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K-pop Fans' Identity and The Meaning of Being a Fan

Thesis · June 2020

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.26305.79202

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K-POP FANS’ IDENTITY AND THE MEANING OF BEING A FAN

NUR AYUNI BINTI MOHD JENOL

UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA

2020
K-POP FANS’ IDENTITY AND THE MEANING OF BEING A FAN

by

NUR AYUNI BINTI MOHD JENOL

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirement

for the degree of
Bachelor of Social Sciences (Anthropology and Sociology)

June 2020
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ i

List of Tables ................................................................................................................ iv

List of Figures ................................................................................................................ v

Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... vi

Abstract ....................................................................................................................... viii

Chapter One Introduction .............................................................................................. 1

Problem Statement ..................................................................................................... 5

Research Objectives and Research Questions ........................................................... 6

Conceptual Framework .............................................................................................. 7

Chapter Two Literature Review ................................................................................... 11

Fans and Identity ...................................................................................................... 11

The Meaning of Being a Fan ................................................................................... 16

Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 20

Chapter Three Methodology ........................................................................................ 22

i
 Participants ............................................................................................................... 22

Data Collection ........................................................................................................ 24

Participant Observation ........................................................................................ 25

Semi-structured In-depth Interview ..................................................................... 26

Data Analysis ........................................................................................................... 27

Chapter Four Kpop Fans’ Identity ............................................................................... 29

Learning the Korean Language ................................................................................ 30

K-pop Fandom and The Formation of New Friendship ........................................... 36

Consumerism And K-pop Fans Devotion ................................................................ 43

Dressing Like My Idols ........................................................................................... 47

Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 52

Chapter Five The Meaning of being a Kpop Fan......................................................... 54

K-pop and Fandom: Relationship That Provide a Sense of Belonging ................... 55

Unleashing Talent as Arts and Content Creator ...................................................... 59

K-pop as a Form of Escapism .................................................................................. 63

ii
 Idolizing the Idol: Cinderella Story ......................................................................... 66

Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 70

Chapter Six Conclusion ............................................................................................... 72

Appendix ...................................................................................................................... 76

Bibliography ................................................................................................................ 80

iii
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Demographic Background of Participants ...................................................... 23

Table 2 Words used by Kpop Fans .............................................................................. 35

Table 3 Three Categories of Fan Consumer ................................................................ 46

Table 4 Participants and Their Fanworks .................................................................... 62

iv
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Conceptual Framework ................................................................................... 7

Figure 2 Fan Event at KL Sentral ................................................................................ 41

Figure 3 Fans Performance .......................................................................................... 42

Figure 4 Fankit Made by the Participant ...................................................................... 61

v
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful.

The work presented in this thesis would not have been possible without the help

and support from many kind people around me. I would like to take this opportunity to

extend my appreciation to everyone.

I would like to offer my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Nur Hafeeza

Ahmad Pazil, for her countless help, advice, and encouragement from day one of my

thesis journey. Her enthusiasm for guiding me to provide high-quality work has made

an impression on me and made me learned extensively from her. It is a great honour

and privilege to be the first student she ever supervised. I will cherish and remember

her warmth and friendly nature. This thesis has also benefitted from comments and

suggestions made by other lecturers in the Anthropology and Sociology Section, School

of Social Sciences. I would like to express my special appreciation to all of them for

their valuable and professional insights.

Also, my heartfelt gratitude to my mother, Nor Afidah Samat whom I have

already owed a lot of things. Her unconditional love and support have always been my

strength and the greatest indirect contribution of this thesis. This journey would not

have been possible if not for her, and I dedicate this milestone especially to her.

I am also indebted to a few of my friends whilst conducting this research. My

appreciation goes to Cera, Amy, Aza, Shaz, and Fatma for tagging along when I was

going back and forth to Kuala Lumpur for my data collection. I would like to also thank

vi
Murni, Epa, and Miera, my housemates that have been like a family to me. Thank you,

my friends, for listening, offering me advice, and supporting me through this whole

process. I am also grateful to Athir for his comforting words, concern, and constant

prayers. Special thanks to a good friend of mine Julia for her time to proofread my thesis.

Her kindness never ceases to amaze me.

Finally, I humbly acknowledge the contribution of the participants in this research

for their time and effort to help me with this research. May this research be beneficial

to all readers and help in further research.

vii
 ABSTRACT

K-pop is a relatively new genre but its fanbase has grown massively in Malaysia for the

past few decades. It is also evident that the daily lives of Malaysians have incorporated

Korean culture in various social aspects. Thus, this study seeks to explore the social

nuances of local K-pop fans by underlining two main objectives: a) to explore the

formation of K-pop fan's identity and b) to understand the meaning of being a K-pop

fan. In order to describe and analyse the social differences of K-pop fans, several

concepts from sociology as well as fan studies were plotted to assist this research such

as para-social relationship, identity and social identity, dramaturgy, the concept of

meaning as well as participatory culture. A qualitative approach was employed by using

participant observation and semi-structured in-depth interviews to get into the

experiences, views, values, and lifestyles of K-pop fans. Participant observation was

conducted in K-pop concert and fan event to observe fan practices. As for the semi-

structured in-depth interview, a total number of 8 participants were selected to provide

an understanding of K-pop fan's experiences and feelings. This concludes that K-pop

fan's identity can be derived from the way they speak and socialize, their purchase

intention and behaviour, as well as the way they dress. Besides that, being a K-pop fan

carries its special meaning that transcends a fan of a music genre. It varies from

providing a sense of belonging, unleashing fan's talent and capabilities, offers a platform

for escapism as well as emotional and motivational support through a para-social

relationship. Although fan and idol is usually seen as one-sided relationship, it is

actually has benefitted the fan in some way. This study proves that the fans can also be

seen as active producers and content creators which contradict to the statement of fan

as a passive entity.

viii
 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

Being a 90s kid, I have witnessed the golden era of television: a successful time

for TV shows with a variety of genres such as cartoons, talk shows, sitcom, the local

and international drama which is also known as telenovela and sinetron. Later in my

teenage years, I started to explore the internet and I have been an active user of social

media until now. The exposure to these media helped to develop my interest in the

entertainment industry as I have become a fan. It is evident that popular culture has

become influential and even dominated many areas of our society. Furthermore, the

existence of the internet makes unlimited and boundless exposure to know more about

celebrities today.

Celebrities are often seen as the core of the industry. However, we also need to

understand that behind the adoration, fame, and luxury the celebrities are living in, fans'

roles are just as important. Fans are the ones who spend their money, time, and energy

to buy albums, concert or movie tickets, to vote online for any competition or games,

and even to fly or drive countless hours to meet with their admired celebrities. However,

there is no clear definition of what it is to be a fan as argued by Kloet and Zoonen (2007).

They mentioned in their study that fan is an abbreviation of fanatic and historically it

tends to be related with remarks like obsessive, worshipper, and devotee. The notion of

fanaticism was believed to stem from these religious connotations. Around the late 19th

century, the word fan began to be used concerning sports enthusiasts, separating the

term from its association with religion. In contemporary days, its usage has been

extended to describe followers or devotees of popular culture such as pop singers, music

genres, TV series, movies, or even comic characters (Rahim, 2019).

1
 The invention of Guttenberg's printing press in the middle of the 15th century

has brought the acknowledgment of the influence that mass media messages bring to

audiences (Abida and Rana Eijaz, 2011). Although books were only available for the

rich, printing became cheaper as less wealthy members of society were able to gain

access to this luxury item at that time. Society realized that the ability to read has

become obligatory and they began to believe that all members should be educated to

read (Monika and Iveta, 2016). As literacy began to rise as well as the types of media

and information people could be exposed to, a dedicated individual showing devotion

to any object that typically accessible through the traditional media such as books,

magazines, comics, TV, and radio also emerged (Rahim, 2019). For example, fans of

Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan gained the public's attention and adoration during

the late Victorian era (Donley et al., 2017). They proclaimed themselves as the members

of the first fandom ever existed. After Holmes was killed off in 1893, fans were so

enraged that twenty thousand of them cancelled their subscriptions to The Strand, the

magazine which Sherlock Holmes was being published in (Minkel, 2014). There were

also several demonstrations from the unpleasant fans to keep their favourite character

alive. The author even got letters of rage from fans because of Holmes' death. Sherlock

Holmes' fans or Sherlockians, also famously wearing black armbands in the street to

mourn the fallen detective (Monika and Iveta, 2016).

While in the early to mid-twentieth century, fans of science fiction began

forming clubs and holding conventions to discuss their shared interest. One of the

earliest conventions was the World Science Fiction Convention or Worldcon which was

first held in 1939 and has continued annually. It was noted that there is no other popular

culture phenomenon that has shown the depth and breadth of fan activity. Aside from

2
attending such conventions, fans also created the first Star Trek zine, a fan-made

magazine called Spockanalia, in 1967 (Jindra, 2017). This portrayed that being a fan is

not simply consuming. Rather, fans engage with the media as well as among other fans.

These practices can be seen through fan activities such as writing their fiction (fanfic)

based on their favourite characters, publish their magazines (fanzines), writing their

lyrics to popular songs (filking) as well as cosplaying at fan conventions (Jenkins, 1992).

Thus, being a fan is not merely a leisure activity but also create a new form of

culture called participatory culture. Participatory culture explains that fans not only

consume media by listening and watching but also use selected media content to

recreate and reproduce their content. Fans usually communicated through the sharing

of physical text or art as well as gathering in fan conventions and fan meetings.

Nowadays, most of the fans' interaction is internet-based (Groene and Hettinger, 2016).

Fans actively produce videos on platforms such as YouTube to show their interest in

certain products of media such as book review, music video reaction, songs, and dance

cover – which also known as ‘fanworks’. These fanworks are some of the examples of

how fans come together virtually to share their interests. As technology continues to

evolve, fan communities increasingly prevalent across nationality and ethnicity.

Accordingly, fan studies have become an important topic for academia not only in the

media and communication field. Scholars from various academic disciplines have been

interested in fan studies range from Economics, Arts, Psychology, as well as

Anthropology and Sociology (Tinaliga, 2018). Most of the fans that have been

recognized are usually rooted in a particular music genre such as punk, heavy metal,

indie, and jazz.

3
 Notably, the Korean wave or Hallyu wave has flourished worldwide since a

decade ago (Joyce and Pacis, 2012). Korean wave is specifically referred to as the

Korean culture that consists of the language, dramas and movies, food, music, and other

cultural products. Korean-pop or familiarly known as K-pop is yet the most phenomenal

and impactful out of all. Korean drama, Winter Sonata which aired on TV3 in August

2002 marked the start of the popularity of Hallyu in Malaysia (Ahmad and Beng, 2016).

Following that, a tsunami of Korean pop groups made its way. Malaysia's local radio

channel, Astro Hitz with Korean Tourist Organization has published a new program

which is K-pop Hitz Talent Show in 2011. The program got a higher rating which

validates the public acceptance and demand for K-pop music (Ariffin et al., 2013).

Besides that, Malaysian satellite television provider, ASTRO also provides KBS World

Channel – a channel broadcasts for Korean dramas, music and reality shows to satisfy

the desire of audiences towards Korean entertainment (Ni, 2019). This Korean wave

took social media by storm as well as Malaysian KPOP Fans Facebook page has also

been set up to discuss and interact with Korean fans nationwide (Dzul, 2016). The page

has received almost 75,000 likes since it was created. In addition to that, Sabahan dancer

Isaac Voo has become the first Malaysian to debut in a K-Pop group IN2IT (Ramli,

2018). The omnipresence of K-pop on various media platforms in Malaysia has made

it easy for locals to gain access to this particular genre. Hence, I believe that it is

significant and beneficial to study the social nuances of local K-pop fans as the daily

lives of Malaysians have proved to incorporate Korean culture in various social aspects.

4
Problem Statement

Malaysian K-pop fans have grown massive as there are countless of K-pop fans

organizations all over the country. The rapid rise of the Korean wave in Malaysia has

led scholars to seek a better understanding of this sudden phenomenon (Kim and Ryoo,

2007). Importantly, Malaysia ranked fifth in the countries with most tourist arrivals in

Korea after Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Thailand (Kim and Ryoo, 2007). Alanzalon

(2011) in his research also showed that about 80% of Malaysian respondents started to

learn the Korean language because of their deep interest in Korean culture. Other than

that, Malaysia K-pop fans have also been said to conform to Korean beauty standards

or also known as K-beauty – a term refers to the skincare products and cosmetics

products originated from South Korea, which grown to become such a huge craze

(Cheong, 2019). Besides that, it is also evident that the Malaysian consumption of

Korean food continues to surge (The Sundaily, 2016). For the past few years, Korean

food outlets mushrooming big cities in Malaysia such as Kyochon, Deseo, Dubuyo,

Myeongdong Topokki, and MyungRyang. These studies depicted the surging of

Malaysian acceptance of Korean popular culture in society.

Although K-pop fans have grown massive in Malaysia, some concerns revolved

around the subject of a fan. This is because fan studies are often considered to be non-

intellectual, simple, and unimportant in academia (Rhee, Wong and Kim, 2016). This

may be contributed by the negative connotations that have been associated with the term

ever since it was coined. Thus, my research helps to clarify whether this K-pop fan

phenomenon in some way shapes fan's identity. As proposed by Arnett (1995), people

have developed an identity not only based on their tradition but also on a global identity

5
based on their exposure to a global culture conveyed through the media. Pop culture,

specifically, is one of the causes that make individuals today able to select, mix, and

match their identities (Kratz and Reimer, 1998). Moreover, as the society evolved from

post-industrial to postmodern world, a wider array of subcultural groups like the K-pop

fan community arises. Hence, this intrigued me to figure out what forms the K-pop fan’s

identity. Moreover, I believe that it is also important to explore the meaning of being a

K-pop fan. My research is not looking for meaning and insight into fans' experiences

through their interactions with idols or media but most importantly among fellow fans.

