Abstract
In recent years, the popularity of American popular music has become widespread among Iranian youth, opening a new arena for the formation of their identity changes. There are hundreds of fan accounts of Iranian youth of male and female American singers on various social networks, who have many followers and carry out various group activities together. In this research, the we examine the effect of fandom of American singers on the identity of Iranian youth. For this purpose, 32 Iranian youth fan pages of American singers on social networks such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook were selected. The activities of fans on these accounts were observed for approximately one year using the method of virtual ethnography. The results indicate that the identity effects of Iranian fandom of American singers on social networks can be distinguished along two axes: fandom identity and fanship identity. In fandom identity, the identity is shaped in connection with various group activities of fans of American singers. Fans engage in various fan rituals with collective activities such as holding fan birthday parties, participating in concerts, voting for their favorite singer, and other fan activities which lead to strong group bonds among fans. The second axis influencing fan identity is the fan-singer relationship. Fanship identity encompasses the qualities and characteristics resulting from the fan-celebrity relationship. The relationship between a fan and their favorite celebrity typically extends beyond merely following the celebrity’s activities; the celebrity’s personality and lifestyle become an integral and meaningful part of the individual’s identity.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
FANDOM, FANSHIP, SINGER, IDENTITY
