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K-pop Fandoms Through Durkheim’s Lens  
Lani Tran-Nguyen 

Department of Sociology 
 California State University, Los Angeles 

ABSTRACT 
Applying Emile Durkheim’s ideas to modern-day K-pop fandoms 
provides insight into how classical sociological theories can still 
be found today. This theoretical framework explores how fandom 
culture, specifically through the lens of K-pop, showcases ideas 
from classic sociological theories. Emile Durkheim's ideas of 
solidarity, integration, rituals, and anomie connect to the concepts 
found in K-pop fandoms. Organic solidarity is shown through the 
interdependence of different roles within a K-pop fandom to keep 
it alive, while mechanical solidarity is demonstrated through 
multiple factors, like internalizing idols’ values or creating black 
oceans, to further strengthen the well-being of the fandom and 
idols. K-pop fans utilize rituals, like fan chants or watching online 
entertainment programs, in order to foster this integration within 
their fandom. The connection K-pop fans have fostered turns into 
a solution to anomie, leading them further away from alienation. 
Further research can provide a more in-depth analysis of how 
other classical theories can apply to newer fans of K-pop or other 
fandoms. 

 
Imagine fans all over the world, from Los Angeles to Seoul, tuning 
into the latest music video release from their favorite K-pop group 
even though it might be 2 AM where they are located. K-pop has 
found its way to the top of Western Pop Culture, scoring numerous 
records on music charts and selling out multiple stadiums for their 
concerts. The success of K-pop can be linked to various factors, 
especially the fans. Fandom culture is not a new concept when it 
comes to popular culture, but K-pop fandoms, in particular, give a 
unique take on how these fandoms operate. These fandoms are 
seen as mini-societies because they have similar functions in how 
a society operates.  

Studying society and how it operates can be best 
explained by the theories of Emile Durkheim. As one of the first 
French sociologists, Durkheim’s ideology was heavily influenced 
by French society during the mid to late 1800s. Considered the 



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grandfather of sociology, Durkheim influenced many in the field 
(Coser 1977). Durkheim focused on different aspects of society, 
specifically how individuals are incorporated into society, as well 
as anomie and functionalism. Emile Durkheim's ideas of 
solidarity, integration, rituals, and anomie connect to the concepts 
found in K-pop fandoms. Researching these fandoms provides 
insight into how the fans of K-pop groups highlight classical 
theories in sociology.  

 
SOLIDARITY 
Durkheim saw how individuals interacted in societies through two 
lenses: organic and mechanical solidarity. Organic solidarity is 
when the social integration of a society develops out of 
interdependence, while mechanical solidarity is the opposite, 
where social cohesion develops from collective values and 
uniformity (Coser 1977). To delve further into each concept, 
organic solidarity highlights how modern-day society works as we 
depend on specific roles people take on to keep society running. 
Mechanical solidarity explains primitive societies where 
individuals are more alike, leading to a decrease in the division of 
labor. Both ideas of solidarity can be found in K-pop fandoms.  

In fandoms, fans utilize different ways to show their 
admiration as they fall into the forms of participatory culture 
(Jenkins 2013). Fans adopt roles like fan editing or fan organizers 
who organize fan events in their local cities. In K-pop fandoms, 
there are roles Western fandoms do not have. Within K-pop, there 
are various roles a fan can take on, especially becoming a 
translator. Due to content from K-pop idols and groups being in 
Korean, bilingual fans have taken on the role of being a translator 
for their fandom. These roles create interdependence within the 
fandom as some fans might depend on the translator fans to 
convert the idol's content into one with English subtitles. 
Translators, also known as fansubbers in the K-pop fandom, have 
significantly impacted the spread of Korean content by 
minimizing the language barriers and allowing participation from 
fans beyond Korea (Aisyah and Yun Jin 2017). The opposite also 
holds true as Western K-pop fans translate English content into 
Korean for Korean fans, alluding to the interdependence aspect. 



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To further visualize this idea, Bangtan Translations has 
garnered over 1 million followers on both X, formerly known as 
Twitter, and YouTube (BANGTANSUBS 2013). Their website 
has teams of translators and subbers, all contributing to translating 
BTS content with the intent of no profit (BANGTANSUBS 2013). 
English-speaking fans utilize their services to keep up with BTS 
and its content. Their translations provide needed context or 
emotion for the message BTS is trying to communicate, which 
cannot be fully captured by auto-translating services like Google 
Translate. The roles these fans take on stimulate and continue the 
functions of the Western K-pop fandoms. To connect this back to 
Durkheim, the interdependence on fansubbers emulates how K-
pop fandoms represent organic solidarity. Organic solidarity 
depends on mutual reliance on each other in a society, which 
connects with the interdependence on fansubbers for Western K-
pop fandoms. Fans of K-pop fandoms cannot consume or engage 
with content without these fansubbers because of that language 
barrier.  

