A Study on University Students’ Affinity for Mainstream Values Within the Context of Fan Culture

This study examines the practical challenges and countermeasures concerning contemporary Chinese university students’ identification with mainstream values amidst the pervasive influence of fan culture. Against the backdrop of fan culture’s growing prominence as a youth subculture, the research aims to reveal the generative logic of value identification among students driven by this phenomenon, analyze the practical dilemmas confronting their embrace of mainstream values, and propose targeted strategies. This study adopts a structured literature review combined with theoretical modeling and empirical validation. A PRISMA-guided screening process was employed to analyze 76 peer-reviewed studies, based on which a generative logic framework was constructed. The proposed framework was further validated through analytical synthesis and a mixed-indicator evaluation design integrating attitudinal, behavioral, and discourse-based assessment tools. Findings indicate that under fan culture’s influence, university students’ value identification follows a three-dimensional formation logic: self-driven demand for community autonomy and idol worship; emotional resonance through symbolic interaction in collective rituals and social participation; and community contagion via intra-circle value dissemination and group identity formation. Concurrently, prominent challenges include the subculture’s erosion of mainstream value authority, deviation from mainstream value trajectories, and diminished efficacy of mainstream value discourse dissemination. Consequently, the study proposes three targeted problem-solving strategies. This research enriches the theoretical framework at the intersection of youth subcultures and mainstream value education, while also providing practical guidance for educational administrators and relevant governance bodies.