From decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) run on Discord to city-wide mutual aid groups, people are finding safety and optimism in numbers. For growing numbers of people, collective action is emerging as the only viable solution to compounding crises and deepening alienation.

Chinese milk tea chain HeyTea has partnered with Korean beauty label 3CE to provide customers the chance to give a public performance of a K-pop routine. With Korean brands experiencing a decline in popularity, it hints at how collaborations may help reignite the 'Hallyu wave' in China.

From disrupting a Trump rally to backing BLM, K-pop stans have proven themselves as an unexpected activist force – and planet stewardship is also a priority. As Hallyu continues to amass global cultural clout, stans are galvanised to lean on K-pop’s force, leveraging it to create change.

Stans are passionate, and while they generally post about the object of their obsession, strong social media presence and large numbers mean they can mobilize to dominate social feeds. Showing the power of online community, they’re promoting BLM and quashing racism.

K-pop has firmly established itself in mainstream culture as hyper-managed boy bands and girl groups have broken through language barriers to become global idols. What does the international popularity of Blackpink reveal of modern fandom? And how exactly are stans reshaping pop music?