Affective Economy and Labor of Fandom: A Study on BTS and their fans\' social media practices

• Main Authors: Pang, Kuei-Fang, 龎袿方
• Other Authors: Ko, Yu-Fen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2019
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/a92wq6

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 傳播學院傳播碩士學位學程 === 107 === Since 2017, the Korean idol group BTS has not only popularized around Asia, but also brought Korean pop (K-pop) to the iconic music industry market in the world, the United States. BTS’s development process and transformation represent the culture of Korean idol groups, and at the same time present how the agency and fans create powerful idol contexts together on social media, leading their success of entering the North American market. In this context, this study aims to understand how the affections and intimacy between fans and idols are generated and maintained in the media culture by exploring the media practice of BTS’s fans, A.R.M.Y. This study uses contextual analysis to analyze the image construction of idols from BTS’s idol contexts and related media reports, and how this idol image affects fans’ identity and their relationship with the idol. The complexity and actual situation of fan activities are presented in this study with the researcher’s firsthand experience of participating in a fan meeting in Korea and joining online fan organizations as field observations. Then, drawing on in-depth interviews with nine opinion leaders who create distinctive identities within the fandom, fans’ “affective maps” with idols are depicted, while different levels of fan labor, varying from volunteering for unpaid works to gaining money from the fandom as a profession, are revealed. First, this study discovers that the structural design of the K-pop entertainment industry has catalyzed the data turn of fans. The quantitative charts of album sales volume and number of views become the indicator of idols’ success, propelling the fans’ affective commitment on producing these data and working willingly for the entertainment industry. The fans create excessive data through repeated consumption, viewing, clicking, and playing the music. This is what vitalizes the Korean music industry and makes K-pop phenomenal around the world. Second, the agency uses social media to unveil the mystery of celebrities, launching interactive and approachable idols. The agency displays the idols’ charm through various media and text content to maintain fans’ solid devotion. With an emphasis on the story concept of albums, fans’ affective commitment to the idol is strengthened and thereby a unique and meaningful aesthetic is generated for a complex music consumption experience. Finally, the consumer side, the fans, is granted with the “authorized initiative” by the entertainment industry, becoming an unofficial employee. Fans are well aware of their own values in the commercial system, and always take initiative in negotiating with the entertainment industry to create a win-win situation. In addition, through consumption, fans open up a dialogue with the overall social culture in the commercial market to find self-positioning and identity in modern society.