Symphony of passion: Exploring the Odyssey of K-pop fans in a Higher Education Institution

Abstract

The surge in K-pop's popularity has influenced fans' daily lives, thus, the purpose of this descriptive phenomenological qualitative study is to explore the lived experiences of K-pop fans with parasocial relationships. Six college students, chosen purposively, participated in semi-structured interviews, revealing seven main themes: (1) negative perceptions and bullying; (2) parasocial relationships with K-pop; (3) transactional relationship; (4) sources of inspiration; and the sub-theme that emerged was comfort, personal growth, and positive reinforcement; (5) setting boundaries; (6) waning interest in K-pop; and lastly, (7) K-pop engagement on different platforms. The sub-theme that emerged was creating connections and K-pop engagement within the institution. Despite the perceived one-sided nature, the relationship between K-pop idols and fans is mutually beneficial. The study concludes that participants exhibit predominantly positive manifestations of parasocial relationships.