Actually, many people are interested in idols, actors, and characters. Also, fans want to help them. However, nowadays, fans participate in producing or marketing, and they push ahead with them actively. So, they are called fansumers. Fansumer is a consumer who participates in the production process of a product, brand, or pop stars. They do not only consume products actively but also interfere and criticize them.

▲ Fansumers participate in the production process for their products, brands, and pop stars.

Fansumers usually work in crowdfunding, supporters' activities, and influencers. Through those activities, they can help their idols, brands, or products to get bigger and bigger. Also, influencers have many benefits because of them. When they start to fund influencers, companies support them because companies can get many consumers. Fansumers experience and promote the brands or products personally, so they can increase a customer's belief. Moreover, they can revive extinct products. Actually, they revived the extinct snack which is called chicken pop from Orion. They have so much influence in our industry.

▲ Fansumers can revive extinct products like chicken pop from Orion.

However, there are some bad effects. First of all, some people cheat fansumers. For example, Produce X 101 which promotes the apprentices and votes them to debut as new idols cheated fansumers. They fabricated the number of votes, so the system of fansumers had a problem. Moreover, there are some side effects, too. Actually, fansumers funded a lot of money for toothbrushes and rice pots, but they already exist in another online shopping mall. Also, they usually work in crowdfunding, but politicians abolished the rule which limits the money in crowdfunding. Crowdfunding which has scarce funding power starts up fund, so the degree of fund risk is so high. It even cannot be protected by laws. So, fansumers can be damaged.

Fansumers' activities help our industry to grow up, but there are some side effects and damages like a fraud. We should solve this problem and reinforce the system of fansumers.

January 11th, 2020

Sejeong Kim