Role-Playing in the Context of Everyday Life: A Sociological Analysis of Amateur Fan Meet-and-Greets

The "amateur fan meet-and-greet event" has recently emerged as a popular “quasi-idol worship” social phenomenon on the Chinese social platform Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu). In this activity, young participants stimulate online fan meetings inspired by the Korean idol industry, assuming the roles of fans or idols while interacting with strangers. This trend represents more than just a novel form of social interaction or emotional expression; it also functions as a self-adaptive strategy employed by the younger generation to cope with the pressures of modern accelerated society. Through brief, structured interactions, participants experience an immediate form of gratification that fulfills their desire for recognition, connection and belonging. However, while these interactions may appear to satisfy the participants’ emotional aspirations of reciprocally engaging with “idols”, they simultaneously contribute to the standardization and routinization of interpersonal relationships in everyday life. The mimicry of idol-fan dynamics fosters a highly structured and predictable mode of social engagement, reflecting broader societal trends towards the commodification and formalization of personal interactions.

It is important to note that, within these ostensibly standardized social interactions, participants’ roles remain fluid. The initially defined roles of fan and idol are not fixed but often evolve into more accessible and authentic identities during or even prior to actual interactions. This paper adopts the perspective of everyday life to explore the underlying motivations and societal dynamics driving the rise of the amateur fan meet-and-greet event, analyzing how such interactions both reflect and shape contemporary emotional experiences. By examining this scripted social ritual, the study sheds light on how individuals navigate the demands of modernity, forging relationships that blend entertainment, emotional satisfaction, and social validation. In doing so, this paper demonstrates how such activities, though seemingly innovative, contribute to the broader trend of emotional and social standardization in the digital age.