Category: Uncategorised

Sense of belonging, Cross-cultural

Dancing create sense of belonging

My question is started with, How can dancing community gather cross-cultural dancers together to help build sense of belonging and collectivism?

Then change to How can dancing gather people together to play with the help a community.

David mentioned based on my intervention idea: How dance help with group dynamic bonding

Intervention additional advice from David: Bring one of their friend, interview the friend I don’t know right after the session, would you do again, generate the data from classmates and interview from friends, with the same question. Video interview is qualitative method

I still need some Academic argument

Hypothesis is made of 2 parts, I need the anti ideas.

Background supplement of the new research question

Let’s start with my background.

I have been dancing K-Pop dancing for 12 years since the first time in 2010. I have always been the dancing leader and producer of K-Pop dancing club during my undergraduate period. At the same time, I have been a member of the dance crew in the largest K-Pop Random Play Dance organization in Chinese Mainland since 2019.

Since I came to Britain at the end of last year, I have left my original dancing crew. At first, I didn’t have any new friends in London, nor did the UAL have a suitable society for me to join, so I searched many local K-Pop dance crews in London on social media, followed their instagrams, and kept in touch with some of them. I even participated in a 30 minute interview with a dance group called Segno (https://www.instagram.com/segno_official/), which lasted longer than any of my previous internship interview. Although I failed to pass the interview, I continued to follow to the dance group.

After a period of time, I learned that every CSSA (Chinese Student and Scholars Association) in London has its own dance team, and most people, especially people from Chinese Mainland, do not choose to join the kind of dance club that everyone (means people from all over the world) joins.

By May this year, when I gradually learned more about the K-Pop dance environment in London, I found that I mostly danced with foreigners, while most of my Chinese friends only danced with Chinese people, but I didn’t ask why.

The first time I showed up in front of London people or the outside world should be the MCM Comic con in London at the end of May. When AZIZA dance crew uploaded their random play dance I participated in to YouTube, some foreign audiences recognized me. This YouTube viewer named Maknae was the first to recognize me. Although he didn’t know my name, he knew I was from China.

Maknae：
The one with white short sleeved shirt tie is the one often seen in China’s K-POP random dance, went to the UK ah ha;;
You know a lot of dances, and your strength is still good~

I:
Wow, someone actually recognized me.

Maknae：
Wow, you also have a personal channel, and you can speak Korean!
I have seen many times in K-POP random dance in China before
Because your dance is very good, so I remember, you are still very beautiful, and the dance is also very handsome~

I:
I started using YouTube because I came to Britain
Korean… just a little kkkk
Thank you for recognizing me!!

Maknae：
You like K-Pop, Korean people should say thank you.
It seems that you are studying in the UK~Come on!!

Many people may know that I was going through a super sad broken up at that time, so I was very encouraged and cheered after seeing such comments.

It is precisely because of my active performance in London and Manchester that the foreign audience of YouTube found that this dancer who is very active in China went to the UK to study. Their feedback made these Local Crews in London also pay attention to me.

But the premise is that I am an excellent dancer, and I have the courage to stand in front of the world because I am excellent. If a person is not as excellent as I am, and has no desire as I am, they will not take the initiative and have the courage to stand in front of so many people.

In fact, until this time, I haven’t changed my research direction to the current one, and I’m still struggling in my last topic.

During the summer vacation, many of my friends returned to China because of the end of the semester. I can probably perceive from the photos they sent that they are still with Chinese friends in London. People are easily influenced by people around them. If people around them choose to return to China, then the probability of one of them returning is extremely high. A week before my friends left China, I invited them to my home and watched some local London Crew videos together.

They just encouraged me to dance with these people, but when I asked them why they didn’t choose to dance with these people, they said, “It’s unnecessary.”

