Fan power and capital in JKT48’s senbatsu sousenkyo voting contest
Abstract
Senbatsu Sousenkyo (SSK), adapted from Japanese idol sister groups, is an event that members JKT48 and fans look forward to. Through a voting system, fans play a role in determining which members will take center position in the next single. SSK as a general election always experiences a surge compared to the previous event. This shows the militancy of fans which has implications for the popularity of their idols. It cannot be denied that there are various capitals massively empowered to boost voting results. This research aims to explore the complex interactions and contestations of capital in popular culture, especially in the context of participatory democracy in SSK. This research also aims to identify the dominant forms of capital, explore the habitus displayed by fans, and analyze the doxa of the SSK competition arena as a reflection of power dynamics in popular culture. This research uses Pierre Bourdieu's approach in understanding the SSK phenomenon through the trilogy of habitus, field, and capital to analyze how fan practices reproduce power relations in digital fandom economies. This research uses qualitative approach with a case study design. Data collection techniques in this research involved document tracing, non-participatory observation, and analysis of physical artifacts on several fanbase accounts, such as @FreyanationID and @C_Jessination48. This research finds that various capitals in SSK interact with each other to determine the outcome of contestation through, especially economic capital as the main factor in the voting system that boosts voting preferences for certain idols. The victory obtained through the mobilization of economic capital also raises other capitals such as symbolic and social capital related to the ‘closeness’ and previlege obtained by fans. These findings indicate that SSK is a capital-driven battleground that reinforces consumerist culture, produces fan hierarchies, and institutionalizes economic stratification within the idol group entertainment industry.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Abd-Rahim, A. (2019). Online Fandom: Social Identity and Social Hierarchy of Hallyu Fans. Journal for Undergraduate Ethnography, 9(1), 65–81. https://doi.org/10.15273/jue.v9i1.8885
Angelica, D., & Fadil, Z. (2023). Communication Strategies Implemented by JKT48 Towards Fan Loyalty. Proceedings International Conference of Culture and Sustainable Development.
Anggraini, D. (2016). Dinamika Pemujaan Idola (Idol Worship) dalam Fandom JKT48. Universitas Negeri Jakarta.
Aoyagi, H. (2020). Islands of Eight Million Smiles: Idol Performance and Symbolic Production in Contemporary Japan.
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The Forms of Capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood Press.
Bourdieu, P. (1993). Sociology in Question. Sage.
Bourdieu, P., & Wacquant, L. J. (1992). An Invitation to Reflexive Sociology. University of Chicago Press.
Burawoy, M. (2022). The Poverty of Philosophy: Marx Meets Bourdieu. In Bourdieu and Marx: Practices of Critique (pp. 103–129). Springer International Publishing.
Cahill, D., Cooper, M., Konings, M., & Primrose, D. (2018). The SAGE Handbook of Neoliberalism. Sage.
Calhoun, C., LiPuma, E., & Postone, M. (1993). Bourdieu: Critical Perspectives. University of Chicago Press.
Chen, L., Chen, G., Ma, S., & Wang, S. (2022). Idol Worship: How Does It Influence Fan Consumers’ Brand Loyalty? Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.850670
Chin, B. (2018). It’s About Who You Know. In A Companion to Media Fandom and Fan Studies (pp. 243–255). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119237211.ch15
Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94, S95–S120.
Cuijuan, L., & Hai, Y. (2023). Research on the Influence of Cultural Capital on Human Sports Practice. SHS Web of Conferences, 163, 02016. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202316302016
Fadli, M. R. (2021). Memahami desain metode penelitian kualitatif. HUMANIKA, 21(1), 33–54. https://doi.org/10.21831/hum.v21i1.38075
Fan, X., Shamshudeen, R. I. B., & Rahamad, M. S. Bin. (2023). Empowering Chinese Young Female Fans on Social Media through Artificial Intelligence to Control their Body Image. Comunicar. https://doi.org/10.58262/V32I78.20
Fredianto, D., & Septiawan, F. E. (2020). Pawai Miniatur Truk sebagai Arena Hiburan Baru Masyarakat Rural: Sebuah Praktik Sosial. Satwika : Kajian Ilmu Budaya Dan Perubahan Sosial, 4(1), 10–21. https://doi.org/10.22219/satwika.v4i1.11423
Galbraith, P. W. (2016). The Labor of Love: on The Convergence of Fan and Corporate Interests in Contemporary Idol Culture in Japan. In Media Convergence in Japan (pp. 232–264). Kinema Club.
Galbraith, P. W., & Karlin, J. G. (2012a). Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture. Springer.
Galbraith, P. W., & Karlin, J. G. (2012b). Introduction: The Mirror of Idols and Celebrity. In Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture (pp. 1–32). Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137283788_1
Galbraith, P. W., & Karlin, J. G. (2019). AKB48 (33 1/3 Jap). Bloomsbury Publishing.
George, O. (2020). “ARMY, I’m Home!”: Digital Community and Mediated Intimacy in K-Pop Fandom K-Pop Fandom. Honors Theses, 1–52.
