Proceedings of the 2025 International Conference on Global Cultural and Creative Industries (ICGCCI 2025)

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Emotional Rituals in Digital Fan Practices: A Case Study of Luo Tianyi in the Chinese Virtual Idol Industry

Authors
Zirui Chen1, *
1Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
*Corresponding author. Email: Z.Chen2@lboro.ac.uk
Corresponding Author
Zirui Chen
Available Online 30 August 2025.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-458-7_7How to use a DOI?
Keywords
virtual idols; online fan communities; interactive ritual chains (IRC); China
Abstract

Over the past decade, virtual idols have gained immense popularity among Chinese youth, with an industry research report estimating the core market size to exceed ¥12.08 billion in 2022 and reach ¥48.06 billion in 2025 (iiMedia Research, 2023). The commercial success has positioned virtual idols as iconic symbols of Chinese digital culture. Luo Tianyi, one of the most prominent virtual idols in China with over 3.9 million domestic followers, was chosen as the case study for this research. Drawing on Randall Collin’s (2014) theory of Interactive Ritual Chains (IRC), this study explores how Chinese virtual idol fans engage with Luo Tianyi and participate in their online fan community through digital fan practices. It focuses on the relationship between digital fan practices and their emotional devotion to the virtual singer and fandom community. This study contributes to the broader discussion on the integration of culture, technology, and economy within the Chinese creative and cultural industries. By extending the application of Collins’ model to the digital environment, this study highlights the role of fans as both consumers and co-creators, revealing how emotional rituals drive the sustainable development of virtual singers. The case of Luo Tianyi also exemplifies the potential of online fan communities in producing cultural value and driving economic growth on digital platforms, which offers insights into the evolving trends in the culture and creative industries.

Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 2025 International Conference on Global Cultural and Creative Industries (ICGCCI 2025)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
30 August 2025
ISBN
978-2-38476-458-7
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-458-7_7How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Zirui Chen
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/08/30
TI  - Emotional Rituals in Digital Fan Practices: A Case Study of Luo Tianyi in the Chinese Virtual Idol Industry
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 International Conference on Global Cultural and Creative Industries (ICGCCI 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 132
EP  - 154
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-458-7_7
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-458-7_7
ID  - Chen2025
ER  -