Innovative Pathways for Idol Group Development under the Perspective of Virtual Idol Culture
Abstract
The continuous expansion of people's demand for entertainment and has contributed to the rise of the idol industry and culture, however, the traditional idol market is facing the challenges of homogenization and aesthetic fatigue, with a large number of "contactable idols" being copied, and a high degree of similarity and high density of "products" have reduced users' sense of freshness. However, the emergence of virtual idols has brought about a new market pattern, so this study aims to explore how emerging idol groups can make innovations and breakthroughs under the perspective of virtual idol culture. This paper adopts the method of comparative case analysis, focusing on the development paths of Chinese virtual idol group A-SOUL and Korean girl group Aespa, analyzing their similarities and differences as well as their operation strategies, and drawing the conclusion that virtual idols utilize the characteristics of digital technology to form a highly viscous community, promote the culture of second creation, and create a complete virtual worldview to attract fans, and achieve breakthroughs as well as innovations. Relevant idol groups can learn from this model and utilize the non-physical and malleable characteristics of virtual idols to create unique team styles to attract audiences.
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