Eighth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

Celebrity fans’ common engagement in flame wars on social media often leads fandoms to be considered brainless or toxic. However, such judgments appear to oversimplify fans’ fighting practices that often feature nuanced argument levels, emotional developments, and “necessary/righteous” perceptions. Investigating these unexplored aspects may provide insights into explaining not only fan media participation but also how humans in general, propelled by their passions in various domains (e.g., movies, sports, politics, etc.), interact actively and assuredly in the digital age. Based on unobtrusive observation and semi-structured interviews among fans of Chinese musical actors Ayanga and Yunlong, this paper foregrounds fans’ own perspectives to analyze their justifications for frequent flame wars. Findings show that as fans initiate arguments by pointing out ‘unacceptable’ social media posts, they consider their behaviors to legitimately fulfill celebrity-support fan obligation and defend personal/collective beliefs. This sense of necessity inherently drives fans to first debate rationally about each other’s ‘wrongdoings’ before initiating fierce criticism and curses. After the attacking period, fans evaluate their ‘honorably’ fought conflicts while openly declaring both their own victory and the other side(s)’ ‘viciousness’, which further reinforces their self-righteousness. Driven by these positive emotions, fans ultimately consider their constant fighting not a deliberate ‘anti-’ act to spread hatred but a necessary practice to defend fundamental aspects of their celebrity fandom. Neither condemning nor supporting fans’ fierce online conflicts, this study also provides further discussions on how the media industry may have increasingly realized and manipulated these fan flame wars.