In the local context, K-pop fan studies in Malaysia is relatively new. Hence, the findings

gathered from this study make an important contribution to the existing literature

specifically in Anthropology and Sociology field. This research also provided an

important opportunity to advance the understanding of the dynamics of identity and

meaning in society.

Research Objectives and Research Questions

This study investigates and aims to determine the experiences of young adults

K-pop fans in Malaysia. Therefore, I have underlined two objectives that have guided

me throughout the research process. The objectives of this research are:

O1: To explore the formation of K-pop fan’s identity.

O2: To understand the meaning of being a K-pop fan.

These objectives were constructed to answer several research questions. To summarize,

there are two research questions that I have developed in the study which are:

6
 RQ1: What forms the K-pop fan’s identity?

RQ2: What is the meaning of being a K-pop fan?

Conceptual Framework

A conceptual framework is one of the important components that constitute

research. A framework works like a 'blueprint' to build a structure before beginning

research (Joyce and Pacis, 2012). Hence, a framework was plotted to assist me in this

study before scientifically explore the identity and meaning of being a K-pop fan. The

conceptual framework is not only providing a path or direction for a researcher but also

an impetus to the research inquiry (Adom et al., 2018). In describing and analysing the

social differences of K-pop fans, I drew several concepts from four concepts in

sociology as well as fan studies as shown in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1 Conceptual Framework

7
 Particularly, I employed the works of Horton and Wohl (1956), Blumer (1969),

Goffman (1959), Jenkins (1992), Burke and Stets (2000) as well as Jenkins (2004) to

form my framework. Before I discuss further into the development of this framework,

it is also important to operationalize the term fan that revolves around my study.

Following the view of Horton and Wohl (1956), K-pop fan in this study is used to refer

to an individual that commits to a one-sided relationship and develop an intimate

attachment with K-pop idols. K-pop fans also a part of fandom – communities built

around a shared enjoyment and interest towards a subject and involves in fan activities.

Jenkins (1992) regards fan activities as the participatory culture that consists of:

1. Relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic

engagement

2. Strong support for creating and sharing one's creations with

others

3. Some type of informal mentorship in which the most

experienced members pass along their knowledge to novices

4. Members who believe their contributions matter

Through the para-social relationship and participatory culture, I derived the K-

pop fan's identity and the social meaning behind their behaviour. Generally, to analyse

both of these aspects, I was guided by the notion of Symbolic Interactionism that posits

the importance of human interaction to explain human behaviour. I believe that K-pop

fans interact with other fellow fans exchanging the meaning through symbols to make

sense of their world. Goffman (1959) used theatre as an analogy to explain the social

interaction which is known as dramaturgy. According to him, the world is a stage and

8
humans are actors. An individual carries a variety of roles that are interpreted as the set

behaviours and actions based on one's setting and audience to convey the desired

impression. This phenomenon is what Goffman called impression management. In the

context of K-pop fans, an individual performs the identity as a fan as an attempt to form

an impression of who and what kind of person he or she is. This can be seen in various

performativity such as from the way fan speaks, fan socializes, fan's purchase intention

and behaviours, and the way fan dresses. These are learned from the distinct set of

values and practices that are only understood by the members of K-pop fan communities.

As noted by Stets and Burke (2000), there is a continuum between personal and social

identity. This is further explained by them when they were contrasting both of these

elements. They mentioned that identity ‘emphasizes on doing’ while social identity

‘emphasizes on being’ (Burke and Stets, 2000). Thus, social identity has focused more

on the meanings associated with being a member of a social category and identity theory

has focused more on the meanings associated with performing a role. This is in line

with Jenkins (2004), all human identities are social identities. According to him,

interaction provides an important source of mutual recognition and validation.

Next, I also applied Blumer's (1969) emergent idea for meaning in social

interaction. He believes that meaning is a condition resulting from the interaction of

group members. Based on his assumption, 1) humans act toward things because of the

meanings that things have for them. Human has to indicate something to themselves

about their surroundings that lead to the possibility of meaning. 2) The meaning of

things arises out of the social interaction one has with one's fellows. Things do not have

inherent meaning in and of themselves, but the meaning is socially created or

constructed through experience with other individuals and groups in society. 3) The

9
meanings of things are managed and modified through an interpretive process used by

the person in dealing with things he encounters. Blumer (1969) noted how the meanings

are also a result of dialogue or interaction within oneself.

As for K-pop fans, it is also significant to seek for the meaning behind those

practices and behaviours being a fan. For example, being a K-pop fan has provided an

individual a sense of belonging, a form of escapism, a platform to unleash artistic and

expressive self as well as emotional and motivational support for an individual. From

these examples, it can be concluded that humans form meaning as a result of their own

experiences. Hence, in the analysis chapters 4 and 5, I presented how this framework

was implemented and resorted to my findings.

10
 CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter consists of two sections that focused on the past literature of both

identity and the meaning of being a fan. These have given me a general understanding

before I began my research. In general, the roots of fan studies can be traced back from

the 1980s to the early 1990s. The most important early text contributing to the field

known as fan studies is Henry Jenkins’s Textual Poachers: Television Fans and

Participatory Culture. In this work, Jenkins engages with fans to analyse fan culture as

a response to mass media. However, since Jenkins is a media scholar, most of the

concerns regarding fans have involved with fan interactions in media texts. Thus, as a

social scientist, my focus in this research is more on the construction of K-pop fan’s

identity and the meaning it carries through fan interactions. It is also important to

highlight that the fan interactions in this study are not limited to the media text but also

with other fellow fans.

Fans and Identity

As being stated in the introduction chapter, society’s exposure to the media at

the beginning of the 20th century has been limited to print media such as books,

magazines, and newspapers as there was no electronic media at that time. As media

evolved, mediums such as television and radio have become a central part of the cultural

environment of industrialized societies (Blumer, 1969). Pop culture as a result of

capitalism is one of the causes that make individuals today are able to choose their

identities (Kratz and Reimer, 1998). Thus, in today’s modernized world, varieties of

subcultural groups also arise. The internet has made it possible and manifests identity

formation through online spaces. These online identity constructions resulted from

11
shared interest with other people to demonstrate the way online and offline identities

are interrelated (Manago, 2015).

The sociological approach of identity does not address the psychological or

cognitive processes of identity, but rather how identity is presented and re-presented

within a social situation. Symbolic Interactionism is a classic concern regarding the

construction of identity within an Anthropology and Sociology context. In one of his

earliest writings, Mead (1934) said that the existence in a community comes before

individual consciousness. Mead (1934) as one of the pioneers on the subject believed

that “society shapes self, self shapes social behaviour” (p.13). According to sociological

theories of self, the development of self and identity influenced by the social force, for

example through the interactions. Goffman (1959) in particular, presents a sociological

perspective that interested in understanding human interactions. He suggested that when

an individual is in the physical space with other people, he or she will seek to control

the impression that others form him or her. This is what Goffman called impression

management. In such a social encounter, the other participant also attempts to form an

impression of who and what kind of person this individual is. Consequently, they will

try to form a picture of his or her identity.

Being a fan is one of the identities that an individual play in society. To ‘perform’

that fan identity, one learns different types of skill, knowledge, dress codes, or

vocabularies that are only understood by members of a fan community (Gooch, 2008).

Displaying fan group identity may be an attempt to attract new friendships and maintain

current relationships with others who share a similar fan interest (Chadborn et al., 2017).

In staging this performance of making an impression, a person uses his expressive

12
equipment such as clothes and language to make statements about him or herself

(Jacobsen and Kristiansen, 2016). Similarly, K-pop fans can also be viewed as

performers for people to recognise their identities (Lacasa et al., 2017). An individual

by performing him or herself as a fan creates a bond between fans when they converse

and interact together (Rahim, 2019). It is a way for fans to visually communicate who

they are and what kind of group they belong to (Kratz and Reimer, 1998).

According to Jenkins (2004) in social identity, there is a continuum between

personal and social identity. He proposed that identity primarily involves a sense of

similarity with others and difference from them. Thus, people use social categories to

assign themselves as K-pop fans and other people as a non-K-pop fan for identification

and social comparison. This explains that identity arises within an individual will not

stand firm without the support provided by the individual’s social environment.

Moreover, identity is no longer limitedly about identity based on our gender, class,

family or locality, but identity has become a task – something an individual chooses to

seek and expose to for the self. Similarly, Giddens (1991) claims that identity is also

something that individuals can decide to engage with or not. Self-identity is thus no

longer seen as something that is given but appears as something that has to be “routinely

created and sustained in the reflexive activities of the individual” (p. 52).

Language is among other aspects that are considered as a vivid and crucial key

to identity (Baldwin, 1997, p.159). In his notable essay titled “If Black English Isn’t a

Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?”, he emphasizes the history of Black English and

using that for example on how language can connect or divorces individuals from the

communal identity. Rickford (1997) in the same manner focuses on the sociolinguistic

13
aspects of the African American speech community. However, in a relatively recent

study, language is not only limited in identifying nationality or ethnicity as commonly

believed (Shahrebabaki, 2018). There is also an interrelation between language and

identity in any kind of social relationship such as a community in a virtual world (Locke,

2000) or even nerd girls’ groups in high school (Bucholtz, 1999). An individual who is

a part of a group typically shares the same language, speech characteristics, and ways

of interpreting communication along with other members in the group (Nordquist,

2019). This is evident when K-pop fans in particular have also incorporated their ways

of redefining and using Korean vocabulary and other language practices (Crow, 2019).

Crow’s (2019) research further explained that language act as the performance of

identity by K-pop fans. Bourdieu (1977) through his concept of habitus proves language

is a habitual social activity as fans are involved with their fan activities daily. Routledge

also refers to Bourdieu’s habitus as “the physical embodiment of cultural capital, to the

deeply ingrained habits, skills, and dispositions that we possess due to our life

experiences” (2006, para 1). K-pop fans’ ability to understand Korean is nothing new

as it is evident that the dedicated fans typically can read, speak, and write the Korean

language (Soompi, 2018). Malaysia along with other countries has also witnessed the

high demand for Korean language courses in universities (Pickles, 2018). According to

Batoul and Fawwaz (2017), K-pop fans not only learned the Korean language but also

understand the exclusive and particular terms that are only understood within K-pop fan

communities (Riedel, 2020). K-pop fan’s own distinct set of language and practices to

communicate with one another is the reflection of identities fans adopt as a result of

their membership in a group (Almeida, 2017).

14
 Besides that, the creation of a sense of self and identity is also associated with

one’s consumption. Todd points out that “it is virtually impossible to buy any product

not embedded with certain symbols of identity acquired by the buyer knowingly or

otherwise” (2012, p. 48). In today’s world, this phenomenon is more apparent as

postmodernism regards identity through consumer products as opposed to the

traditional society that is defined mostly by their history, tradition, and ancestral

heritage (Loke, 2015). As noted by Lin and Tong (2008), South Korea’s portrayal of a

modern capitalist country and its consumerist culture through Korean wave such as K-

pop has somewhat affected the K-pop fan’s identity. It has also been proved that there

is an interplay of forces between fan’s self and their interest towards K-pop (Ni, 2019).

Suntikul (2019) revealed that BTS – the currently most popular K-pop group, alone

contributed 3.6 billion dollars to South Korea’s GDP in 2018. As K-pop has become

South Korea’s number one cultural export, worldwide fans’ engagement in idol industry

is not merely about the profit but it can also be a means to construct, form or create the

K-pop fan’s identity. Besides, Jenkins (2006) also talked about the politics of

participation where he believes that not all fans are created equal. Some fans as

consumers have greater abilities to participate in the fan culture than others. This is in

line with Bourdieu (1984) theories of hierarchy and capital. K-pop fans' consumer

behaviours can also be seen as the product of a hierarchical social system when fans

create their form of cultural capital. It is also significant to highlight that not all members

or fans will accumulate the same amounts of capital (Zhuang, 2019). Therefore, this

phenomenon has provided K-pop fans the identity within their own community based

on the economic capacity.

15
 Fashion in the field of Sociology has been written a lot by some of the prominent

theorists such as Spencer and Simmel (Kawamura, 2015). According to them, fashion

is a process of imitation. Although they mainly discussed fashion in relation to social

class, fashion is also associated with one’s culture, norms, representations, and social

roles (Hurt and Jang, 2018). Fashion provides an alternative for individuals to make

expressive and visual statements about their identities (Barthes, 2005). K-pop is one of

South Korea’s most successful cultural exports has helped its fashion into the world’s

spotlight (Jeon, 2019). As reported by Forero (2019), K-pop fashion has seen as the

biggest competition for Japanese Harajuku when it comes to the Asian fashion industry.

It was described by Hoi (2013) as fashion that typically involved bizarre and daring

outfits, outrageous makeup with heavy eyeliner, extravagant accessories, and colourful

hairstyles. Fans’ admiration towards their idols aspire them to imitate their favourite

idol’s style. Accordingly, research by Dewanti et al., (2014) in Tegal, Indonesia found

that Indonesian fans of the K-pop girl group, SNSD, used fashion as a means of

expression for them to show the public that they belong to a certain fandom. This is in

line with Kratz and Reimer (1998) idea that pop culture has resorted individuals in

today’s world to choose their own identity. The subculture of music genres such as punk,

hip hop, heavy metal, and rock is a perfect example of how exposure to a relatively new

genre like K-pop has influenced the creation of identity among fans through the way

they dress.

