Affective Economies of Fandom: Emotional Labor and the Value Reconstruction of Declining Time-Honored Brands

This study investigates the transformative impact of fandom cultures within social media ecosystems on the value reconstruction of traditional brands, with a focus on the role of emotional labor and fan communities as co-creators. Facing challenges such as aging consumer bases, outdated brand narratives, and declining competitiveness in an era of globalization and digitization, time-honored brands have found unexpected pathways to revival through participatory fan practices. Leveraging digital platforms, fans engage in strategic emotional investments and labor—manifesting in content creation, cultural interpretation, and community governance—to collectively reshape brand heritage and authenticity. By integrating cross-disciplinary perspectives from affective economies, fan studies, and brand management, this research develops a novel platformized emotional labor framework encompassing three dimensions: stratified emotional production (hierarchical fan contributions), negotiated authenticity (dynamic balance between commercialization and cultural preservation), and algorithmic intermediation (platform governance shaping labor dynamics). Through comparative case analyses of Chinese and Western markets, the study reveals how platform architectures mediate emotional labor processes, enabling brands to transition from passive heritage guardians to active cultural innovators. The findings offer actionable insights for legacy brands navigating digital transformation, emphasizing the ethical co-management of fan communities and algorithmic environments to sustain both cultural relevance and commercial viability.