Abstract
This article explores how the K-pop industry mobilizes Taiwanese fandom to maintain engagement with media content, indirectly catalyzing public policy advocacy. Using the case of “Scalper Slayers Unit,” a fan group of the girl group MAMAMOO, this research analyzes how they addressed the issue of ticket scalping at concerts and successfully pushed for an amendment to the Development of the Cultural and Creative Industries Act within six months. The findings reveal that K-pop strategically employs content production practices to foster an active participatory culture that not only drives industrial expansion and enhances entertainment experiences but also cultivates stable and professionalized fan labor. The deepening of participatory culture has become increasingly evident. Meanwhile, the post-pandemic revival of the experience economy has contributed to making concert ticket fairness a salient issue. By integrating fan support experience, individual expertise, and online mobilization skills, fans have transformed critical awareness into concrete practices of fan activism, thereby influencing public policy. Moreover, the messages of female empowerment in MAMAMOO’s works align with fan values, facilitating the formation of sisterhood bonds and shaping a counterpublic in which fandom identity becomes a safe space for expressing demands and affirming shared values. Drawing on in-depth interviews, field observations, and social media content analysis, this study focuses on the intersection of public participation and fan identity. It reveals how Korean Wave industry strategies generate a transnational butterfly effect, as fan communities transcend the role of mere consumers, reject passive reception, and engage in discourse production, public communication, and policy advocacy—demonstrating their potential to drive institutional change.