The Meaning of Being a Fan

The concept of meaning in sociology derived from the Symbolic Interactionism

– the theorists regard individual’s behaviour determined by micro-scale external forces

16
as opposed to the notion of structural functionalism that believed in a larger-scale

external force (Wiley, 2016). It is also believed that individuals act by a shared

understanding of meaning within their social context. Meaning is to gain and learn via

interactions between people and arise because of the exchange of symbols in social

groups (Anwar, 2018). Thus, the meaning is a framework that helps to understand how

society is preserved and created through repeated interactions between individuals. This

premise leads to the concept of “self” by Mead (1934) to an individual’s socialization

at the larger community or social groups. Blumer (1969) further argued how people act

a certain way towards things based on the meaning that is derived from social

interaction and modified through interpretation. According to him, there are three

premises: 1) humans act toward things based on the meaning they ascribe to those

objects referring to psychological and sociological explanations for those actions and

behaviours; 2) the meaning of the objects is derived from or arises out of the social

interaction that one has with others and society; and 3) meanings are managed and

modified through an interpretative process or an inner conversation within oneself.

Focusing on the notion of SI, a human being must be understood as a social

person (Charon, 1979). It is important to understand that human is in constant search

for social interaction. This is similar to Tsay-Vogel and Sanders (2017) argument about

the need to belong is derived from the natural desire of human beings to form and

maintain strong relationships. Being a fan, an individual initiate by the affection towards

celebrities or any topic of interest (Jenkins, 1992). It can be football clubs, video games,

movies, comic books, or even a political figure. After that, the fan begins his or her

interpersonal interactions between fellow individuals who share the same interest. K-

pop fan typically is a part of fandom – a phenomenon that encourages individuals to

17
collectively and socially unite within a subculture based on shared interests. Thus, it is

important to understand that K-pop fans, like other people, seek to belong in groups of

like-minded people (Tajfel and Turner, 1979). According to Thomas (2018), social

groups such as K-pop fandom can offer a “fraternity-like or family-like sense of security”

for an individual. It is also important to highlight that asides from the social cohesion

that formed through positive performances, negative enthusiasm can also bring people

together (Dunlap and Wolf, 2010). As reported by Allkpop (2019), the dedication and

passion of fans towards the idols to some extent may lead to fan wars.

Besides that, the meaning has also brought attention to the roles people play.

“Role-taking is a key mechanism that permits people to see another person's perspective

to understand what action might mean to another person” (Dorsey and Collier, 2018, p

86). In this manner, humans are proactive participants in society (Garfinkel, 1967). In

line with this idea, the involvement of an individual in fan activities has notably

generated a position or role for them in their respective K-pop fandom. Research by

Rahim (2019) showed that K-pop fan performs his or her identity through investment

in cultural capital, socialising or sharing, and social capital. Thus, a fan is seen actively

engages with media text and reproduces contents such as fan fiction, fan art, dance cover,

songs cover, fan-made videos, or even fan-event as part of the participatory culture

(Jenkins, 1992). Besides that, Hellekson (2009) and Turk (2014) found that the concept

of fan’s gift economy gives them satisfaction when their “gifts” or fanworks are

accepted in the form of being read, watched, appreciated, and valued within the

community. According to Jenkins (2004), membership meanings primarily have

implications for who you are and what you do. Consequently, such performativity in

the community distinguishes the role a fan has in his or her own society and the role

18
that is gained exclusively by being a K-pop fan. Jenkins’ idea of participatory culture is

seen as opposed to the theory of culture industry that claims popular culture prioritizes

profit and it is a form of hegemony that used to spread dominant ideologies (Adorno

and Horkheimer, 1991).

As the studies of the online community increasing, the concept of the online

community has also become important and more accepted as a social construct. It also

enables meaning to be formed through interactions both in online forums and face-to-

face. As a result, people in their respective communities of practice – a group of people

who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as

they interact regularly (Lave and Wenger, 1991), act according to the meaning they

derive from those environments. To some extent, media produces images, symbols, and

codes that offer a new reality for people (Baudrillard, 1983). Appadurai (1996) points

out that it creates a sort of a utopian community. Fan favours this alternative as it

functions as a diversion from the routine and mundane society (Ko et al., 2014).

Seoulbeats (2012) noted that South Korea is one of the few countries where the use of

celebrities in commercials surpasses 50% and the advertisement industry is flooded with

idols. The omnipresence of idols in various media such as social media, TV dramas,

variety shows, commercials, movies, or even musicals makes it easier for fans to

become attached and immersed.

Besides that, fans are also intensely and neurotically involved with their

favourite celebrity (Collisson et al., 2018). They suggest that being a fan is like being

in a recognized religion, it helps fan having a higher level of subjective wellbeing. Ryff

(1989) also points out that being a part of the fan community helps an individual to

19
strive for personal growth and development. Moreover, it is also important to bring into

attention the established theory of fan-celebrity relationship by Horton and Wohl (1956)

– para-social relationship. This relationship is described as a one-sided interaction

between fans and media figures such as celebrities or fictional characters. In the field

of Anthropology and Sociology, there are plenty of researchers that are concern with

the ways celebrities as icons affect the culture and how individuals view those

celebrities (Stever, 2009). Caughey (1984) in particular mentioned that:

“the basis of most fan relationships is not an aesthetic appreciation

but a social relationship. Fans have attachments to unmet media
figures that are analogous to and in many ways directly parallel to
actual social relationships” (p. 40).

Accordingly, a recent study by Heng (2019) revealed that being a K-pop fan in

fandom, particularly ARMY – a fan of BTS, holds extraordinary communal solidarity.

His findings concluded that K-pop fans are not just consumers of popular music but the

personal attachment and interaction with the idols have also driven positive forces in

themselves for a good cause.

Conclusion

This chapter provides a summary of what has been written in the field of

Anthropology and Sociology specifically on the topics that my research touches on fan

identity and the meaning of being a fan. As mentioned before, the studies on pop culture

such as fan studies were devalued and deemed trivial in academic research (Joyce and

Paris, 2012). However, through this chapter, I have attempted to show the interplays

between the realm of K-pop fans along with the sociological explanation. However, it

20
can also be noticed that the foreign studies on K-pop fans still outnumbered those that

were done locally. Therefore, my study aims to fill the gap of research to shed light on

the phenomenon of identity and the meaning of Malaysians K-pop fans into academic

attention.

21
 CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY

A systematic and thorough analysis of the methodology procedure was made to

achieve the objectives of my research. In this chapter, I explore how the formation of

K-pop fan’s identity and the meaning of being a K-pop fan has led me to choose the

particular methods. This chapter also describes the rationale behind the choice of these

methods to show how they are appropriate both for the theoretical underpinnings of

social research and for looking at K-pop fan practices. In particular, I used a qualitative

approach as generally it was developed in the social sciences field to enable researchers

to study social and cultural phenomenon (Newman, 2013). This study regards fan as a

unit of analysis which I got into each of their experiences, views, values and lifestyles

as a K-pop fan. An interpretative framework which concerned with meaning and seeks

to understand people's behaviour is also been used in this research. This chapter is

divided into three sections: 1) participants 2) data collection, and 3) data analysis. In the

first section of this chapter, I explain the criteria of my required participants and the

sampling that I used to select my sample from the target population under study. While

in the second section, I describe two of my research instruments: participant observation

and semi-structured in-depth interviews. Finally, in the third section, I discuss the

process of analysing the data in my study.

Participants

For this research, I have used purposive sampling as the research objectives

required my judgment by choosing the members of the population to participate in the

study (Dudovskiy, 2012). Purposive sampling is one of the most common sampling

techniques in which a group of participants is pre-selected by the researcher according

22
to relevant criteria regarding the research subject (Dudovskiy, 2012). In this study, I

was not looking merely for a K-pop fan to participate but those who are actively

involved in fans' activities such as joining the fan event, going to the concert, collecting

albums, or doing songs and dance cover. This requires me to use my knowledge and

judgments to identify these people to satisfy the needs of this study. I also used snowball

sampling as there were a few participants that are introduced by other participants. The

sample size for this research study consist of 8 K-pop fans. This sample intentionally

consisted of participants that age around 20 to 25 years old which are regarded as young

adults (United Nations, 1981). The purpose of focusing on one group of participants

who share a similar age group and background is to get the representative findings for

this particular age group.

Table 1 Demographic Background of Participants

Name Age Relationship Hometown Occupation University
Status
Athirah 24 Single Pulau Pinang Student University A

Mimi 24 In a relationship Kedah Student University A

Lana 23 In a relationship Perak Student University A

Sabrina 23 Single Kuala Lumpur Student University B

Sonia 23 Single Kuala Lumpur Student University C

Gina 25 Married Selangor Writer -

Alyani 24 Single Kelantan Student University D

Candy 24 Single Perak Student University E

The demographic background of participants is illustrated in detail in Table 1

above. I used pseudonyms for the names of participants and universities to maintain the

23
confidentiality of the data provided by the participants. Almost all of the participants

are single with two of them are in a relationship and only one participant is reportedly

married. Other participants are the students in local universities and most of them are

23 and 24 years old. The consequences of using snowball sampling resulted in 3 out of

8 participants which is Athirah, Mimi, and Lana, came from the similar academic

background which all of them are students in university A. Athirah was the one that

introduced me to both Mimi and Lana. The remaining participants studied in their

respective universities labelled as University B, University C, University D, and

University E. I also put my attention on how occupation influenced the practices of

these K-pop fans. I determined that there is an interplay between economic, social, and

cultural capital as argued by Bourdieu (1984) within the K-pop fan community. For that

reason, I had interview Gina, a 25 years old fan who is currently working as a writer to

further discuss the previously mentioned concept in my findings.

Data Collection

The data collection techniques in this research study are participant observation

and semi-structured in-depth interviews. There were two phases in the data collection

process in this study which are 1) the first phase: participant observation and 2) the

second phase: semi-structured in-depth interview. In the first phase, the data collection

was conducted in January 2020. While the second phase of data collection was

conducted in February 2020 and completed in the middle of March 2020.

24
Participant Observation

In January 2020, my presence in WINNER's – a K-pop boy group concert in

Axiata Bukit Jalil and fan event at KL Sentral has allowed me to participate and observe

fan's practices during the event in which thousands of the attendees were K-pop fans.

Kuala Lumpur was chosen as the geographical area in which the study was conducted

because most young people especially in the capital city have demonstrated an

increasingly high level of involvement with celebrities. This is because of places such

as concert stadium, airport, and malls that are located in Kuala Lumpur is a good place

to collect K-pop celebrities-related data as most of the meet and greet session, media

interview, album launching, movie promotions or road tour are usually held in the main

city like Kuala Lumpur. It provides an alternative for me to engage with targeted age

and group of participants who enjoy such leisure and entertainment.

According to Um (2014), the observation method is extremely useful and

essential in the sense that this research approach allows exploring the dynamics of

groups of people specifically in the life of fans. A K-pop concert and fan event in Kuala

Lumpur was chosen as the location for observation as a concert is the best place where

most K-pop fans are gathered. Besides that, concerts and fan event also provided

opportunities for the fans to share and display their passion for K-pop. Um (2014) also

described how the participant observation at the concert helped to examine the identity

of K-pop fan:

"Fans arrived early and while they were waiting for the doors to open,
they talked with each other in the queue. From time to time they
started to chant some of the Big Bang's hit numbers such as 'Fantastic

25
 Baby'. Their friendly casual chat, with other fan members in the queue,
displayed a thinly disguised competitive demonstration of their
knowledge of K-pop in general and particular K-pop idols. Some of
them also display various items of merchandise and memorabilia from
other K-pop events they attended." (p. 35).

For this research, I also identify fans' performativity at the concert and fan event

in terms of fashion, language, activities, interactions with fellow fans. The direct

experience helped me to gain insight into the fan's behaviour. In addition to that, I also

used field notes and photographs that were taken during the observation as research data.

Under no circumstances did these instruments cause disturbance or intrusion to any of

the fans as I only took photos or videos of objects such as posters and banners,

merchandises, fans' photo area and concert's environment in general.

Semi-structured In-depth Interview

The second phase which is the semi-structured in-depth interview started in

February 2020 until the middle of March 2020. This data collection took about an hour

to two hours to be completed for each participant. It was my goal to gain a specific and

critical perspective to answer both of the research questions. Interviewing selected

individuals is a very important method often used by qualitative researchers. The

rationale is to enable me to find out what is on the participant's mind, what did they

think, and how they feel about something (Newman, 2013). A total number of 8

participants were selected as previously mentioned.

As an insider researcher, my knowledge and experiences on this subject assess

me not only during the interview session but also the technical aspects of the research

26
such as finding the participants, dealing and getting consent from them, making

appointments, and setting up the places for interview. My participants in this research

were selected through the K-pop-related contents on their public social media accounts

which is Instagram. I contacted them via direct message and once they are willing to

participate, we decided on the place and time of the meeting. Most of the interviews

were conducted in public places such as at K-pop fan event as they preferred the sense

of security and comfort in the public space. However, due to practical constraints such

as the COVID-19 pandemic, I have conducted some of the interviews via phone call.

Concerning the ethical considerations regarding fans who partook in my

research, I obtained their informed consent before audiotaping interviews. The

participants were also given the option to skip or refuse to answer questions and could

withdraw from my study at any time. The recorded audio and photographs are kept

confidential and will be destroyed after five years of this study. The interview involved

the use of semi-structured questions, which was used as a guideline during the interview

session (refer Appendix). Some questions were prepared based on the literature to

answer the research objectives, but there are also a few additional questions made

during the interviews that I think are relevant for my findings. During the interview, I

also avoid leading questions and gave the participants a chance to recap and clarify their

points.

