Diversity of Fans on Social Media: The Case of Entertainment Celebrity in China

Xinming Jia, Kineta Hung, Ke Zhang

Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This chapter explores the diversity of celebrity fans in China, including their motives, activities and processes of celebrity idolization. Based on a grounded theoretical approach, the authors traced and analyzed the user-generated content posted on Weibo that was prepared by fans of the singer/actor Wallace Chung. The analysis reveals five fan segments with different motives: casual fans (playful), fascinated fans (aspirational), devoted fans (sense of belonging), dysfunctional fans (identification with celebrity), and reflective fans (solid self-identity), thus demonstrating fans' different characteristics. This chapter also outlines the typical developmental process as fans increase their investments into the celebrity. Variants of this process, given the fans' different psychological and demographic characteristics, were also discussed.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationExploring the Rise of Fandom in Contemporary Consumer Culture
EditorsCheng Lu Wang
PublisherIGI Global
Chapter9
Pages163-184
Number of pages22
Edition1st
ISBN (Electronic)9781522532217
ISBN (Print)9781522532200
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2017

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Diversity of Fans on Social Media: The Case of Entertainment Celebrity in China'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this