Abstract
Fan-idol crowdfunding is an online fandom activity in which fans raise money for their idols (e.g., pop stars, movie stars, entertainers, etc.) without any involvement of the idols themselves and their agencies. A great number of crowdfunding campaigns are held every day online, among which one single event can raise up to 2 million dollars. The fund is used to vote, promote, and purchase gifts for their idols and conduct commercial activities. To better understand how fan communities are motivated to create and fund these projects, we conduct a mixed-methods study, including crowdfunding observations, interviews, and quantitative crowdfunding data analysis. We find that fundraisers and supporters share similar motivations to raise funds, such as resource integration, positive feedback, collective activities, and community engagement. Because there is no direct contact between fundraisers and beneficiaries, follow-up auditing has been introduced to make the crowdfunding process more transparent. We discuss the uniqueness of fan-idol crowdfunding compared to commercial crowdfunding and philanthropic crowdfunding. Relationships between fundraisers and supporters and their benefits are the most significant differences, influencing how fan communities use crowdfunding services. Moreover, gamification designs (e.g., encouragement of competition, cooperation) incentivize supporters' intention in crowdfunding. We also consider the controversies of this new form of crowdfunding for both fans and idols.
Published Version
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