Data Analysis

Data analysis involves making sense of the participants' input and looking for

patterns and connecting them (Newman, 2013). In this study, I used thematic analysis

to explore my research findings. Thematic analysis is a good approach to find out about

27
people's experiences and values from a set of qualitative data (Caulfield, 2020). Thus,

this method of analysis was seen as suitable for this study as the aim of the research

questions is to study on the formation of K-pop fan's identity as well as the meaning of

being a K-pop fan for the participants.

Thematic analysis was employed in this research by six steps which are 1)

familiarization of the transcripts, 2) coding and identifying themes, 3) generating

themes, 4) reviewing themes, 5) defining and naming themes and 6) writing up and

relate to the sociological insights based on previous studies. After completing the data

collection, I listen to the recorded audio and manually transcribed every 8 interviews.

Upon transcribing the responses, I highlighted and jotted down the recurrent themes by

participants. Next, I described the findings and used the quotes from the interviews in

presenting my analysis. I also revisited the highlights to prevent missing significant or

interpreted the data in different ways. Once I assured with my findings, I relate the codes

with the relevant anthropological and sociological concepts as well as previous studies.

For instance, to answer the first research objectives, the themes were derived from the

way fan speaks, fan socialized, fan's purchase intention and behaviour, and the way fan

dresses. While the themes for the second research question are: the sense of belonging,

talent, and capabilities, escapism as well as the mental and emotional attachment with

idols. These themes later have foregrounded my discussion in the analysis chapters.

28
 CHAPTER FOUR KPOP FANS’ IDENTITY

In this chapter, I will be discussing on how K-pop fans express their identity.

This chapter is divided into four sections: (1) language, (2) fandom and friendship, (3)

consumerism, and (4) fashion. In the first section, I discussed how the Korean language

shapes K-pop fans' identity. I am not only focusing on the usage of Korean language

generally but also on some exclusive terms that have been used widely by K-pop fans.

In the second section, I will explore the new and existing friendship between K-pop

fans. Normally, fans perform their identity in a community called fandom by sharing

interest values between them. It is also important to highlight that being a K-pop fan

may change their consumerism pattern. Fans' consumerism activities may symbolize

their identity within the K-pop fans community. Next, I will discuss how fashion could

shape the fans' identity. Fashion is not only about the way people dress but also

associates with culture, norms, representations as well as social roles and identity.

Therefore, in this chapter, my focus on fans' identity answers the first research question

of this study which is the construction of K-pop fans' identity.

Throughout this chapter, I unveil fans' favourability towards K-pop that has

taken them to get used to Korean culture, especially on language. Most K-pop fans

despite their nationality and ethnicity definitely will develop their Korean language

skills first. After being able to understand basic Korean words, they start

communicating with others who have similar interests. This eventually forms a solid

relationship between fans, until they regard themselves to be a part of a group or fandom.

Besides, fans are also emotionally motivated through the engagement with their idols

which have also influenced them to consume any K-pop related commodities. Normally,

29
they will spend their money and energy on the concert tickets, fan-meeting,

merchandise and albums. Some fans also invest their money in the fashion industry as

they want to imitate their favourite idols. From this, we can conclude that K-pop fans

are more expressive about visual statements in their identity. Furthermore, I will explain

in more detail about the relationship between these aspects and fans' identity in the

upcoming sections.

Learning the Korean Language

In this first section, I will look deeper into how language could shape the fans'

identity. It is important to highlight that language has a vital role in identifying an

individual. Baldwin (1997) has stated that language is the most crucial key to identity.

It is a symbol of different social identities which also has used to create a particular

identity. This can be seen by how people across the world greet and speak differently.

However, "linguistic variation is not merely originated from various geographical

territories but speakers construct and develop their linguistic identities by the informed

selection of the proper language varieties" (Shahrebabaki, 2018, para. 2). Language is

a social practice that has been constructed by a variety of relationships. The interrelation

between language and identity can be seen in any kind of social relationships such as in

a minority group like African American (Rickford, 1997), a community in a virtual

world (Locke, 2000) or even a group of nerd girls in high schools (Bucholtz, 1999).

While in this study, I focus on the Korean language where I believe it can influence the

formation of identity among K-pop fans. In Sociolinguistics and Linguistic

Anthropology, fans are usually considered as a speech community. It is a term to

30
describe a group of people who share the same language, speech characteristics, and

ways of interpreting communication (Nordquist, 2019).

K-pop is well-known for its popularity on the international level and massive

fan base. Thus, a significant number of K-pop fans consist of non-native Korean

speakers. However, the Korean language is consistently seen and used between fans.

This phenomenon is similar to the local K-pop fans including participants in this

research. K-pop fans have developed and incorporated their ways of redefining and

using Korean vocabulary also language practices (Crow, 2019). This Korean language

practices help K-pop fans interact with each other about their fan contents as well as

idols themselves. Favourability towards K-pop has led fans to be more familiar with

Korean culture. For example, the heritage, food, lifestyle, and most importantly, the

language. As one participant said, her interest in K-pop has tempted her to learn the

Korean language.

When the participants were asked if they can understand the Korean language,

I found out that all of them can at least understand Korean words. Moreover, most of

the participants can even read Korean writing which known as Hangul. They simply

gave me examples like annyeonghaseyo (Hello), kidariyooo (Wait up!), uljimaaaa (Do

not cry), saranghae (I love you), bogoshippo (I miss you), ottoke (what should I do!)

and cheosonghamnida (I am sorry). Sometimes when they could not understand the full

sentences, they can still get an idea of what it is all about generally because of the basic

words that they have known. Moreover, it is easier to pick up words out of the Korean

vocabulary as they watch their idols on music shows, variety programs, K-dramas, live

streaming, and other fan contents daily. This is similar to Bourdieu (1977) concept of

31
habitus. Bourdieu who wrote widely about language and linguistic has considered

language as a practice rather than an abstract system. Language is a habitual social

activity that makes up our daily lives. Thus, habitus "refers to the physical embodiment

of cultural capital, to the deeply ingrained habits, skills, and dispositions that we possess

due to our life experiences" (Routledge, 2006, para. 1). Besides, most of the participants

have learned Korean languages by themselves, even a few of them are interested to

enrol in a formal class. Athirah and Gina particularly shared that:

ATHIRAH: I only took Korean - Level 1 at my university. As I am

currently in my final year, I do not have time to continue with the next
level. In the future, I will learn by myself because I already have basic
knowledge of the Korean language.

GINA: I have already registered for a class this upcoming April. I

want to learn Korean as part of my job. As a writer, it is beneficial
for me if I possess more than one language ability.

According to these two participants, I conclude that fans might learn the Korean

language for many reasons. Asides from the obsession and love towards K-pop, fans

also learn the Korean language because it gives the advantage to know more about other

cultures or precisely, to be multilingual. The influence of K-pop along with K-drama

has led fans to try and learn the Korean language (Soompi, 2018). Malaysia along with

the United States, Canada, and Thailand are countries that have witnessed the high

demand for Korean language courses in universities (Pickles, 2018). This has been

mentioned by one of the University A students, Mimi. She told me that she tried to

register Korean classes for a few semesters, but the slots were unfailingly full. Usually,

fans with better Korean proficiency may create a translations account on social media.

32
Through those accounts, they can post translation and romanization of their idol's

contents. This range including from translating simple social media posts to concert

speeches and even to Livestream translations. By doing this, not only other fans can

enjoy and understand it better, but it can also enhance the K-pop fans community and

the role of the translator. Therefore, learning Korean has been seen as a crucial aspect

concerning the fan's identity.

Most of the participants in this study revealed that they have started using

Korean words through their daily discourse. They did that as an important step in

learning the language. Batoul and Fawwaz (2017) have listed some of the things that

fans do by using the Korean language in their everyday life. For example, naming phone

contacts with the accurate Korean terms of kinship and endearment like eomma (mom),

oppa (older brother) or dongsaeng (younger brother/sister). Then, they also start using

inside jokes or curses that have been taken from Korean idols and K-drama speeches.

Next, they even use Korean phrases in their conversations and gradually adopting

Korean people's different pronunciation with some English sounds known as Konglish.

These are some ways of how K-pop fans intelligible with one another. Although with

basic fluency and limited vocabulary, K-pop fans still converse in Korean with their

siblings, friends, and fellow fans. Sabrina, one of the participants even said that

sometimes she and her sister use the Korean language to conceal or hide what they say

to one another especially from their parents. Besides that, Gina who has been married

also mentioned that she and her husband used Korean words like shibal (fuck off) to

curse at each other and sometimes for joking. This matter proves that the Korean

language has somewhat incorporated in their daily life when they are communicating

33
with other people. Some participants also explained how learning the Korean language

helps them to converse with the Koreans as well. Quoting from them:

SONIA: I have been to Korea. I utilized my Korean language skills

by making a conversation with the locals. I feel proud and sometimes
trigger the koreaboo in myself *laughs*.

AMANI: I have made a few attempts to speak with foreigners from

Korean as well as Korean students in my university.

According to Sonia, practicing Korean language has also revealed the koreaboo

– the over-obsession for Korean culture, in themselves. This term is derived from the

word weeaboo, which refers to a non-native person who has an obsession with the

Japanese culture (Vox Atl, 2019). Fans in their koreaboo stage gradually take in the

different practices of Korea and let themselves be engulfed by them. They will start

adding Korean words in their sentences, eat Korean food often, imitate Korean sense in

fashion, watch Korean dramas, and even want to live in Korea just so that they could

be closer to their idols.

Linguistic fluency among fans across all media and genres involves the

understanding of particular terms (Batoul and Fawwaz, 2017). For example, ship –

which is usually used to refer to a particular romantic relationship or pairing and also

the term stan – which refers to a particular person or group that fans like (Crow, 2019).

However, K-pop fans also distinguish themselves from other media and genre fandom

by using certain terms and that is only can be used among them (Riedel, 2020). There

are terms such as bias - to indicate fan's favourite member of a K-Pop group, ultimate

– to indicate the ultimate favourite idol of the K-Pop industry and bias wrecker – to

34
indicate an idol that makes one doubt about their favourite idol. The word idol also has

been exclusively used by K-pop fans when they talk about K-pop artists (Batoul and

Fawwaz, 2017). As for participants in this study, I also have noticed how they

occasionally used a few words that only put into practice by K-pop fans.

Table 2 Words used by Kpop Fans

Participants Word Meaning

Athirah Oenni Korean word when female addressing

older female

Mimi Bias Fan’s most favourite member of an idol

group

Fanchant A chant sang by fans at performances in

unison while idols performing

Lana E-pop Malaysia-based K-pop magazine

Sabrina Dongsaeng Korean word when addressing younger

siblings

Sonia Sasaeng An overly obsessive fan that is known for

her or his extreme, intense, and
questionable behaviour. Often looked
down upon by other fans due to the harm
they cause the idols.

Gina Oppa Korean word when female addressing

older male

Amani Visual The visual of the group is the member

who is said to be the most handsome or
beautiful.

35
 As shown in Table 2 above, these are words that popular among K-pop fans that

have been used by participants during the interview session. The use of these terms is

one of the main reasons that show why language is believed can shape the K-Pop fan's

identity. People who do not belong to the K-Pop fandom do not use this language and

may not understand it. Overall, the findings in this section suggest that the use of

language is indeed the reflection of identities people who adopting as a result of their

membership in a group. Every group has its own culture where they create their speech

community to communicate feelings, ideas, and even support one another (Almeida,

2017). As for K-pop fans, the use of Korean language and the use of certain terms, has

made it possible to communicate intelligibly with one another. This has impacted fans'

identity as the linguistic practice developed and incorporated in their daily life.

K-pop Fandom and The Formation of New Friendship

This section explores the new and existing friendship between K-pop fans. I

believe that fans are performing their identity in a community in which we called as

fandom by sharing the same interest values. Goffman (1959) has stated that in social

interactions humans are seen as the staged actors who play performances for the

audience. Moreover, he emphasized that this world is like a stage where people or the

actors will put on a mask to be a part of something. In the presence of others, one's face

or public identity is always on display which others will form impressions and respond

to these impressions. The construction of identity usually has linked to the concept of a

person who is present in a community. In this manner, fans can be viewed as performers

for people who want to recognise their identities (Lacasa et al., 2017). Being a fan is

one of the identities that is played by an individual in the society. Gooch (2008) stated

36
that to ‘perform’ the fan identity, someone should learn different types of skill,

knowledge, dress codes, or vocabularies that are only understood by members of a fan

community. As noted by Chadborn et al., (2017), there is a relationship between social

connections and displays of group identity. Through displaying fan group identity may

be an attempt to attract new friendships and maintain current relationships with others

who share a similar interest. Here, Mimi mentioned how she made friends with fellow

K-pop fans by displaying her identity as an ARMY, BTS's fandom name.

MIMI: I often share my love towards BTS on my social media

especially Whatsapp status. As I have my own little business, it
happened that a lot of my customers are also into K-pop. They
watched my status on Whatsapp regarding BTS, they replied, and we
constantly chat from time to time. We only had a simple conversation
like "who is your bias", "have you watch the new music video?" or
"which songs do you like?". Although we are not that close, but I feel
happy about that. I made new friends and connections.

Based on Mimi's explanation, she actively shares her interest in K-pop on her

social media and participates in the online community. By presenting herself as a K-

pop fan, she has created a public persona sharing goals and values and socialises with

other people with similar interests. It somehow created bonds between fans when they

converse and interact together, either about their object of fandom or not (Rahim, 2019).

Although she does not encounter her K-pop fan friends face-to-face, she is still

performing to be part of the community. Thus, "these displays of fan membership allow

for the rapid transmission of those identities to other fans as well as allowing fans to

feel a sense of belonging and acceptance as part of the group even when physical

37
closeness to the larger group of fans is limited" (Chadborn et al., 2017, p. 90). Moreover,

to have more personal relationships as a fan is a sense of happiness for her.

