Donna KaudelYou and I, Best Moment is Yet to Come: Fandom and/as MeaningOn February 26, 2020, a friend sent me a link to a YouTube video, the latest “Carpool Karaoke” skit that aired on a recent episode of James…8 min read·Jun 19, 2022----
Donna KaudelBTS, ARMY, and the Meaning of PopularityEven if someone doesn’t know everything about the Korean pop supergroup BTS they probably know that they’re very popular. However, the…4 min read·Aug 23, 2021----
Donna KaudelAuthentic Idols: Curation, Agency, and Connection in the BTS ExperienceAuthenticity is a word that’s thrown around a lot. The most basic way that we all intuitively understand authenticity is that it’s about…8 min read·May 24, 2021----
Donna KaudelWhat’s in a Name: The Politics of “Boy Band”A good friend of mine recently called BTS — the international supergroup from South Korea — a “boy band” and it just sounded wrong to me…5 min read·Dec 9, 2020----
Donna KaudelI Love You More than Love: Fandom and/as LoveWhat we often feel but don’t say out loud about being a fan is that it’s a bit like falling in love.6 min read·Oct 17, 2020----
Donna KaudelLight it up Like Dynamite: Passionate Fans and Hierarchies of ArtWhen it comes to BTS, the question of their success in the West has launched a thousand think pieces. Unfortunately, the answers provided…5 min read·Sep 17, 2020----
Donna KaudelinRevolutionariesA Momentary Rainbow: BTS and ARMY as Co-CreatorsOne of the key questions that people always ask when they’re trying to understand the most enthusiastic and powerful fandoms is: Why are…6 min read·Aug 13, 2020--1--1