Change my topic

Until September this year, I happened to know that a Korean YouTube GoToe (https://www.youtube.com/@gotoe) with two million fans was coming to Paris to hold a random play dance. It happened that Xueqing and I were also planning to go to Paris (thanks to God), so we put this activity to our travelling schedule, which became our last trip before Term 3 started.

After this video was uploaded, more people recognized me, while I commented as “Hi, I’m from China’s random play dance organization.”

At that time, I suddenly realized that almost all the other Chinese who often dance with foreigners are those who have stayed in London for a long time, not the people like me. So why am I the only new comer who has been dancing with foreigners since the beginning? Because I had no friends when I first came to London, I took the initiative to find some local people or local communities to join. I wonder if I can help those foreign students who are new to London to find suitable groups.

So I finally determined my theme in Term 3. After several revisions, it became: How can dancing community gather cross-cultural dancers together to help build sense of belonging and collectivism?

It is the final new question, and at that time, it was still not the question for now.

https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article/46/2/330/5253362

This article discusses how serial brands can live long under the changing social and cultural background by using the combination method, taking James Bond series as an example, and finally comes up with a theoretical model to explain the necessity of continuity and change.

At the beginning of this article, “Brand longevity refers to how long a brand has endured and this endurance, as conceptualized by Smith (2011), is due to the achievement of social salience (A group or group event with a certain characteristic value or characteristic in social activities) and continued consumer engagement.”

However, this article is only aimed at series brands and worked on analysis, such as James Bond, so this model can be theoretically framed in Transformers and Marvel superhero films. But for example, there are limitations for some emerging brands, for some brands that do not need to be serial.

For the second point of the definition of brand longevity in Smith’s research, “continuous consumer engagement”, I have a simple deep talk with May, the co-founder of Blooming Dance in London. She said, “we are not worried about the lack of sustainable consumers, because London is an immigrant city, and many new overseas students and Chinese come to London every year.”

My survey groups are concentrated in the Chinese dance studios in London, including Blooming dance, Comedian, Krew and Rocky Dance. They get consumers in the same way – by publishing content on social media platform with a large number of hashtags. In fact, through the positioning of users’ IP addresses and the recommendation of algorithmic big data by social media, international students with relevant interests will see relevant content in social media, and thus they have “continuous consumers” (this method is also applicable to all who have seen Carrie on social media). 

For these brands, the so-called “sustainable consumers” are more because the brands rely on the power of modern technology. Therefore, they just need to create content, fight with the algorithms of social media platforms, and wait for consumers to come, rather than the brands themselves to find some consumers. In this case, consumers see the same things, and homogenization is very serious. But what if they are abandoned by the algorithm? This happened to other platform which I have experiences.

Therefore, I don’t think this is an excellent, or good way, because I personally think that as an ordinary content publisher (especially a small brand with great competition in the blue ocean market), people will always fall behind the algorithm, and the algorithm will always run ahead of these brands. I think it is also necessary for consumers to see the product content more intuitively. Therefore, my intervention is to call them to focuses on “offline”.

“BRAND LONGEVITY: Enduring love”, 2007, Brand Strategy, , pp. 25.

Booming brands drive change through new ideas, ways of marketing products, and a series of innovative additions.

Sood and Dr è Ze (2006) focused on how to introduce new elements to keep the brand fresh and thus bring sustainable brand value. This is like a control variable method.

I contacted Fish, the partner of Comedian dance studio in London, and asked her whether she and her team could do some flash mob events at the entrance of major universities in London at the beginning of the school season in September. It’s very gratifying that fish accepted my opinion and comedian will discuss the feasibility of this activity on August 31.

So Jiang told me that I need to collect other people which are my stakeholders’ opinions towards my intervention/action.

Firstly, for the email I sent to the brand I wanna collab with, I have not got any reply….

Secondly, for the RPD brand, since we wanted to do some preparation for the coming offline event in London, they took my advice to re-start the instagram posting.

However, I asked them to change the cover formation of the reels they post on instagram. Since this post is not so clear to show the content of the video.

