The role of cyberbullying victimization in the relationship between adult BTS fans' psychological sense of community and wellbeing

The rise of social media has broken the geographical and communicative boundaries between fans, providing them with a more open platform to express themselves and pursue a shared spiritual resonance. This research focuses on the dynamics and psychological foundations of the BTS Weibo fan community to explore the emotional investment, community connections, and identity construction that arise from the excessive admiration and pursuit of a particular subject, whether virtually or in reality, in the social media era. Based on grounded theory, this research collects data generated by specific fan groups, including their content, interactions, and narratives, and iteratively analyzes and summarizes this data. The study identifies key characteristics of BTS Weibo fan behavior, such as sense of community, exclusivity and gift economy. These findings lay the foundation for further research on the evolving behaviors and motivations of fans, contributing to a broader discussion on media consumption, fan culture, and the psychological impact of online communities.

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A test of moderated serial mediation model of compulsive buying among Gen Z fandoms moderated by trash talking

Suprawan,

Oentoro,

Suttharattanagul

2024

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Purpose The study aims to identify the factors that influence young consumers’ compulsive buying, particularly Gen Z consumers who exhibit fandom qualities such as sharing the same interests and being willing to collaborate with others. This study investigates the direct and indirect impact of brand love and brand addiction on the relationship between social media addiction and compulsive buying. Design/methodology/approach The study collected data from 338 Gen Z fandoms. The snowball sampling approach is used to determine and collect data from the sample. To test for hypotheses, the study used the PROCESS macro with bootstrapping techniques to explore the direct and indirect relationships, as well as the moderated serial mediation model in this study. Findings The study found that social media addiction influences compulsive buying via the hierarchical linkages between brand love and brand addiction. Trash talking functions as a stimulant, amplifying the effect of brand addiction on compulsive buying. Research limitations/implications The data were collected from young Thai consumers; thus, the generalizability aspect of the research is limited and needs to be tested in different countries and cultures. Originality/value This research provides several key contributions to the understanding of compulsive buying behavior among Gen Z, particularly within the context of a developing country. By integrating the stimulus-organism-response framework and psychological theories, this study offers a nuanced understanding of how social media addiction influences emotional and behavioral outcomes. Previous studies have primarily focused on these variables in isolation. The study fills this gap by demonstrating the sequential pathway through which social media addiction translates into compulsive buying behavior via brand love and brand addiction.

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The role of cyberbullying victimization in the relationship between adult BTS fans' psychological sense of community and wellbeing

Cited by 5 publications

References 66 publications

Cyberbullying Among Adolescents in East Asian Societies: Explanations Based on General Strain Theory

Cyberbullying Among Adolescents in East Asian Societies: Explanations Based on General Strain Theory

Research on the Behavior and Nature of BTS Weibo Fan Community

A test of moderated serial mediation model of compulsive buying among Gen Z fandoms moderated by trash talking

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