Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

Ritualizing Fandom: An Interactive Ritual Chain Perspective on Influence Generation in Fan-Remix Communities

Jiaying Duo*
Jilin International Studies University

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Classic media IPs sustain their digital afterlife through fan-generated derivative works, constituting a defining phenomenon of contemporary participatory culture. Yet, on decentralized platforms like TikTok, the mechanism underlying influence divergence among fan-remix creators from million-follower head creators to sub-10,000-follower tail creators remains a "black box" lacking systematic quantitative understanding. This study proposes an integrated "IRC" , emotional energy co-creation consolidation" model grounded in Interaction Ritual Chains (IRC) theory. Drawing on 4,420 comments from Empresses in the Palace fan-remix accounts on TikTok, we employ LDA topic modeling and word cloud analysis to compare interaction ritual characteristics across three creator tiers. Findings reveal that head creators cultivate highly concentrated "shared focus of attention" through in-depth character relationship analysis knowledge co-creation positive feedback loop; middle creators stimulate emotional co-creation through community maintenance creators rely on instant scene-based emotional resonance sustaining low-barrier participation through emotional co-creation. This study operationalizes IRC theory in digital fan culture contexts and provides text-level quantitative evidence for understanding the influencer marketing ecosystem.

Keywords: Interaction ritual chain; Fan remix culture; Influence of short videos; Classic TV fan culture; Participatory culture
Published: September 22, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.37134
Volume: CHR Vol.121
pp. 79-87
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