Para-kin matchmaking anywhere between fans and you will idols: a great qualitative study of admirers’ motivations for purchasing idol-dolls

Mission

The purpose of this research would be to examine exactly how “mother admirers” effect on the present habits from parasocial dating ranging from fans and you may idols and to obtain greater insights into the motivations fundamental the acquisition of idol dolls. At exactly the same time, because of the including the enjoy and you will viewpoints away from male idol admirers, the analysis aims to develop new comprehension of partner conclusion and enhance comprehension of new motivations operating idol-toy application.

Design/methodology/method

Getting idol-doll customers while the research things, this research held textual studies along with-depth interview to understand more about fans’ motivations for buying idol dolls.

Conclusions

Idol doll orders try inspired because of the psychological connection, such as among mom fans who attempt to expose a feeling of manage and continue maintaining a parent–youngster relationships. Likewise, to buy idol dolls can also act as a disguise to own girlfriend admirers to cover up its personal dreams regarding their idols. Also, idol dolls act as semiotic identifiers, drawing eg-minded admirers and you can gaining area identification. It must be indexed you to men idol admirers, who happen to be experienced deviant from the masculine normative, deal with analysis into the female-ruled communities, trying to find further evidence of authenticity.

Basic effects

This study promotes understanding the motives behind idol-toy purchases and will assist marketers inside the providing with the psychological demands regarding fans, including mom admirers, of the developing and you will purchases dolls that resonate and their need sense from connection.

Public ramifications

From the taking and you may targeting the positive areas of lover products, this research leads to this new constant means of de-demonization and you will normalization out-of fandom. While doing so, this study also aims to contribute to a very total facts of battles and you will psychological demands of Chinese more youthful age group.

Originality/well worth

This study explores the new lower than-investigated mommy-lover group’s psychological demands as well as their motivations of purchasing idol-dolls. In addition, it recognizes the fresh collection of views and you can enjoy from male idol fans, taking a brand new and you may novel viewpoint into idol-toy use.

step 1 Introduction

” tabindex=”0″> considering celebrities’ styles was offered just like the a new setting for Chinese admirers to generally share their solid love for their precious idols, resulting in the production of a different sort of Chinese fandom society. Toward Weibo (probably one of the most popular social media networks during the Asia), the net people for idol-doll-creators, customers, and you will idol fans now has built-up over 460,000 followers that will be highly feminine-ruled. About this platform, it’s quite common for fans, who’s a massive line of idol dolls, to create adorable photographs and you may show https://brightwomen.net/ryska-kvinnor/ their enjoy inside dressing and you will implementing cosmetics on the “infants.” Depending on the newest user statement, one of many idol-toy participants, the latest blog post-2000 age bracket means the greatest ratio, interacting with 43 %, followed by brand new article-1995 generation ranks 2nd, with a percentage on twenty-six % (“2021 Cotton fiber Toy Members Notion Report” 2021). Therefore, Generation Z, someone, some one created between your late 1990s and the very early 2010s (Priporas ainsi que al. 2020), definitely activates that have idol-toy orders compliment of interactive social media platforms.

Regarding the point in time out-of participatory fandom and lover cost savings, fans’ consumption choice in addition to their detected reference to idols are extremely victims out-of informative lookup. Just how fans get in touch with famous people has been defined as parasocial interaction-this new nonreciprocal, imaginary communications ranging from fans and you will news personae (Liebers and you may Schramm 2019; Yan and you can Yang 2021). Nowadays, admirers positively getting into the fresh new parasocial matchmaking fantasize on a virtually kinship with idols, assuming that they could handle, or perhaps features an obvious level of influence on its idols. With the Chinese social networking, there was a development where fans, specifically women, reference themselves given that idols’ parents, aunts, or siblings. When you are prior research has commonly tested parasocial matchmaking according to heterosexual norms and you will fans’ intimate desires on the idols (we.age., “girlfriend/wife admirers” out of idols), nothing has been understood from the “mom admirers”,“Mom fans,” relate to admirers (usually women fans) who’re co-fostering idols/stars because their senior women members of the family. They claim on their own because mother of idol and therefore are indulgent so you can idols, bringing all of them due to the fact lovable, innocent kids who are in need of the extra care (Yan and you can Yang 2021).