And they are still working on the project of some China domestic online events with the ideas I came up.

Thirdly, for my dance crew brand.

I set up the linktree for the crew and put the link in the bio of instagram.

CTR = click through rate

CTR prediction is one of key areas in advertisement computation field.

I think I need to set a goal for this CTR…

And I only uploaded one video and there were 33 views and no comment. So in fact the view is above I predicted, since the video is not in trend and no one followed the channel before. The crew members are happy to see that we upload video to YouTube, but I’m tired……

I discussed the probability of holding an event in London (at October’s Comic con), and the leader of SCST just worried about some issues, such as the device to record, the publicity, and others.

For device to record, I said I have camera for filming. And for publicity, I suggested him to re-start to upload videos on Instagram, rather than only upload on YouTube. So he took my advice and started to post video again from today. (Actually I asked if he needs my help with this, but he asked someone else)

The reason why I asked him to upload on Instagram again is that I found people uses Instagram the most nowadays, rather than Twitter and Facebook, these social platforms seems out of date already? But maybe that is because my friends in the UK don’t use these.

The deadline of submit to comic con is 5th Sep, I will prepare the documents it needs before the end of Aug, if the leader of SCST agrees with this. (Hopefully)

The reason why I wanna hold this RPD event here is, it will make SCST be international, to some extent, which is a good way to make people in China think, “oh my gosh, they are so great to have RPD overseas”. I mean, but just because my English sucks, I don’t know how to express it properly… To some extent, it’s like, Genshin is soooo popular so I need to like Genshin..?

I also inspired by this, so I’m thinking of what “brand” I can do intervention for. The “brand” I came up with is my uni’s dance crew. We only do publicity work in Chinese platform, but the crew wants to perform at Comic con, so we need something to prove that we can perform here.

So till now, I think my how can question changes to “How can brand (of dancing crew) expand popularity”, trying find precise words to describe.

Send an email to Cider, who I wanna collaborate with.

Finally decide to work with my old friend and the brand 随唱谁跳. The topic now we have discussed is how to prolong the life of this brand, and how to make it survive in a business environment from an event only for people’s interests.

随唱谁跳 (SCST), the biggest Chinese random play dance organisation.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8RwI2OAP4kGQxzyUQqtSgQ

My current plan towards international are:

1. Collaborate with fashion brand which focus on KPOP style or which have KPOP style collection, to expand awareness.
2. Keep working on establishing its SNS platforms like Instagram.
3. Hold events in London Comic Con, which I need to email Comic Con. However people should buy tickets to enter ExCel, but SCST is a total free event, so I’m still thinking how to work on it. (It’s not easy to find a fancy place to hold such event freely)

Current plan towards China domestic are:

Q: Hello! Welcome to my interview. This interview is aimed for my MA project which is focus on fandom economy. This interview is recorded and only for academic using. OK, let’s start, what is your name, occupation, age, and whose fan are you?

A: Xiaolvhua, unemployed currently, used to be a game copywriter. 25 years old. I am a fan of many people and spend almost the same money. Arashi (a Japanese boy idol group) is the one who I loved the most in terms of time.

Q: Do you think you paid a lot of money for your idol?

A: I think I spend less in the group of people who spend money.

Q: How much you spent, approximately?

A: I can’t figure it out because I don’t record how much I spent, but I think more than 5000 yuan, I don’t remember some of the money I spent.

Q: How often do you buy side-products? Or are you going to a concert or something else?

A: The number of times I buy side-products depends on the number of concerts they hold, because every time they hold concerts, there are something I want to buy, as well as concert DVDs. At that time, I will spend a lot of money. I usually buy albums and photos if no concerts there.

Q: So in your opinion you don’t think you spent too much. And you’re not all in, are you?

A: I may all in the products of the member I like, for example, the photos of the members I like, because they are not expensive, that is, just more than 100 yuan.

