THE BTS army incubation theory: How you wake up one morning and realise you are an army

Source- https://btsthinkinghats.wordpress.com/2018/03/23/the-bts-army-incubation-theory-how-you-wake-up-one-morning-and-realize-you-are-an-army/

How did you become a BTS ARMY was one of the frequently asked question I get from fellow fans that I encounter online. I find myself repeating the story and finding similarities between my personal journey to the journey of others. And so I decided to think through it and see if there is a framework that fits. Taking from the different lessons on “stages” of this and that, I designed my own theory- the ARMY Incubation Theory.

Stage 1: Exposure

This stage can be divided into two phases accidental exposure and intentional exposure. You accidentally find them through different sources and you get curious. So you find yourself intentionally exposing yourself to more BTS related content.

Stage 2: Opinion Building

From your exposure you start forming opinions about them and then forming an opinion about yourself in relation to BTS – I like them or I don’t like them.

Stage 3: Interaction

You open yourself to interacting with them and the fandom. You follow their SNS and like or RT their content. You like or comment on Youtube videos. You follow other ARMY accounts thereby forming another layer of opinion – I like this fandom or I don’t like this fandom.

Stage 4: Acceptance

That moment you admit to yourself you are a fan. You start contributing by whatever means you have to ensure their success.

Stage 5: Championing and Integration

You start championing the BTS cause. Going above and beyond to support them from buying to voting and everything else in between. You start integrating BTS in your daily life and you start evangelizing others to like and support BTS.

At what stage are you?