Economics - Research Publications

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Buying intimacy: proximity and exchange at a Japanese rock concert

Stevens, Carolyn S. (State University of New York Press, 2004)

This chapter is concerned with consumer behaviors and emotional experiences of fans of the Japanese rock group, the Alfee. The consumption of goods, information and experiences (through the live concert) is examined, and I found that a strong sense of "gift" in the anthropological sense underlies their experience of fandom. Receiving this gift prompts some fans to return the favor by sending objects or letters to the stars, creating a circular movement of capital, objects and afect between fans and stars. These transactions reveal the dynamics of a perceived personal relationship between fan and star. Fans can gain proximity through the accumulation of objects, as a kind of emotional capital.