Platform requirements and fanship expression; Focusing on fans of K-pop

Abstract

In the3 contemporary era, fandom is one of the phenomena being affected by the media and platform trends. In media studies, much attention is often not paid to the nature and requirements of the media itself rather this phenomenon is ignored as a kind of black box. Understanding the special features of various platforms and their effects on the form and extent of fanship and fandom is the main goal of this research. Theoretical foundations of this research focus on two main concepts: technological determinism and platformization. For applying the research method, 10 fans of K-pop were interviewed and the findings of the interview content analysis were categorized into six main themes: "Motives and reasons for becoming a fan and remaining a fan", "Special features of each platform from the perspective of fans", "Fan platform", "Changing the fan platform and the amount of fan support", "The impact of the platform on the current and the air of fandom" and "obstacles and limitations of the platform for fandom."

Keywords

• fanship
• k-pop
• platformisaon
• social media