Why Do BTS Views Get Deleted When They Beat Black Pink's Record on YouTube?
Over the past few years, the BTS fandom, colloquially known as ARMY, has seen numerous records set and broken on YouTube. One particular issue that has puzzled many fans is the recurring deletion of views every time they surpass Black Pink's records. This phenomenon raises questions about the ethics of view manipulation and the reliability of YouTube's metrics.
mega-fandom and Suspicion
The BTS fandom is one of the largest and most dedicated on the internet, with over 26 million followers on Twitter alone. Fans consistently come together to watch new releases, and it is not uncommon for a significant portion of them, at least 90%, to watch a new video simultaneously. This level of organization and coordination is particularly noteworthy given the large scale and suggests organized behavior.
This coordinated effort has led many to suspect the involvement of bot views. While the use of bots to artificially inflate views can be seen in various forms, the scale of the BTS fandom and the near-synchronized actions they take to view content together might seem too large to be purely natural. Some wonder if individuals or groups use bots to earn money on YouTube, where such large numbers of views might be suspicious.
Consistent Record-Breaking
Since the latter part of 2017, BTS has continually set and broken records on YouTube, including surpassing milestones associated with other popular acts like Black Pink. Despite the consistent trend and the fandom's significant impact, YouTube has not shown signs of recognizing the magnitude and power of the BTS fandom. In fact, the recurring deletion of views every time they beat the record of other acts, such as Black Pink, leads to suspicion and scrutiny.
Seasoned fans and members of the BTS community have noted that the consistent deletion of views is not a common occurrence for most channels, but is disproportionately prevalent for BTS. This persistent pattern of behavior by YouTube could be interpreted as a form of gatekeeping or ensuring fairness. However, the lack of transparency about view counts and metrics further fuels the debate among fans and users of the platform.
Manipulation and Questions About YouTube Analytics
The core issue at play here is the practice of view manipulation. Some criticize the use of bots or other artificial means to inflate views, as they skew real engagement and undermine the authenticity of content performance metrics. For a mega-fandom like ARMY, these actions often lead to suspicion that real consumers of content are not always being accurately represented.
Their consistent record-breaking and the correlated view deletions raise concerns about the reliability of YouTube's analytics. Many fans believe that YouTube should offer more transparent views and analytics to address these suspicions. The lack of transparency and consistent anomalies in the BTS channel's view counts could indicate that there are deeper issues with how YouTube processes and displays its metrics.
Impact on Fandom and the Community
The repeated deletions of views have a tangible impact on the BTS fandom and community as a whole. It not only influences how they perceive the authenticity of their interactions with youtube but also affects their trust in the platform's measures and practices. For many enthusiasts, this ongoing controversy highlights a broader digital issue of manipulation and data integrity in the age of social media.
The current situation with BTS views being deleted may need more transparency and clarification from YouTube to address fan concerns and restore trust. This could be achieved through more robust and transparent view counting methods, clearer guidelines on acceptable content practices, and more effective measures to deter and report manipulative activities. Ultimately, ensuring the visibility and authenticity of fan engagement is crucial for maintaining the integrity of content performance metrics on the platform.