TY - JOUR
T1 - The Mechanism of CP fandom Behaviors among Chinese Young Adults
T2 - A Grounded Theory Study
AU - Zhou, Wanqi
AU - Zhang, Yueling
AU - Li, Yuner
AU - Sun, Qingyang
AU - Yang, Zeyang
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by [National Social Science Fund of China] grant number [22CSH077], [Humanity and Social Science Youth Foundation of the Ministry of Education of China] grant number [21YJCZH200], [Social Science Youth Foundation of Jiangsu Province] grant number [21XWC005] and [High level personnel (Shuang chuang) project of Jiangsu Province] grant number [JSSCBS20210698].
Funding Information:
The work was performed using the equipment of the Ural Federal University “Modern Nanotechnologies” (reg. No. 2968), supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (Project 075-15-2021-677).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.
PY - 2023/1
Y1 - 2023/1
N2 - CP fandom behaviors or shipping, a growing popular phenomenon among Chinese young adults, refers to the activities of fans who take great satisfaction from the romantic relationships and interactions of their preferred pairings of idols or virtual characters. CP fans are regarded as a special group of fans with unique identities and interaction styles. This grounded theory study was conducted to explore the mechanism of CP fandom behaviors. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with thirty-one Chinese CP fans (twenty-eight females and three males). The antecedents, development, behavioral patterns, and consequences of shipping were identified in a comprehensive model. The reasons for CP fandom behaviors include individual factors (e.g., psychological projection, compensation, and social needs) and external factors (e.g., pop culture and internet environment). The consequences include positive emotional experiences, changed love values, and improved social interaction. CP fandom behaviors can be different in terms of the fans’ degrees of engagement, and the development of shipping can be divided into three stages: exploratory stage, formation and stability stage, and rupture stage. This study contributes to the literature of CP fandom behaviors among young adults in China and proposes the directions of future studies on such topics.
AB - CP fandom behaviors or shipping, a growing popular phenomenon among Chinese young adults, refers to the activities of fans who take great satisfaction from the romantic relationships and interactions of their preferred pairings of idols or virtual characters. CP fans are regarded as a special group of fans with unique identities and interaction styles. This grounded theory study was conducted to explore the mechanism of CP fandom behaviors. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with thirty-one Chinese CP fans (twenty-eight females and three males). The antecedents, development, behavioral patterns, and consequences of shipping were identified in a comprehensive model. The reasons for CP fandom behaviors include individual factors (e.g., psychological projection, compensation, and social needs) and external factors (e.g., pop culture and internet environment). The consequences include positive emotional experiences, changed love values, and improved social interaction. CP fandom behaviors can be different in terms of the fans’ degrees of engagement, and the development of shipping can be divided into three stages: exploratory stage, formation and stability stage, and rupture stage. This study contributes to the literature of CP fandom behaviors among young adults in China and proposes the directions of future studies on such topics.
KW - CP fans
KW - fandom
KW - grounded theory study
KW - shipping behaviors
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146821733&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/bs13010030
DO - 10.3390/bs13010030
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85146821733
SN - 2076-328X
VL - 13
JO - Behavioral Sciences
JF - Behavioral Sciences
IS - 1
M1 - 30
ER -