Abstract
The term “fan loyalty” refers to the loyalty felt and expressed by a fan towards the object of his/her fanaticism in both everyday and academic discourses. However, much of the literature on fan loyalty has paid little attention to the topic from the perspective of youth pop culture. The present study explored the meaning of fan loyalty in the context of China. Data were collected by the method of in-depth interviews with 16 young Chinese people aged between 19 and 25 years who currently or once were pop fans. The results indicated that fan loyalty entails three components: involvement, satisfaction, and affiliation. These three components regulate the process of fan loyalty development, which can be divided into four stages: inception, upgrade, zenith, and decline. This model provides a conceptual explanation of why and how young Chinese fans are loyal to their favorite stars. The implications of the findings are discussed.
Highlights
In the wake of globalization and the rapid development of mass media, youth culture in China has joined the global trend of becoming commercialized, which is manifested in the rise of popular culture [6,7]
In the context of fan loyalty, involvement refers to the behavior and emotion devoted by a fan to the recipient of his/her fanaticism
The fan phenomenon in the pop industry has broken into the public view in China [57] and beyond [58]
Summary
In the wake of globalization and the rapid development of mass media, youth culture in China has joined the global trend of becoming commercialized, which is manifested in the rise of popular culture [6,7]. As a consequence of this transition, the fan population of pop stars has exploded over the last decade. While the actual figure of the fan population in China is uncertain, the case of the fans of Chris Lee, a Chinese pop singer, illustrates the popularity o
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