 Mechanical solidarity can also be found in K-pop 
fandoms because they are formed through fan loyalty and shared 
interest in a specific K-pop group. The emotional investment and 
action K-pop fans feel for their idols showcase this bond that 
varies in each fandom. For example, the bond differs between 
ARMYs (the name given to BTS fans) and BTS compared to 
Blinks (the name given to Blackpink fans) and Blackpink (King-
O’Riain 2020). This resembles the ideas of mechanical solidarity 
because these fans share a strong commitment to the community's 
well-being and collective values. Fans in a specific fandom, such 
as the ARMY, are all alike because of their collective love for 
BTS. For mechanical solidarity to operate, individuals in a society 
are alike and hold similar values regarding their society, alluding 
to the ideas of ARMY and BTS. The collective values of ARMY 
come from the members feeling like BTS takes a place in their 
lives as role models, therefore connecting to experiences by 
internalizing the promoted values (Cheriyah and Hadi 2022). The 
social cohesion within the BTS fandom depends on ARMYs’ 
devotion to BTS and their success and well-being, resembling 
Durkheim’s ideas of mechanical solidarity. Durkheim’s ideas of 
solidarity are seen through K-pop fandoms, explaining how 



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fandoms represent how societies can operate. The underlying 
mechanisms of how K-pop fandoms operate also rely on the 
interactions between fans to integrate fans into the specific 
fandom.  

 
INTEGRATION & RITUALS 
Durkheim’s ideas of integration are seen throughout K-pop 
fandoms as newer fans interact with seasoned fans from a specific 
fandom. An element of integration refers to the interactions 
between group members (Coser 1977). An example of integration 
is participation in rituals because it allows members to bind 
together while engaging in common activities (Coser 1977). 
Durkheim’s idea of rituals and its connection with integration can 
be applied to K-pop fans. Within each fandom, the fans will 
engage in common activities that bond them even more with the 
fandom and idols they idolize.  

This idea can be applied to the fandom of the K-pop boy 
group Seventeen. Seventeen has created an online entertainment 
program that releases episodes weekly on YouTube called “Going 
Seventeen.” Carats (the name given to Seventeen fans) engages 
with the program every week, highlighting how this online 
entertainment program increases artist loyalty (Limic and Limb 
2023). This weekly routine that Carats engages with represents 
how common activities can improve the integration of a member 
in that group. “Going Seventeen” has attracted fans and non-fans 
to watch the weekly program, resulting in the program 
consistently being on the “trending” section on YouTube. Carats 
and Cubics (fans of only Going Seventeen) all engage in the same 
ritual every week in order to bring them closer to being active fans 
of Seventeen (Limic and Limb 2023). This ritual of watching 
“Going Seventeen” fosters this integration of making newer fans 
become full-time Carats because of their constant exposure to 
Seventeen through the program and having the same routine as 
many other Carats. When newer fans engage with the program, it 
gives them the feeling of community because they have the same 
routine as full-time Carats.  

Another ritual that K-pop fans engage in is fan chants. Fan 
chants refer to a scripted adlib version of the songs K-pop fans 
sing along to while the idol or group performs a certain song. Fan 



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chants are usually planned so fans can say the key lyrics or 
members’ names for future performances. As the fans engage with 
this ritual at the idols’ performances, it enhances their fan 
experiences and the bonds they have with their idol. An example 
of an iconic fan chant fostering this fan bond and energy would be 
during the 2024 Coachella ATEEZ performance. They performed 
a song called “Guerrilla,” which contained a fan chant during the 
outro of the song. All the members sang the lyrics “The 
guerrillas” while the fans screamed the response lyrics, “Break 
the wall.” The fans during this song did the fan chant at such a 
high volume that it was heard from other stages during that time 
(Koreaboo 2024). The energy from the fan chant did not go 
unrecognized, showcasing how Atiny (the name given to Ateez 
fans) reinforced their fan bond with Ateez while also gaining new 
fans in the process.  

A final example of rituals performed by K-pop fans within 
their fandoms would be the use of lightsticks. With each 
generation of K-pop, fans have shown different ways to show 
support for their favorite idol group. The first generation of K-pop, 
which consisted of the 1990s idol groups, did not have lightsticks 
but other items fans utilized, like colored raincoats or balloons 
with their flashlight (Anderson 2019). In recent years, fans have 
used lightsticks to show the idol they are supporting them in the 
crowd of other fans. Lightsticks are light-up wands catered to a 
particular K-pop idol or group that fans wave around during live 
performances or concerts. The trend of utilizing colored balloons 
or lightsticks stemmed from how each fandom was assigned 
specific colors distinguishable from other fandoms (Anderson 
2019). This can be shown through how Seventeen’s official colors 
are rose quartz and serenity compared to Twice’s, another well-
known K-pop girl group, colors apricot and neon magenta 
(KProfiles 2017).  

