BTS hit another milestone on Monday (Nov. 13) when their @bts_twt reaching 10 million followers on Twitter -- a first for any Korean artist. The accomplishment earned them a hashtag, #LoveBTS10M, which was paired with the group's third Twitter emoji.
The news reinforces their domination as our Top Social Artist, the distinction they won at the Billboard Music Awards in May.
Stan Twitter is a subculture all its own, especially when it comes to BTS’s passionate fan base, ARMY. Their mobilization sent #LoveBTS10M trending worldwide shortly after the achievement was announced.
So, it makes sense that the group’s third emoji was inspired by the official logo that represents ARMY. The symbol is an inversion of the door-shaped logo used for the #BTSxAMAS and #ARMYxAMAs hashtag, which was unveiled on July 5 as part of the group’s newly extended brand identity.
Symbolically, the twin logos mean that BTS and ARMY are facing each other from opposite vantage points -- and it’s meaningful that both Twitter emojis were revealed within 10 days of each other.
The accomplishment took the group 1,793 days to pull off after they posted their first tweet on Dec. 17, 2012 -- written in Korean, the text announced the group’s official Twitter launch several months before their official debut on June 12, 2013.
But the account has been gaining momentum in the past few months as it recently hit 9 million followers on Oct. 12, according to Soompi -- meaning the boys earned 1 million followers within the span of a month. Twitter Korea put together a visualization of the account’s growth over time.
The social media team at Twitter presented BTS with a trophy celebrating their 10 million followers. The plaque reads, "Congratulations to @BTS_twt on reaching 10,000,000 followers on Twitter."
Each of the seven members sent out individual thank-you messages through a medium any ARMY would appreciate: selfies.
J-Hope cheesed it up in his photo with a hand heart.
Jimin threw out a peace sign.
Important note: Jungkook’s signature is definitely a reflection of his advanced drawing ability.
RM got the winky face going.
Suga is all about that finger heart.
V brings the aegyo with his signature pose.
Where would ARMYs be without Jin’s kissy face?
Then all seven members threw a dance party in this gif. The caption is accented with an animal emoji representing each member.
Here are some other noteworthy facts about BTS’s Twitter presence, courtesy of Twitter.
The group has received 1 billion mentions on the social media platform since they opened their account.
The five most tweeted about BTS songs of all time are:
1. “DNA”
2. “Spring Day”
3. “Not Today”
4. “I Need U”
5. “Fire”
The group’s second Twitter account for official updates, @BTS_bighit, amassed an impressive 6.9 million followers too.
Photo: Getty Images