Network analysis reveals domain-specific broadcast and hierarchical structures in Weibo fandom communities, highlighting varied communication patterns for sustainable engagement.
Digital fandom has moved beyond entertainment into sports and entrepreneurial contexts, but the network forms of these communities remain unclear. This study compares nine anonymized Weibo repost networks across entrepreneurial, sports, and entertainment domains. It uses a shared role framework and a common set of social network indicators, with analysis drawn on 22,727 standardized repost records. Across domains, the networks showed low reciprocity, high flow hierarchy, and many peripheral participants. Domain-level patterns also differed. Entrepreneurial fandom showed a hub-mediated, broadcast-like pattern. Sports fandom most closely resembled a hierarchical core–periphery or broadcast-like structure. Entertainment fandom showed a intermediary-centered hierarchical broadcast pattern. The study offers a comparative network view of sustainable online engagement.
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Zhao et al. (2026) studied this question.
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