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Why Chasing Kpop? Is Fandom Truely Crazy? -- The Motivations and Behaviors of Kpop Fans

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DOI: 10.25236/ermss.2021.008

Author(s)

Yuxuan Ding and Xiaonan Zhuang

Corresponding Author

Yuxuan Ding

Abstract

With the development of the KPOP industry in Korea, more and more KPOP idols are going international and gaining more global fans. The reactions and support of fans to their idols have nevertheless become a controversial topic around the world. In China, there is also a widespread belief in mass media and academia that idolizing a star is irrational. Against this backdrop, we pursue several lines of inquiry in this paper: What drives fans to worship celebrities? What are the impacts of idolizing on individuals? What is the cultural meaning of worshiping celebrities? This project is based on 8 interviews with Blinks, who are fans of the representative Korean girl group BLACKPINK, and online observations on social media. We argue that idolizing stars is not an irrational action to a certain degree. Instead, worshiping celebrities can bring some positive effects to fans.

Keywords

KPOP, Fandom, Stereotype, Behavior, Motivation