TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE AND HABITUAL SOCIAL MEDIA USE: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF MALAYSIAN KOREAN POP FANS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15282/ijsecs.11.2.2025.11.0143Keywords:
K-pop, Social media, Behavioural Intention, UTAUT, Technology AcceptanceAbstract
K-pop is a kind of fandom that has gone global, with Malaysia being an active hub. This study investigates the concept of habit-as-repeated, automatic behavior-across demographic factors such as age, gender, and years of experience among Malaysian K-pop fans. This quantitative survey inquired from 950 participants about their responses, and descriptive analyses were made by using frequency distribution and cross-tabulation to discern patterns of engagement. The sample included mostly females, 84.84% (n = 806), compared to males, 15.16% (n = 144). By age, 47.16% (n = 448) were 18–24 years old, and 52.84% (n = 502) were 25–34 years old. Regarding fandom experience, the 6–10-year range was most common: 33.33% of females and 32.14% of males in the younger group, and 28.07% of females and 60.87% of males in the older group. Among older females, 42.11% reported 11–15 years of fandom experience, showing long-term and sustained engagement. This research represents one of the first exploratory studies attempting to understand Malaysian K-pop fandom and habit across a set of demographics, while also extending previous research applications of UTAUT theory towards a hedonic and a communal online environment.
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