re: this answer
i would argue that the bangtan bombs are just as much mediated, curated content as anything else we get! like i said in that other response, i don't think any of the content they give us is fake or "not them," just that it's meant to reveal or emphasize different sides of them. the bangtan bombs are still edited after all, and the tannies are still aware of the cameras, and especially in the earlier bangtan bombs they're often specifically performing for the camera too (doing silly little dances, jostling one another to get in front of it, saying hi to army, etc)! the bombs are intentionally more loose and a little more chaotic, but i think it's a mistake to think that they represent an entire depiction of the real them as people. they were part of an intentional media package of bts, which also included shows like rookie king and american hustle life earlier on, and then bighit's media strategy sort of changed over time to result in the other shows they've had more recently. i'd also add that people change across the course of a decade, so even if the bangtan bombs depict reality, they're going to contradict themselves and the personalities they portray from the members will change as they grow and change as people.