The Construction Of Identity Of Fandom In New Media Environment

Sampling the Chinese online fandom of a Korean male idol band group, the EXO, by qualitative online surveillance, deep interview combined with quantitative questionnaire surveys, applying theories of psychology, sociology and communication studies, focusing on the issue of samples of identity coming from utilization of a new media, micro-blog, this thesis tries to understand and analyse the collective minds and behaviors of online fandom and discuss the issue of identical confirmation construction of current Chinese fandom, mainly integrated by the youth and teenagers, in new media environment based on the experiences accumulated from an isolated existence.This thesis is started with the concept of identity. In addition, in the aspect of cultural anthropology, the concept of identical confirmation is divided into ‘Self-Identity’ and ‘Community Identity’. First of all, starting from the cultural phenomenon, the media and social context generated fandom has been analysed via the visual logic of ‘observing and observed’, then it has been summarized that how members of the fandom of the EXO title themselves as ‘fans’ through actively utilizing related media platform. However, as an ‘observed’ group, the social image of illness of the fandom of the EXO and the identity of ‘Rotten women’ are constructed. Second, in the perspective of ‘Self-Identity’, by applying social psychology theories, the author analysed the varied methods that how the fans of the EXO constructed their self-identity. Via analysis of the detailed activities of production and consumption of the online the EXO fans, it has been found that the ‘self-exhibition’ is also a method of construction. When EXO fans as the “procumer”,the practices not only reflect in consumption,but also accompany with the means of communication changed.Meanwhile,the production of cultural commodities by EXO fans,which own the micro-politics and economy significances.Then, based on the concept of ‘Community Identity’, it has been recognized that the online fandom of the EXO builds its intrinsic community value of identification based on an ‘Imaginary Community’ in ‘shared’ micro-blogging environment. It evidently reflects the relationships of ‘game’ and ‘negotiation’ between the fandom and media, rather than the real confrontation of different powers, when the fandom has a ‘dialogue’ with outsiders. The self-identity of the fandom is constructed by collective mobilization, motivated by the herd instinct and the process of self-empowerment among those members. Certainly, at this moment, the vital issues of the construction of cultural identification for Chinese fandom, also the way to construction of subjectivity of the identification of fans, in the complicated micro-blogging environment, considering the existences of other communities and multiple values, are coordination and balancing their cultural identification of multiple cultures, as well as alleviation of conflicts among different communities. At last, the research focusing on an isolated case of the online fandom of EXO will be summarized inductively at the end of this thesis. In addition, it figures out that the identical society is gradually turning to a treaty society. The social relationship based on personal interactions is now deeply shifting, while the principals of construction of the identity of fandom are game, coordination and negotiation.