I didn’t fully believe the conspiracy theories some armys always said about how american awards use the guys to bolster view, but this amas kinda makes me feel like it’s true. Because they were announcing to everyone and their mother that the boys were going to be there and performing, but
1. They weren’t at the red carpet
2. They showed a pre recorded video of them at one of the vegas concerts
3. And then the guys were nowhere to be seen for an hour and a half even though they were mentioned several times
4. They come out for like 2 mins to present an award and then again not to be seen
5. And they still haven’t presented any of the awards they are nominated in
It’s a perfect playbook of keeping armys engaged and watching
And they didn’t even play live or show the last category the boys were nominated in, supposedly they won because there’s a video of them with 3 trophies, but i still feel used
Unfortunately, this isn’t anything new, and I don’t think anyone’s really surprised by it at this point. I think the moment a lot of us truly realised it was during the Grammy Awards, when BTS performed Butter. That’s when I think everyone, maybe even them too, fully realised that these award shows use them and their fans for the views.
It’s sad, but I also try to look at it from the perspective that it proves the industry is fully aware of the influence they and their fandom have. That still doesn’t make the way they’re treated okay, though.