Hiperealitas Dalam Komunitas Penggemar Boy Group K-Pop Pada Platform Media Sosial Twitter “X”

Abstract

The rapid growth of K-pop fandom activities on social media has transformed platforms such as Twitter (X) from mere communication tools into spaces where symbolic meanings and social relations are continuously constructed. This study aims to examine how interactions between fans and K-pop boy group idols on Twitter (X) produce conditions of hyperreality within digital fandom practices. Using a qualitative approach with a netnographic method, data were collected through participatory online observation, analysis of digital content and interactions, and in-depth interviews with selected informants. The results show that fandom develops into a relatively autonomous symbolic reality, supported by personal representations of idols through everyday content, the formation of parasocial relationships, and repetitive digital rituals such as streaming, hashtag campaigns, and fanbase coordination. These practices foster emotional closeness, collective norms, loyalty, and solidarity that shape fan identity and social relations. Twitter (X) therefore functions not only as a communication medium but also as an alternative social ecosystem producing simulated experiences, where digital representations are perceived as more real than empirical reality, forming fandom hyperreality. These findings enrich digital communication studies by showing fandom interactions operate as mechanisms for producing symbolic social reality in social media