How fan clubs manage the authenticity of fans’ identities in Chinese idol culture

Abstract

While existing research on Chinese fan cultures has explored various aspects of fan identity and fan labor, little attention has been given to the role that identity authentication plays in mediating the relationships between fans and the idol industry. This study examines the influence of fan clubs on identity authentication and management within Chinese idol fandom. Drawing on theories of social identity and authenticity, we explore how Chinese fan clubs establish criteria for being a real fan based on emotional loyalty to, and financial and data labor support of, idols. We also show how fan clubs use social media to surveil and discipline fans whose behaviors jeopardize fan clubs’ work or idols’ commercial value. The findings contribute to cultural understandings of the organization of Chinese fandom generally, and more specifically of Chinese fan clubs’ intermediary roles in shaping fans’ everyday identities and practices.

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