Fan economy
New pop idol Fan Chengcheng has launched a celebrity V+ membership system on the Sina Weibo social media platform, which requires 60 yuan ($9.41) membership fee every six months to view high-definition photos of him. Overnight 80,000 fans paid 4.8 million yuan, which indicates the great potential of the fan economy.
The fan economy refers to a new business operation model that seeks to profit from fans’ devotion to celebrities.
But the fan economy is not just fans spending money to see their idols and purchase their merchandise. How successful a pop star is depends on how many fans they have. Therefore, the current fan economy is a two-way relationship in which fans have a say in promoting their favorites.
But the healthy development of the fan economy should be based on the healthy interaction between stars and fans. Fans should behave themselves and not violate the legal rights and interests of others.
Meanwhile, the social media platform should shoulder the responsibility to protect and supervise the behavior of fans, a lot of whom are juveniles.