Following Hodkinson definition of consistent distinctiveness, it is visible that the wota community have “a set of shared tastes and values” (Hodkinson, 2002) through first their interest in the Japanese idol industry. What is interesting is that, outside of Japan, this taste is very niche while in Japan it can be seen as mainstream culture, with the strong presence of idols in the medias. Through the answers gathered in the survey, for most fans, you are part of the community as long as you like idols, either for the girls themselves or for the music they perform. What make them interested in this part of the entertainment industry is also very interesting as it represents why they stay and become more active in the community : “Because I don't care about how good and perfect they should be. It's about their personality and appeal that makes you forget the troubles of life, allowing you to relax.” (Colin, Netherlands) Several answers like the one given by Colin feature the feeling of escaping from everyday life, seeking something light and happy. Others also discuss the idea that being able to support the idol through her journey, from her start as a performer until she reaches her dreams is what makes them stay and invested in the community.
Inside the community itself, various tastes are visible from people who like idols like AKB48 who follows the traditional aesthetics set with Sylvie Vartan, to other fans who prefer idols challenging the Japanese standards of beauty and behaviours. They also diversify themselves through their music tastes from bubble-gum pop like The World Standard to punk rock from a group like BiSH : “There are idol groups encompassing tons of different genres of music, so it stays fresh and interesting.” (Mem, United States)
People inside the community differentiate themselves from outsiders through their music taste but a third of the people who answered the survey keep their affiliation to the community for themselves, avoiding discussing or showing it to their relatives. The ones that discuss their interest in idols to non-fans say that they mostly talk about it with friends and family members but can find it difficult to speak about it freely : “Tell people you like listening to young Japanese women and teenage girls and they get the wrong idea.” (Chris, United Kingdom) They can feel judged by outsiders, a feeling visible through the entire community.
Fans share common values that set the identity of the group. In order to build a coherent community, interaction between fans is necessary and sharing the same mindset is important to create a lasting grouping. Sharing social platforms like Stage48 or Twitter makes it easier to create connection between members, but also transmit information : “In the international community most fans can’t speak Japanese so you have to depend on the ones that can.” (Isabella, Singapore) Through discussion with outsiders, fans have the sense that the community is very specific, but they also realise that they can share their interest all together : “there are many ages, backgrounds, and nationalities that make this fandom really great and passionate” (Katy, Indonesia).
Through specific use of language, they form a bond that create a distinct grouping from other people. For example, to refer yourself as a fan of a specific idol, the term oshi ((推し) is used instead of “fan of”. This word comes from oshiteru member that means “the member you support”. The term cheki (チェキ) to refer to instant photography taken after a performance comes from a brand of instant photo camera owned by Fuji Films. It is mostly used by fans of less popular idol groups and mostly by fans able to attend events either in Japan or overseas. The use of the word sotsugyou (卒業) is also very interesting. It means graduation and is used when an idol announces her retirement/departure from the idol industry. It is important to note that, in 6 years as an idol fan, I almost never seen someone uses the word departure but only graduation or sotsugyou.
Results & discussion
What can be seen as the most important part of the community is their commitment to both the community and the idols they support. On Stage48, an entire section is dedicated to birthday and graduation projects where fans gather messages and drawings to send to the idol they support. Some of them clearly assume having moved to Japan to be able to support their idols more than what they do in their own country by being able to attend event regularly : “I learnt Japanese thanks to idols, and it reignited my interest for the Japanese pop culture. It led me to find a job and move to Japan” (Melody, France)
A lot of fans get invested on a smaller level by learning Japanese or just buying merchandising from their favourite idols to show their support. In the survey answers, fans share very often that they found friends through the community. It is also possible to see people getting married like Wendy and Ryan, two people from my Twitter circle. Meeting before events is also a recurring practise as well as watching live stream together through private chats. Fans also seem to use often the same websites to collect information, making it a habit to visit these websites each day. It is important to stay up to date on new information to be able to discuss with other people inside of the community. It is also visible that fans are also very accepting of other members of the community not spending money on merchandising, considering that “time commitment” is important as well.
On the criteria of autonomy, the wota community can be seen in two different ways : on one side the idol industry is widely represented in Japanese mass media such as television, magazines but on the other side, when looking at the oversea community, it can be visible that the business and medias related to idol is very much constructed by the fans themselves. Most news websites are created by fans themselves that are driven by the goal of sharing their interest with other people : “I try to make idols more accessible for international fans.” (Brita, United States) Through the creation of forums like Stage48, online chats, fans conceive independent networks. It can be seen that fans gather to buy merchandising, either using proxy websites as a lot of Japanese online stores are not available for foreigners. They also trade and sell the merchandising they own to one another.
It can also be noted that for the industry itself, money-making is not always what drive the producer of an idol group. When discussing with a friend on Twitter who is also an idol fan, he shared that after a performance by Maison Book Girl in the United Kingdom, the group didn’t collect the benefit made by selling tickets to their show, only keeping the money made through selling merchandising. It is interesting to know that in Japan most performers are not paid for their show, making their profit only through merchandising. It gives them more autonomy to create a bond with a small but very loyal audience, becoming interdependent.