Besides, fans demonstrate an element of belongingness by developing a sense

of 'us' and 'them'. One of the participants shared that there was a phase when the public

was quite sceptical about the K-pop genre as it is relatively a new scene in some society.

Referring to an example that I have mentioned in the introduction chapter, K-pop as a

part of Korean wave has been deemed to bring negative influences or to be exact, caused

the deterioration of cultural values especially among Muslim and Malay communities

(Ahmad and Beng, 2016). Jenkins (2004) argued that identifying the self actually is a

progress of answering the questions of who I am and who other people are. In order to

evaluate 'us' or 'them'. People see the group that they belong to as the in-group while

the other groups as the out-group. First, categorization. People use social categories like

K-pop fans or others like White, Asian, Malaysian, Muslim, student to assign ourselves

as well as others. Next, identification. Fan adopts the identity of the group which they

have categorized themselves belong to, such as fandom. After that, social comparison

happened. Lana, one of the participants shared:

LANA: During my high school years, almost all my classmates were

‘anti’ K-pop. So, I have nobody to talk to about K-pop. But when I
entered boarding school at the age of 16, I met this one girl. I found
out that she is also a K-pop fan, so we became close right away. Even
now, she is still a good friend of mine from school days. We always
fangirling together.

Based on the quote above, Lana has said something that I consider related to the 'us'

versus' 'them' concept. At some point, fans will start to compare their in-group with

38
society and vice versa. It is also possible that other groups in society have a prejudice

against K-pop fans or even see them as a threat to the dominant culture. The social

identity theory may also explain why it is hard to make friends during Lana's school

days. Plus, right after she met a friend that is also a fan of K-pop, they become close

until now. According to Lana, that girl is her best friend for a lifetime.

Fans' identities are not only differed by the concept of in-group and out-group in

society. But within the K-pop community as well, fans define their identity and social

hierarchy. Rahim (2019) has argued, this phenomenon happens through investment in

cultural capital, socialising or sharing, and social capital. One of the main methods of

being recognised in a fandom is to invest in cultural capital. Fans consume official

fandom goods for their own needs and want to be recognised by other fans. The albums,

official goods, concerts, fan meets, and internet bills are the most common fans'

investment. By doing this, "it allows group members immediate cues that the individual

is a fan, has knowledge of the interest through their display and based on how distinct,

obscure, or specific that display is, also bestows status in line with the expression of

cultural capital" (Chadborn, 2017, p. 90). Alyani revealed,

ALYANI: I have a collection of every single album of BTS.

Comparing to others it was nothing since they collected all sorts of
things, but I think that is pretty crazy for me. I have once trying to add
up all the price of my collection, it would be a total of RM1k plus.

Alyani is one of the participants that is willing to spend her money on albums.

Even though the albums are expensive, but most fans managed to buy them. I was also

told by Alyani that fans will spend on each album releases because they want their idols

39
to be at the top of music shows and weekly charts. The music shows tally the sales of

albums and digital music, website votes, mass searches on browsers, and the number of

views on YouTube. These are done just to crown their idols as the highest-grossing idol

group as the champion of the week. If they are lucky enough and try harder, their

favourite idol groups might be able to enter an international chart, such as the Billboard

Chart. Through these activities, fans can prove their power within the K-pop fans

community.

The second investment a fan can make is by socialising and sharing. As I have

said earlier, socialising creates bonds between fans when they converse and interact

together either about the object of fandom or not. Typically, fans would share

information related to their idols such as commercials, dramas, musicals, world tour

concerts, interviews during comeback season, and variety shows. For some participants

like Sabrina and Sonia, they have more distinct and apparent performativity as fans.

Most fan clubs regularly hold fan events, where members assemble and bond together

by watching videos of their idols, play games, dance cover, and celebrating idols' events.

Figure 2 below shows some of the photos from the fan event to celebrate idols’ birthday

which were held in KL Sentral during my first phase of data collection.

40
 Figure 2 Fan Event at KL Sentral

Sabrina has displayed her role within K-pop fans community as fanart maker while,

Sonia is an admin that responsible to organize fan events. They shared:

SABRINA: Back in school, I do have a group that also into K-pop.

But after growing apart, it is mostly me and my sister. I do not have
many friends. My online friends, yes. A lot. Real-life not really. We
do fankit to sell. We do have a group for that, online group. Our
interest in K-pop, we come out with something. All of this *showing
me her collection of fankit, I design. I still learn by the way.

SONIA: Usually, if got comeback, mass streaming. The music videos.

Those who can afford would buy their albums, to help with its sales.
That is like a task as a fangirl. The usual events every weekend like
now (referring to the current event during the interview taken place)
usually because of the birthday or special occasion like that. Today's
event is for one of the Stray Kidz member's birthday. So, the process
is like to do a ‘kenduri kahwin’. We must book a place a few months
before, then start designing the banner… the cup sleeve. We will hire
a group like an organizer to handle it. Spread info about the event

41
 online on Twitter. Usually, because of events like this, fellow fans who
mostly known each other online can meet and sit together.

This also marks the last investment as a fan, which is social capital. Fans with

social capital receive recognition from other fans because of their influence just like

Sabrina and Sonia. During my observation at the concert as well, I began to recognise

some of 'popular' fans. There are fanart makers who sell their self-made banners,

photocards, and drawings while waiting for the concert to start. Some even give their

stuffs for free. Besides that, there was also a group of fans in which most of them are

dancers, perform their dance cover outside of the stadium while other fans chanting for

them as can be seen in the photo below.

Figure 3 Fans Performance

To conclude this section, I agree that friendship built among K-pop fans has shaped

fans' identities as well. Fans show their desire to make and maintain relationships with

other K-pop fans by display their identity as well as distinguish themselves from the

42
out-group. Besides, I found out that K-pop fans also define their identity through the

social hierarchy within the fandom. The construction of these identities is derived from

the various practices carried out by fans to share common interests. At the same time,

it also determines their place and status within the K-pop fan community. Therefore,

being a fan is a mediating factor in the relationships between an individual, one's interest,

and one's identity.

Consumerism And K-pop Fans Devotion

For this section, I highlight fans' consumerism activity that symbolizes their

identity within the K-pop fan community. The theme consumerism has emerged as I

noticed that amongst participants, there are different types of fan role and status in the

fandom that can be derived based on their spending on K-pop-related goods and services.

This will be explained more in Chapter 5. Todd (2012) has pointed out that it is

impossible to buy any product that is not embedded with certain symbols of identity.

Thus, consumption is related to one's creation of a sense of self. In his analysis, Todd

also has made it clear that although consumers may think that their consumption pattern

sets them apart from the rest of society, consumption functions as a way for the

consumer to communicate with a society where they fit within the social structure.

Consumers are less to do with "who am I" and more with "who are we" or "where do I

belong".

To understand how consumerism has affected K-pop fans' identity, it is

important to grasp that South Korea has been portrayed as a modern capitalist state and

its vibrant consumerist culture (Lin and Tong, 2008). This is through the representations

that have embedded in the media products of Korean wave such as K-pop. Because of

43
this consumerist lifestyle, it has given the world or particularly K-pop fans have an

idealized urban lifestyle and stimulating fans' desire to live that way. This is supported

by (Loke, 2015):

"In a postmodern society, consumerism is tied to the production of a

sense of self. Patterns of consumption reflect consumers' position
within the social structure and how they communicate within a society.
While the identity of an individual in a traditional society is defined
by his or her history, tradition, community, and ancestral heritage,
postmodernism seeks to replace all the elements with consumer
products. To establish self-sense, consumers are expected to abandon
elements that have initially given meanings to their lives." (p. 4).

In recent years, the 'idol industry' is booming around the world. The increment

of K-pop fans worldwide has benefitted the fan-consumer market. Today, K-pop has

become South Korea's number one cultural export. BTS is currently the most popular

K-pop band alone has contributed 3.6 billion dollars to the country's GDP in 2018

(Suntikul, 2019). Fans' engagement in the idol industry is not merely about the profit.

It can also be a means to construct, form, or create a fan's identity. Consumer behaviour

can be defined as the interplay of forces between the fan's self and their interest in K-

pop (Ni, 2019). The endorsement by Korean celebrities, especially idols is the key

reason for fans as consumers during their purchasing decisions. The emotional

connection that fans have with their favourite idols has influenced them to spend their

money and energy willingly. This phenomenon can be seen in Malaysia's context as

well. K-beauty – a term refers to the skincare products and cosmetics products from

South Korea, is gaining popularity among local K-pop fans. For the past few years,

44
Korean food outlets also mushrooming big cities in Malaysia such as Kyochon, Deseo,

Dubuyo, Myeongdong Topokki, and MyungRyang.

However, different fans have different degrees of enthusiasm when it comes to

spending. It is evident when not all participants willing to spend their money on their

idols. There are several reasons for this. According to Zhuang (2019), stable factors

which consist of age, and income influence fans' purchasing decision. For this research,

7 out of 8 participants are still studying, they find that it is a privilege for a fan who can

consume as much as they want for their idols. Even though they did spend an amount

of their money on their idol but there will be some financial constraints later as they

have no source of income. These two participants shared their different behaviour in

spending:

ATHIRAH: At that time, I was in Form 2. I bought BEAST's CD

which included a T-shirt around RM100 plus. I spend using the pocket
money that I saved. Right now, I do not even remember where I put
that shirt *laughs*. I was reluctant at first but that was their first
album, so I decided to buy them at Speedy. Okay. I am quite bummed
when I did not buy BEAST's light stick when they are still active. Even
if I get to buy preloved, I do not really get to use it now like going to
the concerts. I only bought the HIGHLISGHT's light stick but
unfortunately to no use since they also are on hiatus. If during my
school days, I will buy anything from them.

GINA: The year 2018. Both IKON and WINNER concerts were held
in Kuala Lumpur. The date is very close to both concerts and I
decided to go both. I spend around RM1000. That is quite crazy for
me. Even my father called me that. Because at that time, it was my

45
 birthday. I went there alone but I made a lot of friends that I still get
in touch with until now.

Based on the quotes above, I noticed that the way they spend on their idols is

contradictory. According to Athirah, she must save up first in order to buy her idols'

merchandise. While, Gina as the only participant that is working, proves that she can

afford to spend a huge amount of money. As has been argued by Zhuang (2019), the

higher the income someone got the more budget that could be taken into fans'

consideration of spending for their idols. To look deeper into the relationship between

fans' consumer behaviour and their identity, I have classified all eight participants into

three categories of fan consumer: a) never spend their money, b) medium spender c) big

spender.

Table 3 Three Categories of Fan Consumer

Never Medium Big

Characteristics ● Never spend their ● Had spent on ● Bought

money on idols a few fan merchandise
● Still consider stuffs and even have
themselves as fans ● Quite a collection
● Think they are not reluctant ● Went to a
“enough” of a fan ● Do not waste concert at
and being a their money least once
“useless fan” on something ● Went to
they might Korea with an
later not find intention as a
it useful fan
Number of 2 2 4
participants

46
 Table 3 describes Jenkins' (2006) idea about the politics of participation. He has

mentioned that not all fans are created equal. Some fans as consumers have greater

abilities to participate in this emerging culture than others. Everyone has the opportunity

to participate, but some are more likely to participate actively than others because of

some factors. One of them is economic capacity. Similar to Bourdieu's theories of

hierarchy and capital, K-pop fans can also be seen as the product of a hierarchical social

system. Fans create their own form of cultural capital and not all members will

accumulate the same amounts of capital. Those who can accumulate a large amount of

fan cultural capital hold a recognized status within the fandom.

Together these results have led me to my argument that consumerism shapes

fan's identity not only in the society but within the community as well. K-pop fans

behaviour as consumers factors are not only based on the price and quantity in buying

goods and services but they also motivated by the emotional engagement with their

idols which typically influenced them to consume K-pop related commodities.

Indirectly, fan consumptions symbolize a fan's role and identity among K-pop fans. This

view also supported by Todd (2012) which he has believed that consumerism is not just

an economic system, but the way society functions.

Dressing Like My Idols

In this section, I argue that fashion is a social phenomenon that influences the

formation of fans' identity. It is apparent to me that the topic of fashion has been written

a lot in academia, specifically in Sociology. Herbert Spencer, Ferdinand Tonnies,

Thorstein Veblen, and Georg Simmel were among those who have attempted to theorize

47
and conceptualize fashion in classical discourse. They all have shared the same view

that fashion:

"is about the process of imitation since social relationships are

essentially imitative relationships — each scholar with a variety of
analytical emphasis. Fashion, with its imitative nature, is a crucial
phenomenon in understanding society, and this comes from a social
hierarchy that embedded in the system which implies the imitators are
the ones who are in the lower end of the social spectrum while the
imitated ones are the ones in the upper end." (Kawamura, 2015, para.
1).

Thus, fashion is not simply the way people dress but it associates with one's

culture, norms, representations, and social roles (Hurt and Jang, 2018). As noted by

Barthes (2005), fashion provides an alternative for individuals to make expressive,

visual statements about their identities. Apart from the functionality and practically, I

believe that through the observation of one's clothing, assumptions can be drawn up

about that individual. For example, which part of the world they may be from, what

kind of job they do, their economic position in the society as well as their sexual

orientation, race, religion, and many more. In other words, clothes may say a lot about

oneself and this is also the case with K-pop fans. Having discussed how fashion enables

a person to construct and sculpt the identity, this section will further explain how

identity being expressed among K-pop fans.

K-pop is no doubt one of South Korea's most successful cultural exports to date

(Jeon, 2019). The global expansion and vast popularity of K-pop have brought fashion

into the spotlight as well. Today, fashion is the most important element of K-pop. Not

48
only that, but K-pop fashion has also been seen as the biggest competition for Japanese

Harajuku when it comes to the Asian fashion industry (Forero, 2019). K-pop fashion is

noticeable and appealing to the crowd mostly through music videos and music shows.

