Social Media Communication and K-pop Consumption Behavior among Chinese Adolescents

This study examines K-pop consumption among Chinese adolescents from the perspective of social media communication. Drawing on multi-source secondary data, it examines the structural characteristics of adolescent K-pop consumption in terms of exposure channels, consumption duration, and expenditure level. Adolescents demonstrate higher levels of exposure to K-pop than other age groups but lower per capita expenditure than individuals aged 20–40. This mismatch between high involvement and low payment ability forms the practical basis for competitive consumption; The platform algorithm and fan community (fandom) quantify fan interaction as an indicator of idol commercial value, causing young people to undertake a large amount of unpaid digital labor; The exclusivity produced by closed fan circles is also most pronounced among adolescents. Accordingly, this study proposes a three-level governance framework encompassing algorithmic ethics, community restructuring, and media and financial literacy education. This study extends existing fandom research beyond adult fan communities and offers a basis for more targeted forms of protection.