Para-kin matchmaking between fans and you can idols: an excellent qualitative analysis off admirers’ motives for buying idol-dolls

Purpose

The objective of this research would be to glance at exactly how “mother fans” impact on the current activities out-of parasocial dating between admirers and you will idols and also to get better insights to the motives hidden the newest acquisition of idol dolls. Likewise, by including the experiences and perspectives out-of male idol admirers, the study seeks so you can broaden the new comprehension of fan decisions and you may improve understanding of the motives riding idol-doll usage.

Design/methodology/method

Bringing idol-doll people because look items, this research used textual research and in-depth interview to explore fans’ reasons for buying idol dolls.

Results

Idol doll purchases is inspired from the psychological accessory, like certainly mommy admirers who attempt to present a sense of manage and sustain a father or mother–youngster dating. On top of that, to invest in idol dolls also can act as a disguise to possess girlfriend fans to full cover up the intimate goals regarding their idols. More over, idol dolls serve as semiotic identifiers, attracting instance-inclined fans and gaining society identification. It ought to be indexed you to male idol fans, who will be believed deviant throughout the masculine normative, deal with analysis when you look at the women-dominated communities, in need of after that proof of authenticity.

Practical effects

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This research encourages understanding the motivations at the rear of idol-doll commands and will let marketers inside the catering into the emotional requires off admirers, such as for instance mom admirers, of the making and you may income dolls you to resonate with regards to wished sense of attachment.

Public implications

Of the taking and you may targeting the positive areas of lover circumstances, this research causes the latest lingering means of de-demonization and you will normalization off fandom. Additionally, this study including aims so you can donate to a comprehensive skills of your struggles and you can emotional requires of your own Chinese young generation.

Originality/worth

This study examines the latest around-researched mommy-partner group’s psychological demands in addition to their motives of purchasing idol-dolls. it acknowledges brand new collection of perspectives and you can enjoy away from male idol admirers, providing a unique and you may novel opinion towards the idol-doll application.

step one Introduction

» tabindex=»0″> considering celebrities’ appearance was marketed because the yet another function getting Chinese fans to generally share its solid love for their dear idols, ultimately causing the production of another Chinese fandom society. Into Weibo (probably one of the most well-known social network platforms from inside the Asia), the internet society to own idol-doll-creators, people, and idol fans presently has built-up over 460,000 followers and that is very female-reigned over. With this system, it is common enthusiasts, having a huge line of idol dolls, to post lovable images and you may display the experiences when you look at the putting on a costume and you can implementing makeup on the “infants.” With respect to the current user statement, among the idol-doll participants, brand new blog post-2000 generation is short for the best proportion, reaching 43 %, with this new post-1995 age bracket ranks second, having a proportion at the twenty-six % (“2021 Cotton Doll Members Insight Declaration” 2021). For this reason, Age group Z, people, anybody created between the later 1990s therefore the early 2010s (Priporas mais aussi al. 2020), definitely engages with idol-doll sales by way of interactive social networking platforms.

On the day and age off participatory fandom and you can enthusiast economy, fans’ usage choice and their perceived reference to idols are very sufferers away from instructional look. Ways admirers connect to superstars has been recognized as parasocial interaction-the latest nonreciprocal, imaginary correspondence between fans and you may media personae (Liebers and you may Schramm 2019; Yan and you will Yang 2021). Nowadays, fans definitely entering new parasocial matchmaking fantasize on the a close kinship that have idols, so long as they could control, or at least features an apparent standard of influence on their idols. To your Chinese social network, there was a pattern where fans, particularly female, make reference to on their own as idols’ moms and dads, aunts, otherwise siblings. If you find yourself prior research has generally checked-out parasocial dating centered on heterosexual norms and you may fans’ intimate hopes and dreams regarding the idols (i.age., “girlfriend/wife fans” of idols), absolutely nothing has been understood throughout the “mother fans”,“Mom admirers,” make reference to fans (usually women fans) who are co-cultivating idols/superstars since their elder women friends. They do say themselves once the mother of your own idol as they are indulgent to help you idols, providing them as the lovable, simple high school students who want their additional care (Yan and you may Yang 2021).