K-Pop Fandoms Loyalist Phenomenon: Fans Participatory Branding on Social Media Content Practices Distribution in Indonesia

Abstract

Korean pop music, or K-pop, has become one of the most dynamically distributed forms of pop culture in the global pop market through these ‘social distribution networks. This article explores the ways that this new mode of social distribution is characterized by bottom-up grassroots aspects as well as corporate-controlled top-down aspects by analyzing the recent dynamics and practices of K-pop consumption circulation on social media. This article examines the relationship between K-pop boybands and their fandoms in Indonesia as mediated by YouTube content platforms, using a case study Going Seventeen YouTube Content. It investigates the socioemotional organization of online interaction orders in K-pop fan communities, the emotional forms of expression, and the social assessment of their loyalist. The result of this research found that the Going Seventeen YouTube Content variable affected the Seventeen K-Pop Boyband Fan loyalty to 46% and the rest was influenced by other factors. In conclusion, as an exemplary cultural product, K-pop is creating fans as consumer-added value. It is necessary to establish fandom measures to integrate sustainable marketing promotion.