Fans legions by throwing money to their idols

Japan is not living its best moment, and much of that situation has to do with the age of its population. The Japanese demography debacle It is explained by the Lack of births and the population aging. The generational relief is the big doubt, young workers are missing and Soon you may also farmers. And before that perspective Not very flatteringits economy grabs the fan phenomenon.

Or, as they baptized a few decades ago, to Oshikatsu.

Fan phenomenon. He term comes from the union of “Oshi“, Or” favorite “, and” katsu “, or” activity. “The phenomenon is originated In the 80s with the beginning of the culture of idol or support for sports teams, but has exploited more recently thanks to anime, video games, teenage singers and even Vtubers and Virtual artists.

Basically, it consists of leaving money in what each one likes, and covers from the purchase of merchandising to the assistance to concerts, events, purchase of anime and video games, directly donate to the idol or participate in increasing that fan phenomenon with comments in forums, social networks or creation of fan art. Among other things.

Hey, this generates money. It is not exclusive to the youngest, since at any age we may like something to make it a hobby and, in fact, a significant number of adults, especially women, contribute to that Oshikatsu very active. That of adults is the demographic group that, for issues of greater possibility of having a job, more money can invest in what it likes and It is calculated that, in 2024, 46% of women in their 50 had a Oshi to which they supported financially.

And that they have noticed from the political spheres. So much that this practice is consolidating as something to take into account in the economy of entertainment and consumption in Japan. HE esteem that the expense is 3.5 billion annual yen, approximately 17,000 million euros, and there are already politicians who see the Oshikatsu as a possible engine of economic growth.

A lot. This increase in importance has impacted even labor policies, with some companies offering paid permits to employees when they are going to perform a practice that is included in the phenomenon. And from the Covid-19 pandemic, the digital one thanks both to both NFTs and virtual leisure such as digital concerts.

And the individual expense in the Oshis? According to a recent survey in Japan, the average amount that fans spend on activities related to their idols is about 250,000 yen. This is about 1,600 euros per year and, with the advertisement Of recent increases, they are expected to invest even more in their Oshis.

We are alone. Now, as usual, there is a darker story behind Oshikatsu. As we read in The conversationa 2022 investigation evidenced that these fans activities are related to a deep desire for connection, validation or belonging to a group. Also of personal connection and we might think that it is satisfied by friendship or a more intimate relationship, but there is a problem: the rhythm of life.

Young men lead that trend, especially those with manual jobs or part -time that have difficulty combining personal and work life. Therefore, they do not have time to cultivate and keep friends. And that is giving rise to another business: pay for hours to relieve loneliness.

Rent humans for hours. Because there are companies that are already seeing that opportunity to turn something like friendship into a product. As? Hiring people to be your friends for a day, something that implies from going to the park until giving hugs without other connotations. The big problem? Convert that human connection into some payment.

And beyond business, there are other economic implications, such as people who have a second job to be able to “keep” Oshis.

Good side. But it is also something that has its positive part. Precisely, being part of a phenomenon, you are likely to find on social networks, forums or fan club with those same tastes with which you can develop a potential friendship, thus satisfying that affective need.

On the other hand, it remains to be seen if that phenomenon is the great promoter of the Japanese economy, since an important part of the phenomenon is the culture of content creation, such as Fan Art, which is shared for free, as well as the clubs and events in which the participants meet to show their interest in the same topic.

Although we focus on Japan, in the West we will not have such a cool word to describe the fan phenomenon, but it is something that We see daily with fans clubsthose that align with certain hobbies on social networks and even those who directly support their favorite creator through donations on platforms such as YouTube or Twitch.

And the Japanese demographic problem … Nor is it exclusive to that country.

Images | Dick Thomas Johnson, Cyclohexane233, Danny Choo

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