“Are we friends or opponents?” Chinese idol fans’ relationship changes from online to off-line

This study focuses on how the relationships between Chinese idol fans change in the hybrid space of online and off-line, challenging assumptions about the harmony of fan relationships and highlighting the high fluidity of these relationships. Based on imaginary relationships with other fans, such as competition or cooperation, Chinese fans intentionally control their online and off-line fan identities, which are closely related to their fan activities in different spaces, that is, fans of the same idol cooperate online to enhance the idol's status in the entertainment industry, while off-line these fans need to compete for their idol's attention

Advertising · Aesthetics · Art · Business · Entertainment · Fandom · Media studies · Sociology · The Imaginary · Visual arts · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Digital Games and Media · Japanese History and Culture · Psychology