Lightsticks have become a well-known ritual in K-pop 
fandoms because of how fans have utilized them for specific 
events. “Lightstick oceans” are used by fans to show the idols that 
the fans are showing support for them (Anderson 2019). During 
live performance shows like SBS Inkigayo or Dream Concert, 
multiple idol groups perform; therefore, fans use the lightsticks to 
display the idol group they are supporting. As fans participate in 



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this lightstick ritual, they feel a sense of solidarity with the idol as 
they show support in the crowd. This ritual also creates a sense of 
unity in the fandom as they all use the lightstick similarly and 
distinguish themselves from other fandoms.  

The idea of these rituals can also be tied to mechanical 
solidarity as these fans use these rituals to collectively promote 
the betterment of their community. The fans performing these 
rituals consistently engage with their idol group to fully 
distinguish themselves from different fandoms. Fans will use their 
rituals to further strengthen their loyalty to the idol group. 
Lightsticks have intensified fans' loyalty to a certain group by 
engaging with black oceans.  

“Black oceans” are when K-pop fans purposefully turn off 
their lightstick to engage in the act of boycotting the idol group 
performing, leaving the entire audience in the dark (Anderson 
2019). These black oceans happen when K-pop fans dispute over 
things like record sales or popularity. Black oceans have happened 
to many well-known artists today, like Girl Generation and BTS. 
The event that coined the term black ocean was when Girl’s 
Generation, also known as SNSD, received an entire stadium of 
fans turning off their lightstick during their 10-minute 
performance. Prior to this event, Girl’s Generation was receiving 
hate from fans of boy idol groups because they were consistently 
pictured next to male idols for photoshoots or advertisements. 
While already gaining an enormous amount of anti-fans, during 
the 2008 Dream Concert, Elfs (the name given to Super Junior 
fans) and SONEs (the name given to Girl’s Generation fans) 
engaged in a physical altercation, resulting in multiple anti-fans of 
Girl’s Generation to shut off their lightsticks during their 
performance (BeBoss TV 2020). This act of fans engaging in fan 
wars and collectively doing an action against a particular group 
emulates Durkheim’s ideas of mechanical solidarity.  

 Referring back to mechanical solidarity, fans engaging in 
fan wars through acts like black oceans shows how fans strengthen 
their loyalty to a group. Utilizing the rituals, like the black ocean, 
has fans engage in activities that bond fans together over a 
common “enemy,” in this case, a rival K-pop group or idol. This 
increases the fans’ bond with the group and with other members 
of the fandom. Fans utilizing black oceans creates a space for fans 



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to share a strong commitment to the fandom’s wellbeing. When 
considering rituals and solidarity, K-pop and integrating into 
specific fandoms is seen as a modern-day solution to anomie.  

 
ANOMIE 
Anomie refers to the condition that occurs in the social structure 
that disrupts that society's previous norms and values (Coser 
1977). Members of a society that has experienced anomie are left 
without moral direction in their lives, leading to a sense of 
loneliness and disconnection (Coser 1977). Through 
technological advances and harsh labor markets, people now face 
what Durkheim explained in the 19th century. Modern society has 
increased feelings of disconnection and loneliness as it becomes 
more visible in people’s everyday lives. Anomie presents itself in 
the rise of mental health crises or the alienation from physical 
society through the means of digital spaces. K-pop and its 
fandoms can be seen as a unique solution to these feelings of 
alienation or loneliness. Fans use K-pop to combat the struggles 
of everyday life while simultaneously giving them a purpose and 
goal. K-pop fandoms hold space for the fans to engage with each 
other and form a sense of belonging and bonding.  

According to Mohd Jenol and Ahmad Pazil (2020), the 
meaning of being a K-pop fan transcends the average fan 
experience. Fans use K-pop as a form of escapism because of how 
it allows their fans to escape “unwanted social realities” (Mohd 
Jenol and Ahmad Pazil 2020). By engaging in fan activities, like 
the rituals mentioned above, fans create a space where they can 
connect and belong. Due to the sheer amount of content put out 
by the idols, escapism is an easy practice fans do in order to steer 
away from anomie.  

Even though digital spaces have created a sense of 
alienation because of the lack of physical contact with others, they 
can also be seen as a mode in which fans escape anomie. Fans 
utilize online forums and content from their idol groups to feel a 
sense of connection. The content that comes with K-pop and its 
specific idol groups allows fans to familiarize themselves with the 
idols (Yoon and Alexandra 2024). Fans have claimed that K-pop 
and its fandoms differ from Western celebrities because you feel a 
connection with the idol through the amount of content they 



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consume and the personalities the idols show in their content 
(Yoon and Alexandra 2024). K-pop idols give their fandoms a 
different way of approaching the celebrity-fan relationship.  