Q: All in photos are really not expensive, but what about towels and fans and other side products of the concert? Will you also all in?

A: I don’t buy those because I don’t go offline concerts.

Q: How did you feel when you paid for your idols? For example, to see him get the business value because you buy something, do you have a sense of achievement and fulfillment, or do you feel happy just because you spend money?

A: Both a little bit. But, I think spending money makes me feel more happy, because happiness is bought for myself.

Q: Because my idea of designing this question is that if I spend money on other things, I can also feel happy, do you agree?

A: How much happiness is different, right? For example, if I buy things with the same amount of money, I will get more happiness by buying things with idols than normal stuff. Price is equivalent, but different values.

Q: Do you think there are any other feelings besides the sense of achievement and happiness?

A: Nothing really, mainly because on the one hand, they are national idols in Japan. In fact, I don’t think the money I spend will have any impact on them, but it may have a greater impact on myself. Every time I see them get, like very normal good grades, I still feel that “I have my share of this grade!”

Q: If you often buy products of brand A, and your idols speaks for its competitor Brand B, will you give up brand A and buy brand B?

A: I think I am a very realistic person. In this case, I will see which brand is useful to me.

Q: What if the two products are very similar? For example, the effect is the same, and the price is the same.

A: Then I will buy brand B!

Q: If the two products are similar, you will buy them. If they are very different, you will consider them, right?

A: Yes.

Q: Suppose that your idols now endorse a product of a brand, for example, a lipstick, but you don’t like the brand very much, will you still buy this product because you like your idols? Why?

A: I don’t think I would buy it because I have had this experience before. He did speak for a brand I didn’t like, and then I didn’t buy it.

Q: Then, for example, if they endorse Zara and UNIQLO, will you not buy them because of some national feelings?

A: Yes, ha ha ha ha ha! And my experience is similar to this.

Q: Do you think that because your idols speak for a brand, this brand must be good and worth buying? Or will you improve your view of the brand because your idols endorse the brand?

A: Not really. I may improve my opinion about my idols.

Q: You will think why he took the advertisement of this brand, right?

A: Right!

Q: But this is something he cannot decide by himself, right?

A: In this case, I will scold the company!

Q: So which means your opinions towards a brand will from many other aspects, such as the history of the brand?

A: Evaluation, maybe. I think what I read most is evaluation. The evaluation of people who have bought these things will not make me blindfold because of idols.

Q: That means you still don’t have the enough money to care about nothing. Because my precise question is how the brand can reasonably use the fandom economy to increase sales numbers, so I asked you these questions.

A: But I’m the kind of person, like, if idol endorse this brand, I might not buy it, but if his private clothes is full of this brand, I would buy it. Sometimes I would buy it even if he didn’t endorse it.

Q: But is it possible that this kind of clothes he wears are also advertisement, not a public one?

A: I know, but I will buy it! Compared with his overt endorsement, the things he wears will make me more desire.

Q: It seems that I am that kind of person, too.

A: For example, Michieda Shunsuke, his group endorsed GU. He also wears many GU for his own clothes. It must be from the brand. I only bought the style he wears, not the one he endorses.

Q: Make sense, because I just bought a bag of the same color as my idol.

A: I think this is a different way to use the fandom economy.

What is methodology?

I’m really not sure what methodology I can use for project. Because in the past I majored in Accounting which can simply use quantitative method or qualitative method to analyse data, but I’m not sure for this creative project what can I use.

