Claiming identities through K-pop participatory fandom: a case study of K-pop fans in Singapore.

• Main Author: Lew, Sandy Hwee Kee
• Other Authors: Kang Yoonhee
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/43981
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

According to Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer (1986), the cultural industry results in passive consumption and also the loss of individual consciousness. This conception offers a very pessimistic view on cultural consumption. In this study, I argue that through participatory fandom, fans of Korean pop music (K-pop) are able to creatively interpret and appropriate media texts and produce their own fan texts that support their desires. Using the identity theory (Stryker 2007) to analyze my findings, I argue that by producing fan texts, fans are able to claim their identities as “fans”. In addition, by positioning fans as part of a larger social network, I argue that online communities encourage the emergence of these “fan identities” by facilitating fan texts production.