How K-pop music fans reconcile identities vs negative representations in mass and social media

What is it about?

How do K-pop fans deal with the negative labels about them that circulate in the mass media and online? Using a variety of data sources, including interviews, participant observation, and analysis of news and social media texts, the findings show there are many negative portrayals of K-pop fans, and how fans themselves deal with that. The study highlights that fans don't want to be seen as extreme or deviant, but they don't want to be seen as passive or typical, either.

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Why is it important?

Music fandom is important for many people self of self and community. People often invest a lot into develop an identity rooted in music consumption and fandom. What happens when that identity is spoiled or stigmatized by mass and social media discourses? This article takes a look at a popular music form, Korean popular music or "K-pop" and investigates how young people in Singapore deal with the negative information that circulate about the music they love.