K-Pop Fandom Notes

Appeared in England in the late 17th century.
Derived from "fanatic" as "a religious zealot" (Cavicchi 1998; Duffett 2013; Kim 2017).
American journalists used "fan" to describe baseball spectators' passion from the late 1800s (Abercrombie and Longhurst 1998; Duffett 2013b; Kim 2017).
Extended to describe dedicated audiences for film and recorded music (Duffett 2013; Kim 2017).
Fans are persons with a "deep, positive emotional conviction" about cultural practitioners, like actors, directors, singers, etc. (Duffett 2013; Kim 2017).
The term fan also carries negative overtones from its earlier connotation of religious and political zealotry (Jenkins 1992; Kim 2017).

Mass media and literature's unfavorable descriptions of fans as "obsessed loners" or "psychopaths" (Jensen 1992; Jenkins 1992; Kim 2017).
The concept expanded to neutrally describe those who are fond of celebrities or famous products (Cavicchi 1998; Kim 2017).
Fan self-identifying as an enthusiast, devotee, or follower (Duffett 2013b; Kim 2017).
More positive connotation for the word "fan" in everyday language (Kim 2017).

"Fanatic" + "dom".
Negative nuance: Tabloid papers stigmatize fandom as danger, abnormality, and silliness (Lewis 1992; Kim 2017).
Social science perspective: Fandom as psychological compensation and a deviant activity (Jensen 1992; Kim 2017).
Many people have hidden or disowned their fandom (Lewis 1992; Kim 2017).
Otherwise, they have dared the stigma as a member of fandom (Lewis 1992; Kim 2017).

Group of fans.
"Identity" as/with a fan (Kim 2017).
Activities to determine and demonstrate one’s identity as/with a fan (identification with fans).

Cavicchi, Daniel. Tramps Like Us: Music and Meaning among Springsteen Fans. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Duffett, Mark. Understanding Fandom: An Introduction to the Study of Media Fan Culture. London and New York: Bloomsbury, 2013.
Jenkins, Henry. Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture. New York and London: Routledge, 1992.
Jensen, Joli. “Fandom as Pathology: The Consequences of Characterization.” In The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media, Lisa Lewis ed., p. 9-29. London and New York: Routledge, 1992.
Kim, Jungwon. “K-Popping: Korean Women, K-Pop, and Fandom.” PhD diss., University of California, Riverside, 2017.
Lewis, Lisa A. 1992. “Introduction.” In The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media, Lisa Lewis ed., p. 1-6. London and New York: Routledge.

Sinminyo (new folksongs) and yuhaengga (popular songs) singers.
- National/international fandom.
Male narrators for silent films in the 1910s-20s.
- Gisaeng (traditional Korean female entertainers) as the main population of fandom for the narrators.
Female performers of yeoseong gukkeuk (women’s national drama) in the 1950s.
- Fans queuing up from dawn for tickets and awaiting performers after the show.
- Broad audience members but schoolgirls and adult women as a core group of fandom.
- Female fans communicating and interacting directly with the female performers.

British pop singer Cliff Richard’s tour in Seoul in 1969.
- About 200 fangirls gathering at the airport to welcome him and chanting, “We love you, Cliff ‘oppa’”.
- A female fan throwing her lingerie during Richard’s concert at Ewha.
- Media and academia’s criticism that the fangirls spoiled “Korean women’s virtue”.
- Foreign pop musicians’ tours in Korea banned by Chung-hee Park’s dictatorship in the 1970s (allowed again in 1980).

Tte (떼, group; crowd) + Chang (창, singing)
Fans’ chants and sing-alongs in response to popular musicians’ live performances.
Fans’ participation in ttechang both within and outside of a concert hall.

Instruction and distribution of ttechang.
- By the mid-2000s: Created, directed, and shared by fan club leaders, both online and offline, just before concerts or live TV shows.
- Impromptu practice by participants during the live performances.
- Since the mid and late 2000s: Created by labels and songwriters from the music production stage, Guide videos produced and distributed by K-pop labels and idols.

Fans as active performers rather than as passive listeners or audiences.
Ttechang performed exclusively by fans during K-pop concerts.
Creating soundscapes of K-pop by performing ttechang and swaying light sticks at live music events.

Cultivating listenership as well as musicianship.
- Listening to music multiple times to facilitate participation in ttechang.
- Understanding melodies, rhythms, and tempos alongside the song lyrics.
- Understanding where and how to participate in ttechang during live performances.
- IU “Nagging (잔소리)” (2010)