Blackpink Fans Prioritize Emotion and Peer Influence Over Economic Logic, Indonesian Study Finds
A new study from State University of Surabaya has found that emotional attachment and peer influence play a far greater role than economic literacy in shaping Indonesian fans’ intention to buy Blackpink concert tickets. The research, conducted by Sandi Dimas Utomo and Mohamad Arief Rafsanjani, was published in 2026 in the Indonesian Journal of Society Development. The findings offer new insight into how fandom culture, social interaction, and emotional identity influence modern consumer behavior in Indonesia’s growing entertainment economy.
The research examined why many Indonesian K-pop fans remain highly active online yet do not always translate that enthusiasm into actual ticket purchases. The issue became especially visible during Blackpink’s 2025 concert tour in Asia, where concerts in several countries sold out quickly while ticket sales in Indonesia were comparatively slower despite enormous fan engagement on social media.
According to the researchers, the gap between digital fandom activity and real purchasing behavior reflects a more complex decision-making process than simple financial capability or rational economic thinking.
“Social interaction and emotional attachment play a greater role in shaping concert ticket purchase intention than rational economic considerations,” the authors wrote in the study.
The study highlights how K-pop consumption has evolved beyond entertainment into a form of social identity and emotional expression among younger generations. In Indonesia, buying albums, merchandise, and concert tickets has become closely connected to belonging within fandom communities.
Why the Research Matters
The rapid growth of the Korean Wave, or Hallyu, has transformed global entertainment consumption patterns over the past decade. Indonesia is now one of the world’s largest K-pop markets, with millions of fans actively engaging through streaming platforms, social media communities, and fan-organized events.
Researchers from State University of Surabaya argue that understanding this phenomenon is increasingly important for economic education, digital marketing, and the entertainment industry.
The study also challenges a long-standing assumption in economics education: that higher economic literacy automatically leads to more rational spending behavior.
Instead, the findings suggest that emotionally driven purchases — particularly in entertainment and fandom culture — often operate differently from traditional consumer decisions.
Surveying Blackpink Fans Across Indonesia
The research used a quantitative survey approach involving 348 Blackpink fans across Indonesia between October and November 2025. Respondents were recruited through WhatsApp groups, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Instagram, and limited field data collection near Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, where the concert took place.
Participants came from diverse economic and geographic backgrounds, including Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Papua, and Timor. Most respondents were women between the ages of 15 and 34, reflecting the dominant demographic of K-pop consumers in Indonesia.
The researchers analyzed four key factors:
- Peer influence
- Economic literacy
- Celebrity worship
- Purchase intention for concert tickets
The study used statistical modeling to measure how these factors interact and influence consumer behavior.
Peer Pressure and Emotional Bonds Drive Ticket Purchases
One of the clearest findings was the strong influence of social interaction within fandom communities.
The study found that peer influence significantly increased fans’ intention to buy concert tickets. Conversations among friends, shared excitement within fandom groups, and exposure to fan-generated information all strengthened purchase motivation.
Researchers also discovered that peer influence strongly contributed to “celebrity worship,” a psychological term describing emotional attachment and admiration toward public figures.
Fans with stronger emotional attachment to Blackpink members were far more likely to express willingness to spend money, effort, and time attending concerts.
Several major findings stood out:
- Peer influence directly increased concert ticket purchase intention
- Celebrity worship strongly influenced willingness to buy tickets
- Peer influence significantly strengthened celebrity worship
- Celebrity worship partially mediated the relationship between peer influence and purchase intention
- Economic literacy showed no significant effect on ticket purchase intention
The strongest statistical relationship in the study connected peer influence and celebrity worship, indicating that emotional attachment is often socially reinforced rather than developed individually.
Economic Literacy Did Not Predict Purchasing Decisions
Perhaps the most surprising finding was that economic literacy had almost no measurable impact on fans’ intention to purchase Blackpink concert tickets.
Most respondents demonstrated high or very high levels of economic literacy. Nearly 70 percent scored in the “very high” category for economic understanding.
Despite that, economic literacy did not significantly reduce or shape purchasing intention.
The researchers argue that concert attendance belongs to a category known as experiential consumption, where emotional satisfaction and symbolic meaning outweigh rational financial calculation.
In other words, fans may fully understand budgeting and economic principles while still choosing emotionally meaningful experiences over purely rational spending behavior.
The study explains that emotional value, fandom identity, and social belonging can become more influential than economic reasoning in entertainment-related decisions.
Social Media Communities Amplify Fan Loyalty
The findings also demonstrate the powerful role of online fan communities in shaping modern consumer behavior.
According to the researchers, fandom interactions on social media strengthen emotional attachment through constant communication, shared experiences, and collective identity-building. Fans continuously reinforce one another’s enthusiasm through content sharing, discussions, and coordinated online engagement.
This process eventually transforms admiration into concrete economic behavior, including concert ticket purchases.
The study further argues that peer influence in fandom culture operates more through information-sharing and emotional reinforcement than direct social pressure.
That distinction is important because it suggests modern consumer decisions are increasingly shaped by digital social ecosystems rather than traditional advertising alone.
Implications for Education and the Entertainment Industry
The research carries important implications for educators, marketers, and concert organizers.
For economic education, the findings suggest that financial literacy programs may need to address emotional and social dimensions of consumer behavior rather than focusing solely on rational decision-making models.
The researchers argue that real-world economic choices are multidimensional and influenced by cognitive, emotional, and social factors simultaneously.
For the entertainment industry, the study highlights the importance of community-based marketing strategies.
Concert promoters and artist management companies may benefit more from strengthening fan interaction and emotional engagement than relying only on pricing strategies or promotional discounts.
Exclusive fan experiences, direct artist interaction, and community-driven campaigns could become increasingly effective tools for boosting ticket sales in Indonesia’s entertainment market.
Author Profiles
Sandi Dimas Utomo is a researcher from the Economics Education Study Program, Faculty of Economics and Business, State University of Surabaya. His research focuses on consumer behavior, economic education, and popular culture.
Mohamad Arief Rafsanjani is an academic and researcher at State University of Surabaya specializing in economic education, social influence, and consumer decision-making behavior.
Source
Journal: Indonesian Journal of Society Development
Publication Year: 2026
Authors: Sandi Dimas Utomo and Mohamad Arief Rafsanjani
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/ijsd.v5i2.21
URL : https://journalijsd.my.id/index.php/ijsd/index
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