Methodology is the study of research methods,^[1][2] or, more formally, “‘a contextual framework’ for research, a coherent and logical scheme based on views, beliefs, and values, that guides the choices researchers [or other users] make”.^[3][4]

It comprises the theoretical analysis of the body of methods and principles associated with a branch of knowledge such that the methodologies employed from differing disciplines vary depending on their historical development. This creates a continuum of methodologies^[5] that stretch across competing understandings of how knowledge and reality are best understood. This situates methodologies within overarching philosophies and approaches.^[6]

Methodology may be visualized as a spectrum from a predominantly quantitative approach towards a predominantly qualitative approach.^[7] Although a methodology may conventionally sit specifically within one of these approaches, researchers may blend approaches in answering their research objectives and so have methodologies that are multimethod and/or interdisciplinary.^[8][9][10]

In general, a methodology proposes to provide solutions – therefore, the same as a method.^[10][11] Instead, a methodology offers a theoreticalperspective for understanding which method, set of methods, or best practices can be applied to the research question(s) at hand.

方法论是对研究方法的研究[1][2]，或者更正式地说，“一个研究的“背景框架”，一个基于观点、信念和价值观的连贯和逻辑的方案，指导研究人员[或其他用户]做出的选择”。[3][4]

它包括对与一个知识分支相关的方法和原则的理论分析，因此不同学科采用的方法因其历史发展而不同。这就形成了一系列方法[5]，这些方法跨越了对如何更好地理解知识和现实的相互竞争的理解。这将方法论置于总体哲学和方法中。[6]

方法论可以被可视化为一个从以定量为主的方法到以定性为主的方法的光谱。[7] 尽管一种方法论通常可能具体地包含在其中一种方法中，但研究人员在回答他们的研究目标时可能会混合各种方法，因此有多种方法和/或跨学科的方法论。[8][9][10]

一般来说，一种方法提出的是提供解决方案——因此，与一种方法相同。[10] [11]相反，方法论为理解哪种方法、一套方法或最佳实践可以应用于手头的研究问题提供了理论视角。

Fan economy can be seen mainly as a system of practices of fans’ material consumption of their idols’ products and practices of cultural consumption with occasional fans’ own (re)production of their idols’ images, products, and side products that manifest the creative dimension of fandom, apart from the commercial aspect (Larsen and Zubernis, 2012).

粉丝经济主要可以被视为粉丝对偶像产品的物质消费和文化消费实践的系统，偶尔粉丝会自己（重新）制作偶像的形象、产品和副产品，这些都体现了粉丝的创造性维度，除了商业方面。

<The Korean Wave: Evolution, Fandom, and Transnationality>

https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=zh-CN&lr=&id=XFY_DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA129&dq=fandom+economy&ots=f6qDUU1Q48&sig=sVmJyBHonZkBWDVY7mw3hrBqM2Y&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=fandom%20economy&f=false

➡️ If fans could earn more by the reproduction of the side products? Then fans spent what they have earned to support the idols? This is another way of fandom economy.

➡️Supporting culture

SWOT analysis

Strengths

1. Easier to find stakeholders: It is easier to find stakeholders than my previous field of Project 3 and 4, since I have changed the pathway from a big topic into a more specific topic, and then I can do some research on my previous experiences.

2. More interesting: Well, the dragons said this, and my tutor said it was good to see me switch the topic.

3. Related to my UG major, my interest and my previous work, which means I have some common sense in this field, and I am a person who will insist on doing what I like.

Weaknesses

1. It is too narrow to get the target of changing the world. The topic is small (compare with others topic like shopping platform or something about psychology, mental issues) and the group of my stakeholders is just a small of people around us.

2. Maybe it will be difficult to do interventions, except questionnaires, because it might be difficult to influence the stakeholders’ behavior. Well, I do not only want questionnaires.

Opportunities

1. For me, it is a good chance to do some self examination from different perspectives, since I have said “I was an idol trainee, I was a brand worker and I was one of the crazy fans”, I can dig out more from these different identities.

Threats

1. Maybe I cannot find an exact issue to study, since every time I read the essays in this field, I would find some other problems I was interested in, and wanted to find out more, so there might be a lot more issues.

2. I think I am not a person who is good at coming up useful ideas.

3. The environment of this field changes every day and I am afraid I cannot catch up with it in time.

4. Once more, maybe it will be difficult to do interventions.