The Diffusion of Japanese Idol Concept Based on the Interpretation of Fan Clubs’ Behaviors
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Abstract
The concept of Japanese female idol groups is now being applied more widely outside Japan. BNK48 is an idol group in Thailand that has applied this concept as a branch of the Japanese AKB48. At its start, it had a small number of fans; however, however they have risen since the release of their second single, “Koisuru Fortune Cookie”. Basically, the concept of Japanese female idol groups reflects a culture different from the Thai context. For this reason, this study was initiated to better understand how a Thai individual becomes a fan of BNK48 through observation.
The research was conducted based on the phenomenological concept and observation generated through an individual’s experience. The four elements of Diffusion of Innovations Theory (innovation, time, communication channels and a social system) and Bandura’s Social Learning Theory were applied to clarify the findings collected through in-depth interviews and the observational research. For the in-depth interviews, all key informants who participated in this study admitted that they are BNK48 fans. The in-depth interview results show that social media and peers have an influence on key informants’ adoption. However, in the long term, the Thai context also has an effect on key informants. Although BNK48 applies the Japanese concept, key informants adopt this concept because they understand it easily, which is actually conveyed through a Thai context. Through observation, it was found that apparent behaviors are both aggressive, but positive, and non-aggressive. These behaviors are clarified in this study. Further research can apply this study’s findings to examine other cross-cultural relationships and how they are adopted.
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References
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