International Journal of Social Science Research (IJSSR)

Understanding Fandom Economies: The Role of Parasocial Bonds in Consumer Choice

This study investigates the demand-side dynamics of India’s emerging pop-culture merchandise market by examining the relationship between parasocial attachment and consumer behaviour among anime, K-pop, and gaming fandoms. As digital media platforms increase global content reach, young Indians increasingly develop deep emotional attachment to fictional characters and pop culture figures. However, India’s licensed pop-culture merchandise market remains relatively underdeveloped. This creates a gap between emotional investment and formal retail participation. Using primary survey data collected through a structured online questionnaire distributed among urban Indian youth, this study constructs composite indices measuring Parasocial Attachment, Media Consumption Intensity, Merchandise Engagement, and Price Sensitivity. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis are employed to examine linkages between psychological attachment and economic engagement. The findings reveal a strong positive correlation between parasocial attachment and media consumption (r = 0.59) as well as merchandise engagement (r = 0.63), suggesting that emotional identification significantly predicts economic behaviour within fandom markets. Media consumption alone demonstrates a weaker relationship with merchandise purchasing, indicating that affective attachment, rather than mere exposure, drives consumer action. Price sensitivity displays weak correlations with attachment variables, implying that financial considerations act as structural constraints rather than primary determinants of engagement. Overall, the results reveal a paradox in India’s fandom economy. High levels of parasocial attachment coexist with careful, price-sensitive buying habits. By combining media psychology with consumer economics, this study adds to the growing research on fandom economies in non-Western settings. It offers valuable insights into how emotional connections lead to limited but significant market participation.