A hashtag campaign gone wrong: How the Guinness World Records drew the flack of thousands of EXO-L worldwide

Due to an error in a tweet they made, the official Guinness World Records Twitter account has been under heavy fire over the past day from angry EXO-Ls.

EXO-L is the name given to fans of the K-POP boy band EXO. Like fans of other forms of media, they have a reputation for being extremely dedicated to the band and are always on alert to protect them from any misunderstandings or mishaps that could occur within the range of their internet circle.

Most recently, they set their sights on the Guinness World Records Twitter account, trending hashtags in order to seek an apology from them for an error-filled tweet that they made.

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The incident: Why are EXO-Ls trending hashtags?

For the 14th Soompi Awards, K-POP fans were made to tweet under the hashtag #TwitterBestFandom and vote for a specific fandom for a chance to win an award for them.

The competition took place in a 24-hour period, with EXO-Ls (EXO fans) emerging as the victor with and ARMYs (BTS fans) coming in second place. In fact, EXO-Ls had managed to comprise of 40% of the total number of tweets made, which was 60,055,339.

The incident occurred when the official Guinness World Records Twitter account made this (now deleted) tweet:

This tweet, which was factually incorrect, was later deleted

EXO-Ls were quick to catch on to the error, demanding for an apology and a correction, under the hashtag #GWRApologisetoEXOLS.

A collective effort by all fandoms,including EXOLs who came in first place and contributed 40% to this record, and here's to @GWR being a clout chaser disregarding the other 9 dedicated fandoms who equally contributed to this record 😶#GWRApologisetoEXOLS#EXO @weareoneEXO pic.twitter.com/SNJ1cDQ9cq

— EM MA (@ByunEmy24) July 1, 2021

u can search at first and then open your mouth 🌹#GWRApologisetoEXOLS#EXO @weareoneEXO apologize to us @GWR pic.twitter.com/YN1Zy2WzZq

— cosmic railway ~~ DKS1 🔥 (@nafismissessuho) July 1, 2021

Can't you see the position. Are you blind or something?How can you be so unprofessional?@GWR apologize to us@weareoneEXO #GWRApologisetoEXOLS pic.twitter.com/EhDzURhGqH

— 🌈Kerrie✨Exo-L (@byuneuna) July 1, 2021

When whole 40% tweets were come from Exol how can you only take the name who was belonging in 2nd position.. Take winners name or all fandoms name those did their best in this. #GWRApologisetoEXOLS #exo @weareoneEXO @gwr apologize to us.

— pinkyL (@ryhnpinkyL) July 1, 2021

#GWRApologisetoEXOLS#EXO @weareoneEXO@GWR apologize to us...💪🏻WE ARE ONE💪🏻EXO-L fighting🤍✨ pic.twitter.com/AJfhjzoN2s

— نیلوفر آبی (@Nilofarblue) July 1, 2021

I just know @GWR already lose credibility and the trust from the kpop fans who work hard just to give the credits and title to one account. shame. cheers to other 9 best fandom who were left out cuz they're chasing clout i guess #GWRApologisetoEXOLS

— July 26, save the date || aria (@withexo_omaya) July 1, 2021

#GWRApologisetoEXOLS GWRA APOLOGY. SHAME ON YOU. TWEETING WITHOUT VALIDATING FACTS AND JUST FOR CLOUT. pic.twitter.com/TlErhIMkzi

— mkl 🩺🐧🖤 (@chankyoongsoo) July 1, 2021

The account eventually deleted the tweet and re-uploaded a corrected version. They also made a public apology for the inaccuracy of their original tweet.

We apologise for the inaccuracy of our tweet yesterday. Passionate pop music fans came together for this team effort of 60,055,339 tweets, and we appreciate their enthusiasm for record-breaking

— Guinness World Records (@GWR) July 1, 2021

Some fans, however, were not satisfied with the apology and did not hesitate to let the account know.

What kind of apolagize is this😴 look so unsincere🙄 plus cant make the whole new tweet for the REAL WINNERWE ARE DEMANDING FOR AN APOLOGY AND CORRECTION OF MISLEADING TWEET. #GWRApologisetoEXOLS @GWR https://t.co/XWg0JbVoMH

— 🍕 qtpie pizza obsession (@wahetto) July 1, 2021

Apology accepted for the inaccurate info on your previous tweet but you haven’t apologized to #EXOLs IN PARTICULAR for disregarding their effort (I wasn’t in the fandom back then). It’s two different things and they’re waiting for it for sure #GWRApologisetoEXOLS @GWR https://t.co/gENxJ6Tohr

— 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐲|𝖪开𝖨 ִִֶֶָָᝰ (@MELODYJN88) July 1, 2021

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Not the first time: A familiar sight for many

Back in 2016, EXO-Ls had raised concerns towards the South Korean music conglomerate MelOn after BTS' win for "Best Album of the Year" in their award show. Stating that there was a miscalculation for the winning criteria on MelOns' part, fans argued that EXO should have won the award - even contacting MelOns customer service demanding for an explanation.

Customer service shut it down saying they were not able to reveal the details as it was internal data, simply stating that BTS had scored higher.