Research On The Influence Mechanism Of Virtual Idol Fans’ Needs On Their Response Behavior

Virtual idols are artist images that have emerged in the digital era in recent years.As a new type of entertainment culture product launched by cultural companies,virtual idols differ from traditional real-life idols and have changed the traditional form of idol existence,opening up a unique idol style that has attracted many young fans and received widespread attention and acclaim.Virtual idols are primarily generated through digital technology,with pleasant voices and interesting personalities,and interact with their fans through online platforms.Why do fans pursue virtual idols? What factors have led fans to love virtual idols so much? To investigate this issue,this article takes virtual idol fans as the research object and conducts in-depth research on which internal needs of virtual idol fans are satisfied when they like virtual idols.At the same time,this study explores the impact mechanism of these internal needs on the satisfaction and support behaviors of virtual idol fans.Based on participatory observation,questionnaire surveys,and interview methods,this study combines the use and satisfaction theory to identify six demand elements of virtual idol fans: information,entertainment,aesthetic,emotional,social interaction,and identification.The satisfaction and support behavior of the virtual idol fan group were selected as the dependent variables,and a related "demand-satisfaction-support behavior" model was constructed.Through descriptive statistical analysis,reliability and validity tests,and confirmatory factor analysis,this study explored the impact of these needs on the satisfaction of virtual idol fans and the impact of satisfaction on the support behavior of fans.Based on structural equation modeling,path analysis and hypothesis testing were conducted.After analysis,the following conclusions were drawn:(1)entertainment,emotional,and identification needs have a positive impact on the satisfaction of the virtual idol fan group;(2)the satisfaction of the virtual idol fan group has a positive impact on the support behavior of the group.Finally,based on the above conclusions and the development of virtual idols,suggestions are proposed from three aspects: the virtual idol industry,fan groups,and social environment,to promote the long-term development of virtual idol culture industry.