Image and projection on social media: an analysis of BTS members profiles on Instagram

This article aims to analyze the way in which members of the K-pop (South Korean pop) group Bangtan Sonyeondan, also known as BTS, build their presence on Instagram, enabling different forms of projection and identification by among your fans. Initially, the relationships between art, culture and technology are discussed based on Communication Theories (Adorno & Horkheimer, 2020; Morin, 1997; Kellner; 2001; Williams, 2011). Next, the focus is on cyberculture and the role of social networks in reconfiguring relationships between idols and their fans (Recuero, Zago & Soares, 2019; Pinheiro, 2009; Andrade, 2020). Finally, a Content Analysis (Bardin, 2011) of the profile of the group BTS, a phenomenon of the Korean wave (Mazur, 2020), is carried out in order to analyze how, through posts, they seek to activate this dual nature of myths modern: identification and projection, glamorization and proximity to the everyday universe, with a constant presence on social networks as a strategy.