As been pointed out by Hoi (2013), K-pop fashion typically involving bizarre and

daring outfits, outrageous makeup with heavy eyeliner, extravagant accessories, and

colourful hairstyles. However, idol groups occasionally change their concept for every

comeback. It could be daring, fierce and edgy, or even cutesy, lovely, and sweet.

Fans are very attentive when it comes to idols especially their outfits. The

admiration of fans towards the Idols aspire them to imitate their favourite one. They

would buy or seek inspiration from the exact pieces of what their idols were wearing.

In this manner, fans somewhat feel connected to their idols (Dewanti et al., 2014).

Interestingly, there is also a community of K-pop fashion obsessives that tracking down

the idols' outfits when they are on stage, at the airport, or even during practices (Agbeni,

2019). They would search for every outfit detail such as the brand, colours, and prices

to document it on social media. It works like a catalogue for fans that are willing and

wanted to copy their idols' style.

Dewanti et al. (2014) have examined how one of the K-pop groups, SNSD's fans,

or what they prefer to call themselves, SONE in Tegal, Indonesia used fashion as a

means of expression as they wanted to show the public that they belong to SONE.

Participants in this research are no exception as most of them also reported that the way

they dress is somehow influenced by K-pop especially based on their idols' group

preferences. Athirah explained:

49
 ATHIRAH: When SNSD promoting their hit song, Gee, the colourful
skinny jeans suddenly become famous. Somehow, I bought a few pairs
of those jeans.

Based on the quote above, Athirah shared how SNSD was so huge back then in 2009

with their hit song, Gee. In the music video, SNSD wore colourful skinny jeans that

instantly become a trend. Athirah is one of the K-pop fans at that time who did not miss

to buy a few pairs of those jeans as a gesture to show her love for these K-pop stars. I

also noticed that there are a few significant and similar characteristics when participants

describing what kind of style K-pop fans would wear. Hoodies or baggy shirts, hats like

bucket hat or beret, skinny pants, knitted wear, and tucked in shirts were among the

clothing that they mentioned. For some occasions like concerts or fan-meeting, these

styles are more apparent. In addition to that, fans also to some extend would paint group

names or pictures on their faces just to embrace their adoration for these idols. By doing

this, it enables the fans to make statements about themselves with the use of clothes,

accessories, or other physical items. It is a way for fans to visually communicate who

they are and what kind of group they belong to (Kratz and Reimer, 1998).

A day before my observation at the WINNER's concert in Kuala Lumpur, I

searched for any necessary information about the online event. I found out that as part

of the fan-event, fans are encouraged to wear certain colours as a way to exhibit their

love for WINNER members and their togetherness as a fan. During the event, it is hard

not to notice that most of them were wearing olive and maroon clothing although they

are not required or instructed to do so. As I was informed, those represent WINNER's

fandom, Inner Circle, colour. One of the participants, Gina, revealed that she also went

to the concert. She said that she seeks for her own style and comfort when it comes to

50
fashion. However, she also feels that it is a part of her responsibility as a fan to comply

with what her fandom wants. This shows how fans signify fandom through fashion.

This attitude symbolises an identity K-pop fans wish to convey to others.

Looking back at the classical discourse on fashion, the basic premise is that

fashion is a product of class differentiation and emulation. However, contemporary

sociologists in the twentieth century have opposed the view. Most of them believed that

fashion in a modern world "implies fluidity and mobility of the social structure of the

community, and it requires a particular type of society – that is the modern world where

the social stratification system is open and flexible. There must be differences in social

positions, but it must seem possible and desirable to bridge these differences. Therefore,

fashion is not possible in a rigid system of social hierarchy" (Kawamura, 2015, para. 1).

For centuries, clothing had been an identity marker for one's occupation, religion, social

class, gender, and age. As society evolved from post-industrial to postmodern world, a

wider array of subcultural groups arises. Pop culture as a result of capitalism is one of

the causes that make individuals today can select, mix, and match their identities (Kratz

and Reimer, 1998). As one of the participants said:

SONIA: People will look at us weirdly if let say, we wear headscarves,

sometimes with hat or beret. However, among other K-pop fans that
is normal.

Based on the quote, it shows that the way K-pop fans’ manifest fashion can be

different from the norms in their society. Along with providing a sense of group identity,

fashion is also important in differentiating groups. Fashion and clothing express fandom

to both insiders and outsiders. In today's mediated world people are exposed to images,

51
ideas, and practices from across the globe. The varieties of choices in lifestyles are

available in contemporary society which gives people a choice to create their own

identity (Giddens, 1991). Punk, hip hop, heavy metal, and rock subcultures are among

the examples of how exposure to pop culture in media has influenced the way people

dress. These music preferences eventually form a collective identity and distinguished

themselves from people outside of the group and even been recognized as a subculture.

Based on the arguments above, K-pop as a relatively new genre has proved the same

phenomenon.

This section has unfolded how fashion influenced K-pop fans' identity. Fashion

has been proven as a social phenomenon based on the classical as well as the

contemporary discourse within the sociologists. This led me to my findings that show

how fashion can be a medium for K-pop fans to communicate to other people about

who they are, what kind of music they listen to as well as which group they belong to.

In this section, I also argued that fashion has provided a means of expression through

which K-pop fans can make expressive visual statements about their identity. This is

done by imitating their favourite idol's appearance. The constant changing and

developing modern world has made it possible for K-pop fans to select their self and

collective identities using fashion items.

Conclusion

This chapter began by introducing the main topic of discussion which aims to

answer the first objective of this thesis regarding the formation of K-pop fan's identity.

It went on to the four recurrent themes that emerged from the analysis. These themes

consist of language, fandom and friendship, as well as consumerism and fashion which

52
being discussed after in four respective sections. In each section, I argue how the

formation of K-pop fan's identity can be derived from the way they speak (language),

their social interactions (fandom and friendship) as well as their purchase intention and

behaviour (consumerism), and the way they dress (fashion).

Chapter 4 in this study has found that fans' favourability towards K-pop has

resorted them to be familiar with Korean culture, especially language. Most fans despite

their nationality and ethnicity will develop Korean language skills first. After being able

to understand basic Korean words, they start to communicate with others with the same

interest. This eventually forms a relationship between fans, until they regard themselves

to be a part of a group or fandom. Besides that, fans are also motivated by the emotional

engagement with their idols which influenced them to consume K-pop related

commodities. They will spend their money and energy on concert tickets, fan-meeting,

merchandise and albums. Some fans invest their money in fashion so that they can

imitate their favourite idols. It is a means of expression through which K-pop fans can

make expressive visual statements about their identity. After exploring the formation of

K-pop fans' identity, I found that it is significant to understand the meaning of being a

K-pop fan. Thus, in the following chapter, I will look at the meaning of being a K-pop

fan.

53
 CHAPTER FIVE THE MEANING OF BEING A KPOP FAN

In the previous chapter, I have highlighted four aspects that formed K-pop fans’

identity which are language, fandom and friendship, consumerism, and fashion. When

I discussed the formation of K-pop fans' identity, it has occurred to me a question of

what is the meaning of being a K-pop fan? Therefore, in this chapter, I will discuss the

meaning of being a K-pop fan by dividing this chapter into four sections. In the first

section, I attempt to show that being a fan means the person shows interest toward idols

and belongs to a fandom – a social group of individuals who engage in fan's activities

or share a common subject of interest. As a fan, one is able to collectively and socially

unite with other K-pop fans because of the same interest towards K-pop. While in the

second section, I explore the meaning of being K-pop fans as a way to express oneself

and discover new talent. This is because fans are actively creating and producing their

content for media. By doing this, fans generate a position or role for them in their

respective K-pop fandom. Besides, I figure that being a fan also means a form of

escapism. Fans are motivated to break away from concerns over their social constraints.

In addition to that, the blurred lines between life in online spaces and life in the real

world have resulted that fans prefer virtual life as a fan. In the next section, I present

my findings on the meaning of being a K-pop fan, mentally and emotionally. Many

uplifting and motivational songs as well as the story behind their favourite idols' success

has somewhat have inspired them to live a meaningful life. Fans take advantage of their

para-social relationships with idols to allow self-improvement and social change.

Therefore, throughout this chapter, I will answer the second research question which is

what is the meaning of being a K-pop fan?

54
K-pop and Fandom: Relationship That Provide a Sense of Belonging

Previously in Chapter 4, I unveiled that fan is one of the identities that an

individual play in society. In order to "perform" that fan identity, someone learns

different types of skill, knowledge, dress codes, or vocabularies that are only can be

understood by the members of that fan’s community. While in this chapter, I explain

more the meaning behind these K-pop fans' particular behaviour. This section aims to

answer the question of why fans voluntarily and willingly to perform such identity, be

a part of the community, and conform to the shared values. Based on my findings, I

have found that being K-pop fans offer a sense of belonging. This is in line with Tsay-

Vogel and Sanders' (2017) argument which has stated that the need to feel belonging is

derived from the natural desire of human beings to form and maintain strong

relationships. Accordingly, fans behaviour has initiated by the affection towards

celebrities or any topic of interest. Such as football clubs, video games, movies, comic

books, or even a political figure. After that, fans begin their interpersonal interaction

between them that share the same interest. Eventually, it creates social connections and

fans become a part of social groups or fandom.

As have been proposed in Social Identity theory by Tajfel and Turner (1986),

people seek to belong in groups of like-minded people. On the other hand, people also

seek to differentiate themselves. Reysen et al. (2017) have mentioned that

“the groups that people belong to may provide members with both of
these seemingly incompatible needs simultaneously, allowing them to
feel included with other ingroup members while also being distinct
when compared to other groups.” (p. 25)

55
Plus, that groups that which able to satisfy both of these needs offer the strongest in-

group identification. This can be seen by the affiliation and differentiation that has been

provided by K-pop fandom as explained by one of the participants:

ATHIRAH: Being a fan means that you belong to a fandom. You

made friends, you feel relatable, you feel expressive and you could
share literally anything about your interest. There are people who
wanted to hear what you wanted to say, and you listen to what they
want to say. So, you become friends.

Based on this quote, Athirah believes that as a K-pop fan, she belongs to a

fandom. According to her, it feels good to have a platform that enables her to talk about

her interest to anyone. The same thing has been described by Sonia when sharing about

the friendship she has with her K-pop-fan friends. She said that they tend to have more

understanding compared to her non-K-pop fans’ friends. Another relevant finding is I

have noticed that during the interview, all participants even addressed themselves

names like ARMY, BABY, SONE, Inner Circle, and EXO-L. These have been used by

K-pop fans to identify themselves as a member of K-pop group or idols fandom that

they are fond of. Besides that, being a fan of a particular idol or K-pop group does not

mean that they are not interested in other groups of idols. A fan might have their ultimate

bias – a group or idol which they are most passionate about and spend more time

watching and listening to. At the same time, they might also be a fan in a multi-fandom

when they like more than one group or idols.

Rahim (2019) has claimed that in their respective fandom, fan defines their

identity and social hierarchy through investment in cultural capital, socialising, and

sharing as well as social capital. Findings in my study also have revealed that

56
participants consume official fandom goods and merchandise not only for their own

needs or interest, but they want to be recognised by other fans in the fandom. It is also

important for fans to socialize and create bonds within the fandom by interacting with

other fans. On a higher level, there are also fans that have more distinct and apparent

social capital within the community through their performativity as fans. For example,

some of them may be fan-event admin, fan-made video editor, social media influencer

with K-pop related content, fan-kit designers, K-pop covers singer and dancer in the

fandom. This statement has been supported by Jenkins (1992) on the concept of fans as

the participatory culture which later will be discussed in the next section.

Furthermore, the emergence of the internet has also made it possible for fans of

any topic to come together as an online community. It helps by connecting people

around the world because of their same passions and interests. Besides that, it also helps

fandom to create a ‘fraternity-like or family-like sense of security’ (Thomas, 2018, p.

179). A sense of belonging also comes into play when fan wars between fandoms which

typically happen online. In order to defend and protect the favoured idol and the fandom

identity, there are times where the discourse of power and hierarchy among fans

occurred. According to Dunlap and Wolf (2010), they have argued that asides from

social cohesion formed through positive performances, negative enthusiasm can also

bring people together. Athirah shared that during her active years as a fan, she also

involved in fan wars to protect her favourite idols, BEAST, from hatred and negative

comments. Although some fan wars can be harmful at times, but generally these fan

wars are driven by dedication and passion for the idols (Allkpop, 2019). Thus, it can be

seen that fans might feel the need and right to protect their group or idols as they belong

to the fandom.

57
 Being a K-pop fan is not necessarily by developing a sense of belonging with a

complete stranger. It also can be applied to the fan's own family and friends. This is in

agreement with the participants in my research which most of them were introduced to

K-pop by their own cousins, siblings, and friends. One of the participants, Sabrina

described the relationship with her sister as very intimate because of their same interest

in K-pop. Another participant, Gina also shared that she and her husband are both into

K-pop. Hence, they get along very well to the next extent that they curse at each other

in Korean for fun. Although they are already a family, they have formed some new

practices of intimacy or a ‘friend-like relationship’ (Pazil, 2019) because of their interest

on K-pop.

