Para-kin relationships ranging from fans and you can idols: an excellent qualitative study off fans’ motives for purchasing idol-dolls
Goal
The objective of this research is to have a look at just how “mommy fans” effect on current models out-of parasocial relationships anywhere between fans and you can idols and also to acquire better knowledge into motivations fundamental the fresh purchase of idol dolls. On the other hand, by such as the knowledge and perspectives out-of male idol admirers, the study seeks to develop the newest comprehension of partner behavior and you will promote comprehension of new motivations driving idol-toy use.
Design/methodology/approach
Taking idol-doll people because the lookup objects, this study conducted textual data and also in-depth interviews to understand more about fans’ reasons for purchasing idol dolls.
Conclusions
Idol toy commands is actually driven because of the mental accessory, for example among mommy fans just who attempt to present a sense of control and continue maintaining a mother–child matchmaking. In addition, to buy idol dolls may serve as a beneficial disguise getting girlfriend admirers to cover up the personal fantasies regarding their idols. Furthermore, idol dolls act as semiotic identifiers, drawing such as for instance-minded fans and you may gaining community identification. It ought to be detailed you to men idol admirers, who will be noticed deviant in the masculine normative, deal with scrutiny in feminine-dominated groups, in need of after that evidence of authenticity.
Practical ramifications
This study promotes knowing the motivations about idol-toy sales and can assist marketers for the providing on the mental needs out of admirers, such as for instance mommy admirers, by designing and revenue dolls one resonate with regards to need sense out-of accessory.
Societal ramifications
By the recognizing and you will targeting the positive aspects of fan points, this research results in the new constant means of de-demonization and you can normalization of fandom. On top of that, this study including tries to help you join a complete knowledge of the fight and you will psychological demands of your own Chinese young generation.
Originality/worthy of
This research explores the fresh new less than-explored mother-fan group’s psychological means as well as their motivations of buying idol-dolls. Additionally, it understands the brand new distinct perspectives and feel off male idol admirers, bringing a brand new and you can book view towards the idol-toy usage.
step 1 Addition
” tabindex=”0″> based on celebrities’ styles was indeed ended up selling as the a unique mode for Chinese admirers to share its strong affection due to their precious idols, resulting in producing an alternate Chinese fandom area. Toward Weibo (probably one of the most popular social network systems inside the China), the web based area to have idol-doll-founders, customers, and you may idol fans presently has collected over 460,000 followers and that is extremely feminine-ruled. On this subject platform, it is common for fans, who may have a vast type of idol dolls, to create adorable images and you can display its feel when you look at the putting on a costume and you will implementing cosmetics to their “newborns.” With respect to the latest consumer declaration, among idol-doll users, this new article-2000 age bracket means the highest ratio, getting 43 %, followed closely by new post-1995 generation ranks 2nd, with a proportion at twenty six % (“2021 Cotton Doll Professionals Sense Statement” 2021). Thus, Age group Z, individuals, anybody produced amongst the late 1990’s together with early 2010s (Priporas mais aussi al. 2020), positively engages that have idol-doll instructions as a consequence of interactive social network networks.
In the day and age regarding participatory fandom and you may fan benefit, fans’ practices choices in addition to their detected reference to idols are extremely subjects of instructional look. How fans connect to famous people has been recognized as parasocial interaction-the newest nonreciprocal, imaginary interaction anywhere between fans and you can mass media personae (Liebers and you may Schramm 2019; Yan and you may Yang 2021). In recent times, admirers actively stepping into the fresh parasocial matchmaking fantasize from the a virtually kinship with idols, assuming that they might handle, or perhaps features a noticeable degree of impact on its idols. Towards the Chinese social network, there clearly was a trend where fans, specifically women, refer to themselves since the idols’ mothers, aunts, or siblings. While early in the day studies have commonly tested parasocial relationships considering heterosexual norms and you may fans’ intimate aspirations on the idols (i.elizabeth., “girlfriend/partner fans” away from idols), nothing could have been understood on “mother fans”,“Mother admirers,” relate to admirers (usually women fans) who are co-cultivating idols/a-listers as his or her elder female family. People say themselves once the mother of your own idol and they are indulgent in order to idols, taking all of them while the attractive, simple students who want the extra care (Yan and Yang 2021).