded by the fervor of people trying to prove their devotion with whatever means. I think their subconscious wants BTS to finally notice them individually. But BTS will forever keep addressing "the ARMY" Please let me know what y'all think! I’m very curious!