To sum up, I believe that being fans offer a sense of belonging. Fans belong to

fandom by performing their fan identity. Furthermore, fans also learn the values that

are being shared within the community and conform to it. As been discussed previously,

this is because fandom is a social entity that provides a platform for fans to embrace

their love and adoration towards idols. The similarity and contrasting features that they

share have united and bonded them together. This can be seen through a variety of

fandom within the K-pop fans community. However, the social cohesion among K-pop

fans can be formed either through positive or negative fan-activities. Today, K-pop fans'

community has been prevalent and still rapidly growing because of none other than the

internet. Online spaces have provided a more effective way for K-pop fans to come

together and enhance the sense of community for K-pop fans to experience the

‘fraternity-like or family-like sense of security’ within the fandom.

58
Unleashing Talent as Arts and Content Creator

Based on my findings before, I have argued that fashion provides a means of

expression through which K-pop fans can make expressive visual statements about their

identity. Another way for K-pop fans to express their identity is through arts and content.

Hence in this section, I suggest that being a K-pop fan has made it possible for an

individual to unleash and improve their potentials. Before proceeding into the

discussion, it is necessary to bring attention to the theory of the culture industry. This

theory of popular culture claims that the culture industry prioritizes profit and pop

culture is a form of hegemony that has been used to spread dominant ideologies (Adorno

and Horkheimer, 1991). However, media scholars counter this by suggesting that the

audience is not a passive entity. Rather than being "cultural dupes, social misfits or

mindless consumers" (Jenkins, 1992), fans also can be seen as active producers.

Additionally, fans as the audience are part of the participatory culture. Jenkins has

defined a participatory culture as a) relatively low barriers to artistic expression and

civic engagement, b) strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations with others,

c) some type of informal mentorship in which the most experienced members pass along

their knowledge to novices, d) members who believe their contributions matter, and e)

members who feel some degree of social connection with one another and care about

other members’ opinions about their contributions.

To put it differently, fans not only consume media by listening and watching but

also use media content, mostly regarding their idols to create and produce their content.

Fanworks like fan fiction, fan art, dance cover, songs cover, fan-made videos or even

fan-event are some of the examples. I found out that this is a common practice within

59
the K-pop fan community. Fan projects like these are proof that being fans could foster

creativity, artistic talent, and organisational skills especially for young fans (Valge and

Hinsberg, 2019). The fans' interaction with media eventually becomes a social activity

and offers fans role and identity in the fandom. For some fan artists, simply creating

works and sharing them with fellow social media followers is enough. However, some

fans are making a living or at least some extra income from their work. Several fan

artists accept commissions through social media or have set up stores, like one of my

participants, Sabrina.

SABRINA: It can be considered that I found my talent after I become

a K-pop fan. Sometimes you never know what you can do. Before this,
I do not know my passion and which tracks that I am going to pursue.
But with this kind of passion I got to improve myself, choose the track
that suits me. It gives me the motivation to keep going on.

Based on the quote above, Sabrina has acknowledged that she found her talent

in designing out of her passion being a K-pop fan. She is actively making BTS fan kits

such as banners, stickers, posters, and photo cards to sell them on her online shop and

occasionally during fan events like celebrating idols' birthday or group anniversary. Plus,

our interview session was held at one of the fan-event at KL Sentral where she sold her

fan kit. Picture below is the example of fankit that Sabrina designed and sold during the

event.

60
 Figure 4 Fankit Made by the Participant

Asides from Sabrina, I noticed that the other 5 participants in this research also

have revealed their talent in making K-pop-related arts and media content. For instance,

Athirah is currently busy with editing and compiling videos of P.O from Block B in

variety shows. As a fan, she also wishes to become a fan-made video editor. Another

participant, Sonia, she is one of the admins that organize important fan events. She said

that by involving in such fan-activities help her to gain her confidence to talk and

communicate in public. While another participant, Gina, is a writer cum journalist for a

living but often post K-pop songs cover on her social media. Candy, who is a student

of Computer Sciences, occasionally making K-pop idols’ VR photo card for distribution

during concert day. There is also the participant in this research who is a social media

influencer that posts photos and videos mostly to promote idol-related content. I

illustrate an overview of participants along with their creative fanworks as a K-pop fan

in Table 4 below.

61
 Table 4 Participants and Their Fanworks
Participant Occupation Role in fandom Fanworks
Sabrina Student Designer Designing BTS fan kit
(banners, stickers, poster, and
photocards) for sale online and
occasionally during fan events
like celebrating idols’ birthday
or group anniversary
Athirah Student Video editor Editing and compiling videos
of P.O from Block B in variety
shows
Sonia Student Admin Organizing fan events
Gina Writer/Journalist Singer Posting K-pop song covers on
social medias
Candy Graduate Editor Making idols’ VR photocard
to distribute for fans during
concert day
Alyani Student Social media Promoting idol-related content
influencer by posting edited phots and
videos

Based on Table 4, it is significant to highlight that participants may have a

certain role in their real-life while at the same time carry another role exclusively as a

K-pop fan. This finding in my research also has illustrated the idea about participatory

culture as has been claimed by Jenkins (1992). K-pop fans acting not only as consumers

but also as producers and creators for some form of creative media. This is proved by 6

out of 8 participants in this research. Based on the interview, I also noted that being fans

have caused them to discover new talent. They never know what they are capable of

before they become K-pop fans. Some participants also mentioned that even if they are

not talented enough, they still enjoy their time in making something for their fellow fans

62
in the fandom. Consistent with this finding, Hellekson (2009) and Turk (2014) have

found that fan's gift economy gives them satisfaction when their gifts or fanworks are

accepted in the form of being read, watched, appreciated, and valued within the

community.

These findings have led me to my argument that being a K-pop fan is a way for

an individual to express oneself and discover one’s talent. As noted in Chapter 4, people

are performing their identities. Fans perform their identity through investment in

cultural capital, socialising or sharing, and social capital (Rahim, 2019). This

performativity leads fans to know their talent, especially in expressive arts and making

content. I believe that the media plays a big role to make this possible. Applying the

work of Jenkins (1992) regarding participatory culture, this section of the chapter has

discovered that K-pop fans also actively create and produce their content from the media.

Participants in this research shares their fan fiction, fan art, dance cover, songs cover,

fan-made videos, and even fan-event within the fandom. It is also important to highlight

that these fan activities have generated a position or role for them in their respective K-

pop fandom.

K-pop as a Form of Escapism

For this section, I will highlight that being a fan is a form of escapism for an

individual. As mentioned previously, the need to belong or a sense of belonging is an

innate human nature. However, an individual also motivated to break away from

concerns over their social situations as society places many strains throughout their

daily lives. Baudrillard (1983) has claimed that media produces images, symbols, and

codes that offer a new reality in which "the fact becomes fiction and TV, becomes

63
reality" (p. 334). In the case of Korean wave, media is undoubtedly responsible for its

massive popularity. At the same time, it also creates an environment of escapism for

fans (Ko et al., 2014). Fans can be very engaging with their fan activities. This is said

by the participants in this research and one of them mentioned that

GINA: Sometimes when I feel tired, I do not know what to do or I do

not feel like talking to people, I will listen or watch K-pop as it is the
solution. I would watch the videos. At the end of the day, I would
watch. After got back to class, feeling exhausted also I must watch
them. More like a reward to me after a long or hard time.

According to Gina, fans typically feel compelled to follow every single update

of their favourite idols. For example, fans would binge-watch shows that featured their

idols from music videos, live streaming, interviews, fan cams, or dance practice. As

been shared by other participants as well, they would also attend concerts if possible,

join fan-event, purchase merchandise, making fan arts, streaming songs, copying idols

style or look and even adopt their mannerisms. Furthermore, South Korea is one of the

countries where the use of celebrities in commercials surpasses 50% and

the advertisement industry is flooded with idols (Seoulbeats, 2012). The fact that idols

appear in almost all forms of media such as social media, TV dramas, variety shows,

commercials, movies, or even musicals makes it easier for fans to become more attached.

I also have noticed the presence of K-pop idols in local commercials and advertisements

targeting the Malaysian audience is nothing new. The latest one for example is Rain and

Siti Nurhaliza's Cuckoo commercial as the brand ambassador (MyMetro, 2020).

These experiences serve and allow fans to break away from unwanted social

realities even if it is temporary. Although fans may not know idols personally and are

64
fully aware of that, it creates a strong personal bond and attachment. Taking into

consideration, the sheer amount of consumable content also makes it easy to be

immersed for hours. The concept of para-social relationship is relevant to describe this

phenomenon of fan and idol relationship. As previously mentioned, para-social

relationship is described as a one-sided interaction and relationship attempt between fan

and the media figures such as celebrities or fictional characters. Although it is one-sided,

it is significant and proves that the K-pop fan transcends musical discussion.

Besides that, Ko et al. (2014) also have claimed that fans describe the

experiences being a fan is like a ‘reward’ to them. Thus, I believe that escapism provides

fans a more desirable state of being than the one presently experienced by them or the

reality. Madrid-Morales and Lovric (2015) study on K-Pop fandom in Spain and Latin

America draws my attention when they have suggested that K-pop provides a fantasy

that allows fans an appealing escape. As noted by them, fan’s preferences for a virtual

environment in cyberspace may result from the despair they are facing in the real world.

This phenomenon can also be seen among the participants in this research:

ALYANI: Yes. When life gets hard, I feel like I need something to
entertain me. I want to forget about my problems even for a while. It
is effective. When you are going to a concert, the feeling that you are
living in that moment is the best. You forget about what is happening
outside of the stadium. It is you and them (your idols). Yes, I feel much
better. But sometimes sad when it is over. The fact that I need to face
reality.

LANA: Sometimes if we get stressed out, I think better we seek for

virtual life. Something imaginary like that to escape for a while from
reality.

65
 2 out of 8 participants, Alyani and Lana here mentioned that they feel sad when

they need to face reality. They even suggested that sometimes they prefer virtual life

over real life. Previous studies also have illustrated that the emergence of the internet

has somewhat blurred lines between life in online spaces and the real world. Appadurai

(1996) in particular has argued that the internet is capable to construct “imagined worlds

that are chimerical, aesthetic, even fantastic objects, particularly if have been assessed

by the criteria of some other perspective, some other imagined world” (p. 35). Moreover,

the blooming of diverse popular culture on the internet has also made it possible for

fans to reconstruct their identity through fandom (Rahim, 2019).

Overall, these findings have led me to my argument that being a fan is a form of

escapism for an individual. The para-social relationship that fans have with their

favourite idols offer fans a new ‘reality’ that is more preferable. It is also important to

highlight that fans have been provided with a wide range of tools to escape from

unwanted realities. The blooming of diverse pop culture on the borderless internet

somehow making a genre like K-pop is being able to serve a means of escapism for fans.

Besides that, it is evident that the blurred lines between life in online spaces and the real

world have resulted in the fans having their own identity, in a virtual community.

Idolizing the Idol: Cinderella Story

Up until this section, most of my findings have discussed fans as part of the

social entity. Thus, I will focus on the emotional and mental aspect as I believed that it

is important to also reveal the psychosocial meaning of being K-pop fans. Based on the

data in this research, one of the recurrent themes that has emerged is being a K-pop fan

facilitates fan's personal growth. According to Ryff (1989), being part of a fan

66
community helps an individual to strive for personal growth and development. Contrary

to that, Schultze et al. (1991) have argued that considering the great amount of time and

money are spent on fandom activities, fan's indulgence may impair their academic,

intellectual performance as well as identity and emotional development. This means

that much uncertainty still exists in academia regarding this issue. While in this study,

I figure out that being K-pop fans is indeed help them with their emotional struggles

and as motivation in their life. As mentioned in the previous section, fans are motivated

to break away from concerns over their social situations as society places many strains

on individuals throughout their daily lives. For them, idols can provide a sort of

inspiration and solution to their problems. Athirah and Alyani here shared their

amazement and adoration towards their respective idols’ behaviour by saying that

ATHIRAH: Most of the time he (Yeseop from BEAST) would give me

wise words to live by. There is this one time when fandoms were
fighting, he made such a wise statement, I don't really remember what
he said exactly but I remember how it impacted me as well as other
fans until both fandoms reconcile. I believe that he used his power for
a good cause.

ALYANI: Sometimes I need assurance from someone else. Someone

who I feel close to. And they are my idols. They are quite thoughtful
in giving wise words to their fans. Namjoon from BTS especially, read
a lot of inspiring books. At times, he would share his thoughts of life
with fans and make us ponder and reflect on ourselves. This side of
him other than him performing on stage, never fail to amaze me.

Based on the quotes above, it shows that idols' behaviour is important for fans

as they do not only see them as performers but also take them as role-models. Athirah

and Alyani have proved that personality and values are important for them as fans.

67
Besides, they also have acknowledged the process an idol had to go through before

being able to join a group and debut. K-pop has a reputation as a competitive industry

where young Korean boys and girls are trained often in tough conditions and waiting

for years to become stars. Some even label these idols “to be programmed to entertain”.

In addition to that, not all trainees can make it. Once they do, idols are forced to give

up their ordinary life. This includes long hours of training, diet restrictions, gruelling

gym routines, and for some, no dating and cell phones (Soheili, 2019). Their behaviours

are also closely monitored by the manager and their companies. Aware of this, some

participants felt that:

GINA: As a fan of WINNER, I follow their career development. The

starting is rough for them ever since the reality program. The
company is not really focusing on their growth and being controlled.
They went through a lot ever since debut, years of training, waiting
to debut, diet, and language. But they never gave up and produce and
produce for fans until their one song blew up called REALLY
REALLY. All the hard work pays off. After being well-known, they
should also think about their popularity span and how to keep the
fame with the competition and all.

According to this quote, Gina is particularly admired by the “Cinderella” stories

of her favourite idols, WINNER. Other participants also told me that they are motivated

to work hard either for their academic and career success or life in general by watching

their idols. Idols are seen as the source of their motivation and making fans want to have

a dream and live a fuller life. Besides that, participants also shared that idols also

provide encouragement and assurances through their songs and the mindful lyrics.