Gilleard, C. (2020). Bourdieu’s forms of capital and the stratification of later life. Journal of Aging Studies, 53, 100851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2020.100851
Grenfell, M. (2014). Pierre Bourdieu: Key Concepts (M. Grenfell (ed.); 2nd Editio). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315729923
Harrison, P. R. (1993). Bourdieu and the Possibility of a Postmodern Sociology. Thesis Eleven, 35(1), 36–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/072551369303500104
Husu, H.-M. (2013). Bourdieu and Social Movements: Considering Identity Movements in Terms of Field, Capital and Habitus. Social Movement Studies, 12(3), 264–279. https://doi.org/10.1080/14742837.2012.704174
JKT48. (2024). Pemilihan Member Single Ke-26 JKT48. https://ssk.jkt48.com/2024/id
Kim, Y. (2011). Idol republic: the global emergence of girl industries and the commercialization of girl bodies. Journal of Gender Studies, 20(4), 333–345. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2011.617604
Krisdinanto, N. (2016). Pierre Bourdieu, Sang Juru Damai. KANAL: Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi, 2(2), 189. https://doi.org/10.21070/kanal.v2i2.300
Kuczaj, A. (2025). “Girls Capitalism”: Dissecting Consumerism and Fan Culture in. Open MenuCritical Reflections: A Student Journal on Contemporary Sociological Issues, Critical Reflections 2025.
Lyu, Y. (2023). Research on Idol Commercialization in the New Media Era. Media and Communication Research, 4(8). https://doi.org/10.23977/mediacr.2023.040805
Maharani, S. Z., & Az-zahra, A. P. (2024). Strategi Komunikasi Pemasaran Prodak Erigo terhadap Influence JKT48. Triwikrama: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial, 6(3).
McInroy, L. B. (2020). Building connections and slaying basilisks: fostering support, resilience, and positive adjustment for sexual and gender minority youth in online fandom communities. Information, Communication & Society, 23(13), 1874–1891. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1623902
Milne, G. R., & McDonald, M. A. (1999). Sport Marketing: Managing the Exchange Process. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Mohseni, A. (2022). The Idea of Capital in Bourdieu and Marx. Philosophical Papers, 51(2), 265–293. https://doi.org/10.1080/05568641.2022.2077230
Mulya, S. N. M., & Mulyana, A. (2022). Parasocial Interactions: JKT48 Fans in Forming Relations with Idols and Social Environment. Journal of Social and Political Sciences, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.31014/aior.1991.05.03.368
Peck, J., & Brenner, N. (2018). Actually Existing Neoliberalism. Sage Publisher.
Reid, S. (2021). The Generative Principles of Lifestyle Enterprising: Dialectic Entanglements of Capital-Habitus-Field. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 27(3), 629–647. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-10-2018-0688
Ritzer, G. (1997). Postmodern Social Theory. McGraw-Hill Humanities, Social Sciences & World Languages.
Ritzer, G., & Stepnisky, J. (2011). The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Major Social Theorists. John Wiley & Sons.
Rusdiarti, S. R. (2004). Bahasa, Kapital Simbolik, dan Pertarungan Kekuasaan. Universitas Indonesia.
Schirone, M. (2023). Field, capital, and habitus: The impact of Pierre Bourdieu on bibliometrics. Quantitative Science Studies, 4(1), 186–208. https://doi.org/10.1162/qss_a_00232
Setiawan, A. O., & Chrisdina, C. (2023). Marketing Strategy Of JKT48 As A Japanese-Style Idol Group In Attracting New Markets In Indonesia. COMMENTATE: Journal of Communication Management, 4(1), 58. https://doi.org/10.37535/103004120236
Setiawan, J., & Sudrajat, A. (2018). Pemikiran Postmodernisme dan Pandangannya terhadap Ilmu Pengetahuan. Jurnal Filsafat, 28(1), 25. https://doi.org/10.22146/jf.33296
Siregar, M. (2016). Teori “Gado-gado” Pierre-Felix Bourdieu. Jurnal Studi Kultural, 1(2), 84–87.
Stake, R. E. (2010). Qualitative Research: Studying How Things Work. Guilford Press.
Stanfill, M., & Condis, M. (2014). Fandom and/as labor. Transformative Works and Cultures, 15. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2014.0593
Takwin, B. (2006). Perlengkapan dan Kerangka Panduan Gaya Hidup. In Resistensi Gaya Hidup: Teori dan Realitas (pp. 49–50). Jalasutra.
Trigo, L. Á. (2020). Performance and K-Pop Stans: Digital Activism in 2020. Popular Culture as Transformative Action: Videoclips, Performances, and Speeches in US Popular Culture, December.
Wang, Z. (2020). The Complicated Digital Fandom: Empowerment and Exploitation of Fans in Digital Media Era. Humanities and Social Sciences, 8(2), 45. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20200802.11
Xie, W. (2021). Japanese ‘idols’ in trans-cultural reception: the case of AKB48. In J. Bracker & A.-K. Hubrich (Eds.), The Art of Reception (p. 371). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Zhang, Y. (2022). A Study on the Para-social Interaction Between Idols and Fans in Virtual Applications. Proceedings of the 2021 International Conference on Social Development and Media Communication (SDMC 2021), 631(Sdmc 2021), 1118–1124. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220105.205
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30813/bricolage.v11i2.8128
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Accredited by:
Indexed by:
UNIVERSITAS BUNDA MULIA PRESS
PROGRAM STUDI MAGISTER ILMU KOMUNIKASI
Lantai 3 Ruang Pascasarjana - Universitas Bunda Mulia
Jl. Lodan Raya No. 2, Ancol – Jakarta Utara 14430, Indonesia
Telp: +62 21 692 9090 ext.1317
Email: bricolage@ubm.ac.id; bricolage.mikom@gmail.com
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
View My Stats