Virtual K-pop idols as social actors: Paracommunication between fans and computer-generated imagery celebrities

• Main Author: Alejandro, Lynell M.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2024
• Subjects: Popular music—Korea (South); Virtual reality in mass media; Celebrities—Korea (South); Artificial intelligence; Artificial Intelligence and Robotics; Film and Media Studies
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_comm/15; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdm_comm/article/1017/viewcontent/2024_Alejandro_Virtual_K_pop_Idols_as_Social_Actors__Paracommunication_Between_F.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

The computer-generated imagery (CGI) technology enables the existence of virtual entities in computer-mediated environments where humans interact and foster social bonds. This study delved into how social bonds develop between new media characters and media users in an interactive mediated environment. Banking on media are social actors(MASA) and paracommunication, this exploratory inquiry answered: how do fans make sense of and negotiate the identity of virtual K-pop idols as mediated social actors, how do they interact with virtual idols, and what is the nature of mediated relationships formed among them. The inquiry centered on the Filipino fandom of a virtual K-pop boy group, Plave. Non-probability purposive sampling was employed to determine the research participants who had undergone in-depth semi-structured interviews. Iterative reflexive thematic analysis was used to explore how fans make sense of their interaction with virtual celebrities in an interactive environment where affordances for social cues and the building of social relationships are heightened. The study found that participants mindfully engaged with virtual idols in a mediated environment, and the multi-modal social cues presented heightened fans’ perception of Plave as social actors who are capable of interacting with them. This research also found that despite the interactive nature of the platforms used, distances or limitations still exist, which cause asymmetrical interactions between the communicative participants. These distances were bridged by fan participation through user-generated content and fan labor. For the production component, a website was produced, and a virtual presenter was designed.