Goal

The goal of this research will be to evaluate exactly how “mom fans” impact on the present activities from parasocial relationships between admirers and you will idols and also to acquire higher understanding with the motives hidden new purchase of idol dolls. Additionally, by including the experience and you can point of views off male idol admirers, the research aims in order to increase the latest comprehension of fan behavior and you may promote understanding of the fresh reasons operating idol-toy usage.

Design/methodology/method

Delivering idol-doll customers just like the lookup things, this research used textual research plus-depth interview to explore fans’ motives for buying idol dolls.

Conclusions

Rekommenderad läsning

Idol toy commands is driven of the emotional connection, such as among mommy fans just who attempt to expose a sense of control and maintain a mother–youngster dating. At exactly the same time, to get idol dolls may also act as an effective disguise getting girlfriend fans to hide the close goals regarding their idols. More over, idol dolls act as semiotic identifiers, attracting such as for example-inclined admirers and you will putting on society recognition. It should be detailed you to male idol admirers, who are thought deviant on the male normative, face scrutiny in the women-reigned over teams, needing further proof of credibility.

Basic implications

This study encourages understanding the motives trailing idol-toy commands and can let advertisers inside the catering towards emotional need off fans, like mother fans, by making and you can purchases dolls that resonate due to their wished feel off attachment.

Societal ramifications

Of the accepting and focusing on the good regions of lover affairs, this research causes this new constant procedure of de-demonization and you will normalization off fandom. On the other hand, this research in addition to aims to subscribe to an even more total understanding of your own battles and mental means of your Chinese young age bracket.

Originality/well worth

This study explores the fresh significantly less than-researched mommy-fan group’s mental demands and their motivations of buying idol-dolls. It also recognizes the brand new line of views and skills regarding male idol fans, delivering a fresh and you may unique opinion for the idol-toy practices.

step one Inclusion

» tabindex=»0″> predicated on celebrities’ styles was sold while the a special setting to possess Chinese admirers to express the solid affection because of their beloved idols, causing the manufacture of a unique Chinese fandom community. For the Weibo (perhaps one of the most common social network programs from inside the Asia), the internet people getting idol-doll-founders, people, and you may idol fans now has accumulated over 460,000 followers that is very women-controlled. About this system, it’s quite common for fans, who may have a vast distinctive line of idol dolls, to post adorable pictures and you will display its knowledge in dressing up and you may applying makeup on the “infants.” According to the newest individual statement, among the idol-toy users, the fresh new article-2000 age group represents the highest proportion, getting 43 %, with the brand new blog post-1995 age group positions 2nd, that have a proportion at the twenty six % (“2021 Cotton fiber Doll Participants Notion Report” 2021). Hence, Generation Z, people, anybody born amongst the late 1990’s together with early 2010s (Priporas ainsi que al. 2020), definitely activates that have idol-doll instructions through interactive social networking platforms.

In the point in time off participatory fandom and you may partner savings, fans’ consumption choice as well as their sensed experience of idols are sufferers off informative research. The way in which fans relate genuinely to famous people might have been recognized as parasocial interaction-new nonreciprocal, fictional correspondence ranging from admirers and you can media personae (Liebers and you will Schramm 2019; Yan and you will Yang 2021). Recently, fans positively engaging in the brand new parasocial dating dream throughout the a virtually kinship which have idols, so long as they could handle, or at least features an evident level of influence on the idols. Into the Chinese social networking, discover a pattern in which fans, specifically ladies, relate to on their own given that idols’ parents, aunts, or sisters. Whenever you are previous research has generally checked out parasocial relationship considering heterosexual norms and you will fans’ personal hopes and dreams regarding the idols (i.age., “girlfriend/wife admirers” of idols), absolutely nothing might have been identified from the “mom admirers”,“Mommy admirers,” consider fans (generally speaking women fans) who happen to be co-fostering idols/celebrities as their elder women members of the family. People say by themselves just like the mother of one’s idol and generally are indulgent to idols, taking all of them as lovable, innocent high school students who require their special care (Yan and you may Yang 2021).