Browsing by Author "Devemy, Eva"
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- How you like that? The success factores of K-Pop artists in eastern countriesPublication . Devemy, Eva; Pacheco, NatáliaAs K-Pop expands worldwide, the boom in popularity in Eastern countries raises essential questions regarding the cultural, emotional, and social elements behind success. Thus, the following research question is formulated: What are the factors behind K-Pop artists’ increasing success in Eastern countries? Using a qualitative approach, ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with K-Pop fans from Eastern countries. The study focuses on four core elements; reference groups, fan communities, user-generated content, and parasocial relationships, and reveals that these factors are deeply embedded in the everyday lives of Eastern fans. Deep emotional bonds with idols, collective participation in fan-initiated activities, and collective identification based on communal values and feelings came out in interviews from the participants regarding the force behind the boom in K-Pop. When compared to research by Santos (2023) on Western fandoms, the findings reveal that while fandom processes are similar, fans from the East seems to be higher in collectivist orientation, more emotionally engaged, and with a more pervasive integration of K-Pop in their daily lives. This dissertation thus contributes a different cultural perspective, bringing new insights into fan-driven processes shaping K-Pop's popularity across different regions in the world.