PERCEIVED AUTHENTICITY, PUBLIC PERSONA INCONSISTENCY, AND CURRENT FAN–IDOL RELATIONSHIP STATUS AMONG YOUNG FANS
Keywords:
Perceived authenticity, Public persona, Parasocial relationship, Relational distancing, Idol fandomAbstract
Perceived inconsistency between an idol’s behavior and public persona raises questions about how young fans evaluate authenticity and adjust their relationships. This study examined perceived authenticity, perceived persona inconsistency, intermediate relationship states, and factors associated with current relationship status. An exploratory cross-sectional online survey study used convenience sampling and snowball recruitment. Of 125 responses, 100 met the screening criterion; most respondents were aged 16–17, and 73% identified as female. Respondents generally viewed the public persona as credible and connected to a real self while remaining more cautious about whether they truly knew the idol. Relational distancing—continuing to follow with reduced enthusiasm—was the most common status among those reporting perceived persona inconsistency. Strong support was reported by 31.8% of this group and 61.5% of those reporting no such experience; Fisher’s exact test indicated an association, OR = 0.29, 95% CI [0.11, 0.80], p = .016. After Holm correction, the most robust associations involved persona-rupture response, core attraction, relationship connection, and perceived authenticity. These exploratory findings cannot be generalized beyond this small cross-sectional sample.References
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