As a typical sub-culture, fandom features unique dynamics compared to other social groups. Idol-fans group in nowadays China, especially in cyber-space, has a disproportionally large share of young people in their teens and 20s. Different from the star fans in the 1980s and 1990s, idol-fans and their fandom ‘industry’ are more organised and easier to mobilise being enabled and driven by the different functions on the digital platforms. They also display unique developments from the affective labour in the traditional fans-idol connection. This talk discusses the issues of digital idol-fans’ general image in public, the eco-system they faced, as well as their community structure and inner-group dynamic. Moreover, using a case of inter-group conflicts, I will briefly talk about the fans’ performative love, their linguistic-changing jargon, and the money flowing around in the shadow of idol-fandom culture in China.

Dr Yan Wang is Research Fellow in the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics (LSE). She received a BS in Sociology and a MA in Management, from Tsinghua University, and a PhD in Sociology from LSE. Her research seeks to understand the issues of state legitimacy, and public opinion.