The relationship between fan and idol is shown to be 
considered a parasocial relationship. This parasocial relationship 
has had negative connotations when it comes to the relationship 
between celebrity and fan, but in regard to K-pop fandoms, it can 
be used for good. The participants in Mohd Jenol and Ahmad 
Pazil’s (2020) study showed how fans found motivation from the 
words of their idols through speeches or songs to work towards a 
better life and goal. The parasocial relationship held between the 
idol and the fan encourages the fan to look up to the idol as a role 
model (Mohd Jenol and Ahmad Pazil 2020). Parasocial 
relationships have been found to help fans find motivation and 
stability in their lives due to their idols (Mohd Jenol and Ahmad 
Pazil 2020). Parasocial relationships give fans a purpose for living 
and stabilization of their hectic everyday lives. The fans combat 
anomie by engaging in these parasocial relationships, further 
helping them with feelings of alienation or disconnection.  

Digital spaces also allow fans to connect with others 
worldwide. Online social media platforms like X or Instagram 
provide fans with a way to communicate with those not residing 
in their area. Fans form connections and interpersonal bonds that 
create a mini-community among themselves (Malik and Haidar 
2020). Fans also use these spaces to validate their existence as fans 
within their fandom (Abd-Rahim 2019). Digital spaces like social 
media platforms give fans a space to share their common interests 
with people who share the same interests, combating feelings of 
alienation.  

To reflect on my personal life, I have made many 
connections through being a fan of K-pop. The fandoms I was in 
allowed me to gain close relationships with people worldwide. 
Being in a certain fandom led me to go to concerts or join online 
fan forums, giving me a space to communicate with fans in the 
same fandom. I met one of my closest friends, whom I cherish 
dearly, on X. We have known each other for over 5 years, and 
without her being in the same fandom, I would have never 
connected with her. This relationship made me reflect on how 
anomie was at an all-time high during the pandemic. To combat 



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anomie, I was able to connect with friends through these online 
forums or social media. These digital spaces gave us a sense of 
connection when the pandemic isolated us in our homes. During 
times like the pandemic, anomie can overwhelm members of a 
society; therefore, K-pop and being in its different fandoms helped 
me find a sense of belonging. My life changed in a very sudden 
way, and the connections I had with my online friends helped 
stabilize me.  

Reflecting on Durkheim’s ideas, being a part of K-pop 
fandoms can help resist anomie. As fans engage with their fandom 
through rituals or parasocial relationships, they continue to give 
themselves a way to escape the disconnection they feel in their 
everyday lives. Fans of K-pop are given connection and purpose 
through their idols or groups they look up to. Durkheim delves 
into how anomie can be used as an index for the types of suicide 
that may happen in a society (Coser 1977). Being part of K-pop 
fandoms can give fans a purpose in their lives; therefore, further 
research can apply this as a modern solution to anomie and rates 
of suicide.  

To conclude, Durkheim’s ideas of solidarity, rituals, and 
anomie can be applied to K-pop fandoms and how they operate. 
Organic solidarity can be found in how the interdependence on 
translators of Korean content keeps the fandoms who do not speak 
Korean alive. This connects with how organic societies rely on 
mutual dependence, while mechanical solidarity operates in the 
opposite form. Mechanical solidarity in K-pop fandoms is shown 
through how fans engage in certain acts, like internalizing idols’ 
values or black oceans, to further strengthen the commitment to 
the well-being of the fandom and idols. Rituals, like using 
lightsticks or fan chants, are also used to increase the connection 
of being a part of the fandom. This sense of connection gives fans 
a solution to anomie. Being a part of a K-pop fandom gives fans a 
purpose and allows fans to steer away from alienation. Applying 
Durkheim’s ideas to modern-day K-pop fandoms provides insight 
into how classical sociological theories can still be found today. 
Further research can provide a more in-depth analysis of how 
these can apply to newer fans of K-pop or other fandoms such as 
Swifties (the name given to Taylor Swift fans).  

 



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Mohd Jenol, Nur Ayuni, and Nur Hafeeza Ahmad Pazil. 2020. “Escapism 
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Lani Tran-Nguyen (She/Her) is a CSULA first-generation 
graduate student at Cal State LA. Lani will be graduating with her 
MA in Sociology in May 2026. Her research interests include 
popular culture, fandom, subculture, Korean pop culture, 
globalization, and cultural exchange. Recently, she presented at 
PSA 2025 about K-pop cover dancers and their role in the 
globalization of Korean culture and K-pop. She is passionate 
about integrating and researching pop culture in academia. Lani 
thanks and is grateful to CSF for this publishing opportunity. 
 


	K-pop Fandoms Through Durkheim’s Lens - Lani Tran-Nguyen



