A Study Of Fan Culture From The Perspective Of Youth Subculture

With the vigorous development of social economy and Internet technology,social culture has been progressing and enriched by the change of times.Fan culture has been given new cultural connotation in the process of incorporation and counter-incorporation of sub-culture and mainstream culture,and the fan group has expanded the scope of communication under the influence of media culture,and the fan circle has covered all walks of life and attracted widespread attention.Fan culture has gradually expanded from acting stars to sports athletes,electronic products and even state officials,and the fan base has become more diversified;fan following has developed from offline one-way physical following to “online + offline” group support,and the forms have become richer and more diverse.Fan groups are no longer simply considered as fanatic groupies,and fan culture is no longer a negative status that is compartmentalized,but has gradually developed into a distinctive social and cultural landscape,becoming a trendsetter in the current cultural field.With the help of Birmingham’s youth subculture theory,this paper analyzes the popular mechanism and stylistic shift of fan culture in contemporary society,and explores how fan culture as a youth subculture has gained a foothold in the resistance and integration of mainstream culture,as well as its embodied cultural value and social significance.This paper is divided into five main parts.The introductory part elaborates the source of the selected topic,the current status of domestic and foreign research,and the significance and methodology of the selected topic,and composes the relevant discussions of domestic and foreign scholars on the theory of youth subculture as well as the current status of research on the theory and cases of fan culture.The first part is an explanation of the basic concepts of youth subculture and fan culture.As a subcultural system,fan culture is marginal,subversive and anti-traditional,and has its own unique production and dissemination system and cultural circle,which is characterized by participatory cultural production,self-carnival within the circle and sought-after fan economy in the social context,and has become a unique social and cultural phenomenon in the present society.The second part traces the development and causes of the popularity of fan culture in China.The social status of fan culture and the spread of fan circles in each stage have changed accordingly and given rise to new connotations,and the mechanism behind its popularity reflects the social context and relevance of fan culture.The third part discusses the youth subcultural style in fan culture in the context of Hebdige’s subcultural style theory of collage,isomorphism,and ideographic practice.Fans form a collective identity within the group by means of appropriation,collage,isomorphism and ideational practices,realize the resistance of fan culture symbols,and establish a gentle style of negotiation and integration between fan culture and mainstream culture.The fourth part analyzes fan culture in the context of the Birmingham School’s theory of resistance and incorporation.The resistance of fan culture is based on the identity of fan communities,and fan groups set up exclusive cultural spaces among fans for better group communication and emotional transmission,and the power of fans is rising,strengthening the resistance and anti-adaptation to mainstream culture.The fifth part analyzes the contemporary value significance of fan culture and reflects on the value conflicts it exposes.The socialization function of fan groups has endowed them with strong enthusiasm for political participation and gained the collective approval of mainstream society,but at the same time,it has also generated social disorder problems such as verbal violence,blind following and platform chaos.In this situation,fan groups,celebrity idols,media platforms and government departments should jointly rectify and create a good environment for multicultural interaction and coexistence in order for fan culture to develop in the long run.The concluding section summarizes the paper.As an important branch of youth subculture,fan culture has become a kind of resistance cultural practice,which has a significant impact on cultural communication,consumer economy and aesthetic paradigm.