Today, we had a mini-package go up over at
@insiderent
/
@BusinessInsider
about the past, present, and future of fandom.
Here are three reported features that I'd be delighted if you checked out 👇
Today was supposed to be the first day of
@BTS_twt
's Map of the Soul tour. Even thought the first four concerts in Seoul were canceled, ARMYs are sharing still sharing the love using the
#ConcertForBTS
hashtag 💜
I am thrilled to report that I have gone full NCTzen following
@NCTsmtown_127
's Beyond the Origin concert. I asked the group about their new single Punch, what it's like to prepare for a virtual concert, and also... Freaky Handshake.
if you've ever had any doubt about the social media might of BTS fans, four out of the top five trending tags worldwide are about one of the members' dog's birthday
Had a wonderful chat with
@eliza_morey
about her "meteor/meatier" video and how it's impacted her.
"When I had made this video... all of a sudden I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I just killed the dinosaurs. Like, I did, me personally, Eliza,'" she said.
Kat is a diligent and empathic journalist, and the fact that a YouTuber deliberately called out her Twitter to direct harassment towards her for an article he said he didn’t even read is abhorrent. Her reporting, and dedication to this story, is incredible and solid.
I didn’t expect to wake up to a call from my editor telling me a YouTuber with 2.8M subscribers uploaded a secretly recorded phone call with me.
I really didn’t expect that YouTuber to then reveal on a livestream that he didn’t read the article he made a 20-min video about.
For
@Polygon
, I wrote about how three recent animated films — Weathering With You, Promare, and Frozen II — are rife with climate anxiety and the sentiments of a generation of young people who never asked to be responsible for saving the world.
thrilled that I was finally given the chance to go long on BTS in honor of
#MAP_OF_THE_SOUL_7
for
@Thrillist
!!! this is a primer for anyone new to the group, and a nice reflection for those of us who are ride-or-die for BTS :')
I wrote about why "I'm at soup" — also known as "soup store," also known as "WHY ARE YOU BUYING CLOTHES AT THE SOUP STORE?" — has such staying power in anime fandom even five years after its premiere. Featuring insight from
@VioletEyesWTF
!
Thrilled to bring you an explainer on MordeTwi, the crossover ship that originated on DeviantArt in 2011 and is blowing up on TikTok in 2021.
I spoke with the creator of MordeTwi and the artist behind the iconic "Airplanes" art to learn about its history.
A little under a year ago, Netflix canceled the fantasy drama Warrior Nun after two seasons. Fans of the series didn't take it lying down — saving Warrior Nun was serious business, and they ran it like one.
I spoke with fans about how they did it:
For
@Polygon
, I wrote about how anime has become an integral part of TikTok culture. To understand how and why, it's best to look at the ascendance of Danganronpa, and more specifically Junko Enoshima, on the app.
I blogged about
@BTS_twt
's
#MapOfTheSoul7
for my newsletter this weekend! If Map of the Soul: Persona was the album that grew BTS' massive fanbase, 7 was the album that rewarded them.
this reminds me of a few years ago when one of my queer studies classes watched Ellen's coming out episode and were all like, "wait but how did she get back to the gate to make her big declaration" and our professor was like, "you just... you just could back then"
~ some personal news ~
Today is my first day at
@thisisinsider
as a digital culture reporter! I'm so excited to be joining the digital culture team and write about TikTok, fandom, digital communities, and being 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆. DMs always open/phaasch
@insider
.com for tips!
“I feel like I’m supposed to be grateful that I got that job. But it’s not enough for me to just be here anymore. I want more, and I don’t care that that upsets people.”
@GenePark
@BTS_twt
I haven't seen and wasn't able to find any BTS fan campaigns/calls for mass voting for Person of the Year but also... I am extremely not surprised.
“That resistance other woman have towards being my friend is definitely one of the pitfalls of being attractive. When I was younger I was so desperate for friends, I’d take anyone”
Happy Super Smash Bros. Ultimate release day! I covered Lifelight, SSBU's Very Anime theme song in vague Kirby cosplay✨
(thanks
@hilighterhead
for recording!)
Engagement with cottagecore content on Tumblr has spiked in recent weeks, likely due in large part to the pandemic. Paradoxically, the kind of idyllic isolation that the aesthetic offers is comforting at a time like this.
Lots of people online were surprised by K-pop stans' participation in raising money or taking over hashtags, despite fandom precedent. However, some of the recent attention has framed K-pop fandom in a way that fails to account for its anti-Blackness.