Although K-pop is famous for its catchiness, funky appearance, and extravagant music

68
videos but not all idols follow such format. Talking to the participants, I have realized

that K-pop fans also appreciate slow and chill songs. There is a fair share of uplifting

and motivational songs with important messages and it provides comfort during some

fans’ difficult times. It may seem like a small gesture for non-fans, but it means a lot

for someone listening to these songs especially when they come from their favourite

idol. Gina named a song – Breathe, as an example. It is a song that had been written by

the late Jonghyun from SHINee who committed suicide in 2017 due to depression. It is

speculated that the song is a cry for help from Jonghyun. It is about mental illness and

it assures people especially fans who going through the same thing. Once again, my

research findings are along with the concept of para-social relations. The relationship

between fan and idol mimics the real relationships in the mind of the fan as it gives fan

a sort of comfort and consolation dealing with hard times.

Heng (2019) has found a similar finding by focusing on ARMY, a fanbase of

K-pop group called BTS. As has been noted by him, “the fans, in particular, find a

common bond in the narrative of growth that consistent with the theme of BTS albums,

which tells the coming-of-age story of young, insecure boys who pursued their dreams

with unswerving determination, overcoming self-doubt. Their desire to reach greater

artistic heights, the strong bond that members share, and their consideration for one

another have resonated with fans around the world, transcending borders and

generations.” (para 11). Heng (2019) also has pointed out how ARMY as a fandom

holds extraordinary communal solidarity. Fans with a desire to change their personal

level in some way may affect social change. At this point, fans are not just consumers

of popular music but being a fan has also driven positive force in them for a good cause.

This can be seen when fandoms engaging in charity and humanitarian activities

69
(Murphy, 2020) or even voicing their opinions on political agendas through fandom

(BBC, 2020).

In conclusion, this section has unfolded that the emotional and mental aspect is

part of the meaning for K-pop fans. It is important to highlight the significant role idols

bring in the life of fans. Idols share everything from the mundane to the awe-inspiring

to connect with their fans. This has built the para-social relationship as argued by Horton

and Wohl back in 1956. Although the concept is old, I found out that their claims are

still relevant to my study. My participants admire their idols’ hard work and aim to

follow their success stories to achieve goals for their real life. Through idols’ songs and

lyrics, fans also find courage and power to overcome any hardships and live a good life.

Conclusion

This chapter has begun by introducing the main topic of discussion to answer

the second objective regarding the meaning of being K-pop fans. It went on four

recurrent themes that have emerged from the analysis. These themes consist of a sense

of belonging, expressive art, escapism, and mental development and emotional

struggles. In the respective section, I have argued that the meaning of being a K-pop fan

involved fan’s sense of belonging towards the fandom, fan’s platform to express self

and discover new talent, a form of escapism as well as to help fan’s mental development

and emotional struggles.

Chapter 5 in this study concluded the meaning of being a K-pop fan. First, I

argued that being a fan means an individual collectively and socially unite with other

K-pop fans because of their same interest in K-pop. It provides a relationship that

70
provides a sense of belonging for the members. Second, I explored the meaning of being

a K-pop fan as a way to express oneself and discover new talent. As fans actively

creating and producing its content from the media, which offers fan a role in their

respective fandom. Third, being a K-pop fan is a way to escape from daily lives. In

addition to the role in their alternate community as a fan, they are more likely to break

away from the real world. The blurred lines between life in online spaces and the real

world amplify the phenomenon. In the last section, I also presented my findings on the

meaning of being a K-pop fan, mentally and emotionally. The para-social relationship

fan developed for their idol has led them to feel connected and attached.

71
 CHAPTER SIX CONCLUSION

A considerable amount of literature has been published on K-pop fan’s identity

(Crow, 2019; Rahim, 2019; Sinpongsporn, 2018; Tinaliga, 2018) as well as the meaning

of being a fan (Kozinets, 2001; Oliver and Raney, 2011; Tsay-Vogel and Sanders,

2017). However, this study not only enhanced the understanding of the dynamics of

social identity and the meaning of social groups in society. It also offers some important

insights into the field by showing that a fan is not a passive entity. The para-social

relationship that exists between fan and idol, even though it is one-sided as proposed by

Horton and Wohl (1956), has benefitted the fan. Social identity as a fan "is a function

of the value and emotional attachment individuals place on group membership and such

relationships within a group meaningfully represent their sense of self" (Tsay-Vogel

and Sanders, 2017). Therefore, my findings proved that K-pop fan as part of the fandom

community does not exist in a vacuum. Being a K-pop fan carries its own meaning that

transcends a fan of a music genre.

As a K-pop fan myself, my personal experiences have triggered my curiosity

and resorted to do this research. The central questions that arise in this thesis involved

K-pop fan's identity and the meaning of being a K-pop fan. As the research is dealing

with human interaction and perspectives hence it is appropriate for me to use the

qualitative method. Thus, the data were gathered from the semi-structured in-depth

interview as well as participant observation. Applying the thematic analysis, I have

acquired four recurrent themes that are relevant as my findings in order to answer the

first research question and another four recurrent themes for the second research

question.

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 In Chapter 4, I argued that K-pop fan's identity can be derived from the way fan

speaks, fan socializes, fan's purchase intention and behaviour, and the way fan dresses.

A fan is an actor on stage who plays a performance for the audience (Goffman, 1959).

During the social interactions, fan's faces or public identities are always on display as

others will form impressions and respond to these impressions. This construction of

identity is linked to the concept of a fan who is present in a community, acting as a

performer for other people in the community to recognise and acknowledge them

(Lacasa et al., 2017). In order to ‘perform’ the fan-identity, he or she must first learn

different types of skill, knowledge, dress codes, or vocabularies that are only understood

by members of a fan community (Gooch, 2008).

It is important to highlight that the expression of K-pop fan’s identity through

language as language, a habitual social activity that makes up our daily lives (Bourdieu,

1977). It is a symbol of different social identities in the society which also has used to

create a K-pop fan identity. Besides that, fans also present themselves as a K-pop fan

by creating a public persona that shares goals, values, and socialises with other people

of similar interests. It creates bonds between fans when they converse and interact

together, either about their object of fandom or not (Rahim, 2019). Next, I also believe

that fans’ consumerism pattern also symbolizes their identity within the K-pop fans

community. This is similar to Todd (2012) that explains consumption functions as a

way for the consumer to communicate with a society where they fit within the social

structure. In other words, consumerism has less to do with "who am I" and more with

"who are we" or "where do I belong". Finally, I also argue that fashion is a social

phenomenon that influences the expression of fans' identity. The topic of fashion has

evidently been discussed in academia by sociologists. However, most of the classic

73
scholars' ideas of fashion as imitation have being challenged by contemporary

academicians. It is believed that as society evolved from post-industrial to postmodern

world, a wider array of subcultural groups arose, and every individual is able to choose

their own identity.

Moving on to Chapter 5, I revealed the meaning of being a K-pop fan not only

due to their enthusiasm towards idols but also ranging from providing a sense of

belonging, unleashing fan's talent and capabilities, offers a platform for escapism as

well as a mental and emotional attachment with idols through a para-social relationship.

As noted by Baudrillard (1983), media produces images, symbols, and codes that offer

a new reality in which "the fact becomes fiction and TV, becomes reality" (p. 334). In

the case of Korean wave, the media is undoubtedly responsible for its massive

popularity but at the same time, it also creates an environment of escapism for fans (Ko

et al., 2014). Fan experiences serve as a means to allow the fan to break away from

unwanted social realities even if it is temporary. Although fans may not know idols

personally and are fully aware of that, it creates a strong personal bond and attachment

known as a para-social relationship. Besides fan-idol relationships, fans also managed

to create a "fraternity-like or family-like sense of security" (Thomas, 2018, p. 179)

through fandom membership.

I also brought into attention to the theory of the culture industry. This theory of

popular culture claims that the culture industry prioritizes profit and pop culture is a

form of hegemony that used to spread dominant ideologies (Adorno and Horkheimer,

1991). However, my study is in agreement with Jenkins (1992) idea that the audience

is not a passive entity. This research proves that fans as audiences are part of the

74
participatory culture that produce their own content. Besides that, I explained how

fandom holds extraordinary communal solidarity. Fan's desire to change on a personal

level in some way affects social change. I firmly believe that fan is not just consumer

of popular music but being a fan has also driven positive force in themselves for a good

cause by engaging in charity or humanitarian activities (Murphy, 2020) or even voicing

their opinions on political agendas through fandom (BBC, 2020).

Finally, there are several important limitations that need to be considered. Due

to practical constraints such as the COVID-19 pandemic, this research ended up with a

rather small sample of participants which is a total of 8 participants. This restriction has

also forced me to conduct some of the interviews via phone call. Besides that, there is

also a lack of prior and relevant research on the topic locally. As a result, this research

may not be able to ensure representative data to generalize the massive Malaysian K-

pop fanbase. However, it is noteworthy that this research is among a few that have

examined Malaysian K-pop fans in the field of Anthropology and Sociology. Through

this research, I also figure out that there are a number of gaps from the findings that

benefit further research. For example, I have briefly and limitedly discussed a few of

the 'dark side' of being a K-pop fan or a part of the K-pop fandom. Based on the previous

research, a lot has been discussed on K-pop fan studies such as the discourse of power

and hierarchy, manufactured idols and exploitation, K-pop and capitalism, suicide as

well as gender performativity and representation. Since those researches were mostly

done in other countries, I urge the need for further development in the area of fan studies

or specifically K-pop fan studies in the Malaysian context.

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 APPENDIX

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS GUIDE

K-POP FANS’ IDENTITY AND THE MEANING OF BEING A FAN

Date:
Time:

Introduction Introduce Self

Reaffirm confidentiality
Restate aims of the project:
• To explore the formation of K-pop fan’s identity.
• To understand the meaning of being a K-pop fan.
Ask demographic questions
• Age
• Sex
• Marital status
• Hometown
• Occupation/University

1. Since when and how do you become a

Meaning of being a K-pop fan fan of K-pop?
2. What is your first impression when you
first know about it?
3. What is the turning point or main
factor(s) that makes yourself a fan?
4. How would you define a K-pop fan?
5. What is the thing(s) that makes you
different from other people in society as
a fan?
6. What is the difference before and after
becoming a fan of K-pop?
7. What is the 'craziest' thing you did for
your favourite idols?
8. What are the activities, practices, or
routines that you did as a fan?

76
To what extent is a fan of
K-pop shaped fan’s identity?
10. To what extent does being a fan affect
11. To what extent does being a fan affect
12. To what extent does being a fan affect
77
9. To what extent does being a fan affect
your self-presentation in terms of
fashion?
- Do you think K-pop fans have their
distinctive kind of style in fashion?
- How would you describe it?
- Do you conform to that kind of
style?
- Do you wear what you wear because
of the influence of the K-pop scene?
your way of talking (language)?
- Do you understand Korean when
you listening and watching your
idol-related in media?
- Has it influenced you in any way to
learn Korean?
- Do you practice any Korean words
in real life?
- To whom do you speak Korean the
most?
your circle of friends?
- Do you have friends that also into
K-pop?
- Do you make any friends with other
fellow K-pop fans?
- Do you cherish your K-pop friends
more than your normal friends?
- What are the things that you usually
do with K-pop friends?
- How do you guys usually interact?
your consumerism or purchase
intention?
- As a fan, do you buy your idol’s
album physically or digitally? Or
merchandise?
- Has it affected your overall purchase
intention? (food, cosmetics, etc)

Defining the relationship between a fan
and their favoured celebrities of Idols
Committing the para-social relationship
with their Idol
78
- What are the things that you bought
just because your idol using it or
advertised it?
- Have you travelled to Korea because
of your interest in K-pop? (concert,
fan meeting, etc)
13. Have you met your idol in person? Tell
me about your experience.
14. What kind of relationship do you think
you and your idol have?
15. Is there any difference(s) than
committing to a relationship with people
in real life?
16. Do you devote yourself equally in
relationship with your idol and the
relationships (family, friends, partner)
you had in real life?
17. As a fan, what are the things that you do
for the sake of your favourite idol?
18. Is being a fan is a form of escapism
from your real life?
- Do you find K-pop as a source of
escapism from your daily life?
- Do you feel somewhat better and
happy watching and listening to
your idols although when you are
going through something?
- In what form it helps you to
‘escape’? (watching variety shows
etc)
19. Does being a fan help you to express
yourself in art like singing, dancing,
drawing, editing, or writing?
- Do you do fanart?
- Can you elaborate on what kind of
fanart did you ever made?
- Do you think that you can express
yourself by doing it?
- Do you think you discover more of
your talent because you are a fan?
- Do you think it helps you to
improve as a person by doing that?
 - How does producing fanart become
beneficial to you?

20. Is being a fan is just merely your hobby

that you 'practice' only when you have
spare time?
- Do you see ‘fangirling’ as a hobby?
- Why do you think so?
- Do you think being a fan is just a
hobby as you don't have any
expectations from your idol?

21. As a fan, do you concern the

relationship with other fellow fans as
much as your relationship with the idol?
- Do you make a lot of new friends
when being a fan?
- Do you cherish the friendship as
much as a real friendship?
- Do you belong to any K-pop
fandom?
- What kind of activities that you do
together and what did you get from
the participation?

22. Is being a fan help you go through the

emotional crisis that you are having in
real life?
- Do you think that your idol
somewhat helps you go through
your emotional crisis?
- Do you consider your idol as a
motivation for you in life?
- In what way your idol may help you
emotionally?

23. What are the benefits of being in the

relationship you mentioned (Q12) with
your idol?
24. What are the disadvantages being the
relationship you mentioned (Q12) with
your idol?

79
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