Involvement in Fandom: Conceptualizing and Measuring Cultural Identities of Russian-Speaking Fans of Popular Korean Music

The paper discusses the process of involvement in the fandom and the role of the fandom in the process of forming the identities of fans (for example, fans of popular Korean music). The design of the “mixed” type study included a quantitative analysis of data collected in the course of analyzing profiles of the social network VKontakte of members of groups, dedicated to Korean music. Also there was a content analysis of names and statuses, and a qualitative analysis of collected screening questionnaires and narrative interviews. Indicators were developed to characterize and systematize the building of identity in the social network of fans of Korean music, 3 indicators were identified that are included in the three-component model of self-presentation based on content analysis. In the future, a classification of fans was built. The “career path” of the fan was also recreated and the main stages of the process of becoming a fan and the main conditions for identifying yourself as a real fan were highlighted. Finally, the basic mechanisms for embedding the “alien” Korean culture into the life of a Russian-speaking fan were described.