In July 2019, I airdropped a photo of my long Furby to an anonymous stranger on the M train. 1.5 years later, I saw the results of her project — a collection of AirDropped images that she solicited on the subway that year — online. We spoke about it.
a lil update: I'm moving over to Insider's entertainment desk!
I'm sad to leave digital culture, but I'm very excited to get back on the ent grind and work with Insider's amazing team!! (this also means I'll no longer primarily cover TikTok/online trends/memes/etc.)
Usually BTS' airport arrivals are more chaotic, but today the group arrived at ICN to a fan-organized project that maintained boundaries and showed respect.
Fans (esp. in this case
@ProtectionArmy
) are are actively changing fandom culture and it's amazing to witness.
Jin saw the signs & actions of the ARMY who protected the boys from mobbing and complimented them, saying “what a good new culture/practice!”
thank you ARMY at incheon 🙏👏
@BTS_twt
#welcomehomeBTS
K-pop stans are by-and-large young and extremely passionate about social justice, AND they dominate the top trending spots on Twitter on a regular basis. Their recent takeover of tags like
#whitelivesmatter
is incredible but shouldn’t be surprising!
I talked with
@doggface208
about his iconic "Dreams" video and how it's impacted his life.
"I just do me, that ain't gonna change," he said. "I'm gonna keep skateboarding and doing my longboard videos because those make me feel good."
Last night,
@AleXa_ZB
became the first winner of American Song Contest!!!
We spoke after the show's qualifying round about representing Oklahoma as a K-pop artist, and how her unique path to debut prepared her to kill it on ASC.
I've been watching iCarly on and off since it hit Netflix, and in the process, have been struck by how relevant it still feels.
Situated during what was arguably the genesis of modern creator culture, it was ahead of the curve.
Woah! I hit 100 posts over at
@Polygon
today. I've been lucky to work two terms with them as an intern. Here are some of my favorite things I've written for the site:
EXPERIENTIAL: I tried out Kendall Roy’s tragic Battery Park walk from Succession after picketing with the
@InsiderUnion
— but it only made me feel more assured in our decision to strike
my first byline in
@BizOutsiderPub
:)
my eternal curse is that in eighth grade (when I made my Facebook) I set my workplace to "Super Weenie Hut Jrs," and now no matter what I do or how many times I try to delete it I simply cannot get rid of it
I wrote about the profound impact that The Legend of Korra had on me as a bisexual teen. My queer coming of age paralleled a significant increase in LGBTQ representation in cartoons across the latter half of the 2010s, and it's been thrilling to see.
it's been a few days since this went up but!!! I wrote about the legacy of Benedict Cumberbatch's "Cumberbitches," reflecting on what the fandom was like back in the early 2010s, how it was deeply intertwined with Sherlock, and where it's at now ✨
I know "some personal news" is a meme now but some personal news:
This spring I'll be working as a 🌈lead junior editor🌈 over at
@glaad
's youth editorial platform, amp! I'm very excited to help bring in tons of new young, queer voices and work with an amazing editorial team.
ok it's ridiculous and patronizing to be like "shame on Krispy Kreme for offering free donuts to vaccinated people" or saying it's "trading one problem for another." it's fat-shamey and weird and acts like people have no agency!!! let them get their donut!!!!
if there's anything I can depend on myself to do it's click on trending terms that I know will make me feel like this while reading through the discourse
Lil Nas X has arguably locked in 'Old Town Road's' history-making streak on the Billboard Hot 100 with his latest remix, 'Seoul Town Road' featuring RM of BTS. YEEHAW!
I wrote about why people are performing Soulja Boy's song "Rick and Morty" for gravestones, some of which actually appear to belong to famous people and others that were deliberately misattributed to them (that is not actually Woodrow Wilson's grave).
it's been less than a year since BI's last round of layoffs. this is so bleak and disheartening, after a very bleak and disheartening week in media, and I am heartbroken to see my colleagues be laid off today
I also don't like content like that! That's why this piece is about why and how anime is such an integral part of TikTok culture and what that means for anime fandom today. The fact that kids on TikTok do anime memes without watching anime is neat and fun!
MLA:
-stick in the mud
-constantly interrupting you (in-text citations)
-for the normies
Chicago:
-Very Cool
-knows how to appropriately interject¹
-probably punk if you think about it hard enough
_______________________________________________
¹ footnotes
BREAKING NEWS: I actually took matters into my own hands and scheduled a month-overdue haircut because I am capable and responsible and also the salon lets you make appointments online and I didn't have to make a phone call
We're in the golden age of frog content. While frogs have been a part of the meme cycle for basically as long as we've had a meme cycle, content these days skews wholesome. The obsession can, but doesn't have to be that deep: frogs are just cool 🐸