Relationships Reinforced and Visualized Through Photo Shooting/Photography

This is a temporary English version of this paper (wrote in Japanese) for those who has interests in it. It is NOT official published version but all the documents are belongs to Mana Kamioka. If you need to quote from it, please contact to Mana (on Twitter).
「アイドル文化における「チェキ」 : 撮影による関係性の強化と可視化」
https://koara.lib.keio.ac.jp/xoonips/modules/xoonips/download.php/AN00150430-00000147-0135.pdf?file_id=156770

Introduction
This study examines the tools of communication between fans and young pop singers, also known as idols, focusing on the “Cheki” which is a type of photograph taken on small polaroid cameras. It has been proposed that an important component of idol culture is the nature of the relationship between idols and fans, which are not vertical but horizontal. “Cheki” notably symbolizes this relationship. In this presentation, I will clarify the meaning of this phenomenon in the context of Japanese idol culture.
 
What is a Cheki?
One of the features that symbolize the current phenomenon of idol culture is the "cheki" photo shoot between idols and fans. Fujifilm Corporation's instant camera "Cheki (instax)" was released in 1998. The product concept was “It’s like a compact camera can be used by anyone, anywhere you want to show or give” (Fukuda et al. 1999:2).
Photographs of idols and their fans taken with this camera are called “Cheki”. Cheki culture is not new. It has been a part of idol culture for many years. It was already introduced as an merchandise for gravure idols in 2000 (Nanase 2019b:124), and according to my observation, it had become a standard item, especially for underground idols who mainly performed on the stage not in the media, in 2009. Currently, Cheki are used as the main visuals in TV dramas featuring idols, and related products are sold by Sanrio Company, Ltd. famous for Hello Kitty.
However, previous studies on the relationship between fans and idols in idol culture have provided very few descriptions of "Cheki" despite its popularity. In some cases, the word "cheki" is discussed in relation to "handshake events" or "photo shoots," but there is no explanation and it is difficult to grasp what is going on there.
In this presentation, I will explore the context of Cheki in idol culture and idol fan culture, and discuss the relationship between fans and idols that is characteristic of current idol culture, in order to sociologically examine and present the cultural characteristics of contemporary society. The image of idols and their fans, which has developed uniquely in Japan as a field of music and entertainment, can be said to have a role in representing an aspect of Japanese society (Ota 2014:8; Takeda 2017:118). As a case study of a community rainforced through photography, I will clarify from the standpoint of cultural sociology how communication using photography functions to form a community.
 
About Idols
It is said that singers and celebrities described by the term "idol" appeared in the 1970s (Ogawa 1993:80; Nakamori 2007:10; Ohta 2011:23). According to Ogawa Hiroshi, the relationship between the audience and the performer has gradually shifted from a vertical relationship, such as that of a movie star who is admired, to a horizontal one, and a friendly idol image has been created in a horizontal relationship (Ogawa 1993:78-82). Ogawa refers to 1960’s as the "pre-idol era" because performers with a similar position existed in this period, but they were not named "idols" and their relationship with fans (audiences) was still "vertical" (Ogawa 1993:77-79). As the media shifted from movies featuring stars to television featuring idols, the image and meaning of the word "idol" changed in the 1960s and 1970s.
Furthermore, Inamasu concludes from his interviews with entertainment production companies that "as idols became more commonplace, fans learned how to interact with them in a limited way, and the blind worship that had once existed began to decline" (Inamasu 1989:81). In other words, since the emergence of the term "idol," the audience's gaze toward performers has shifted from looking up at them to looking at them the same way.
This horizontal relationship between idols and fans has taken root in Japanese society as a symbolic representation of idols, and the cultural characteristics of idol content have been discussed by focusing on the phenomena that symbolically represent it.
 
How to Research/Research Outline
The following Research was conducted based on the my own activities as an idol and staff member since November 2009, and observations as a fan since August 2013. First, from October 31 to November 5, 2019, I conducted a web-based Research as "Research on 'Cheki' photography at live events" (hereinafter referred to as "Research 1") by sending out a Research request to an unspecified number of people on Twitter and to research participants, and received 103 responses in total. The purpose of the Research was not to conduct a strict quantitative Research, but to obtain knowledge for problem-finding, and the emphasis was delving into the qualitative characteristics of the responses. After Research 1, I conducted "Research on 'Cheki' photography at live events 2" (hereinafter referred to as "Research 2") targeting 19 participants from among 31 people who were interested in participating this research.
In both Research studies, the targets were those who had "routinely attended a live concert or event where a fee-based "Cheki" photo session was held," and the genre of the event was irrelevant. Participants should choose the specific one idol/group for each answer. "Cheki" refers only to two-shot or group shots taken with Fujifilm's instant camera "Cheki (instax)". Shots of only idols without the participant or shots taken by cell phones or smartphones are not considered as "Cheki" in here.
In Research 1, I asked 11 questions asking about personal attributes such as age and gender, and about the frequency and motivation of Cheki shooting. The number of responses by gender was 57 for "male", 45 for "female", and 1 for "other".
In Research 2, there were 24 questions asking about shaking hands with idols, taking a Cheki with idols, keeping and displaying the Cheki pictures , and a reflections on participant’s recent experiences of shooting Cheki. In this Research 2, I mainly asked participants who frequently and routinely took Cheki with female idols, whom I had mainly observed. The distribution of responses was 15 "male" and 4 "female," with 8 participants in both their 20s and 30s, 2 in their 40s, and 1 in their 50s. In addition, a participant A provided me with a detailed Cheki shooting report.
 
Overview of Cheki shooting
Cheki is a photographic device, and both the photograph taken and the act of taking the photograph are referred to as "Cheki" or "taking Cheki". How and where are Cheki photos taken? The activities of idols varies widely, but the main part of their work is performance such on the stage. In many cases, Cheki are taken during the "Toku ten kai (Meet and Greet session)" in the event venue.
The procedure to take a Chekis as follows.
 
Buy a cheki ticket→get in line→take a picture→sign an autograph or talk→receive the cheki
 
Merchandise and Tokuten Kai are held near event venues, in lobbies and lounges in live houses(live music club), if after the show on the floor or on the stage, in parking lots, parks, and many other places. Generally one desk is enough to set up the Tokuten Kai, and there are no specific partitions. You can get Cheki tickets based on the purchase price of CDs and goods, or by purchasing tickets itself. The admission fee to each event is charged separately. The following is an example of the fee for one two-shot Cheki photo shooting obtained from Research 1 (Question 6: "Regulation of Cheki photo shooting (fee, etc.)"). Fees and services are depends on idols, so it is necessary to check with the staff when you want to participate in Tokuten Kai for the first time.
 
Price Example A:
2 tickets (with autograph, date and message)
1 ticket will be given for every 1,000 yen purchase of CD or DVD.
 
Price Example B:
2 tickets (without autograph)
1 ticket will be given for every 1,000 yen purchase of merchandise (not specified).
 
Price example C:
1,500 yen (with autograph)
1,000 yen (without autograph)
Only the autograph and date can be written on the Cheki.
 
Example D:
3000 yen (without autograph)
 
According to question 4 of Research 1, "Frequency of attending live concerts and events", 91 of the participants responded that they attended live concerts and events at least once a month, and 60 of them answered that at least three times a month. The participants of both groups generally took a Cheki every time for the events. These results confirmed that most of the participants in this Research meet their favorite idols and take a Cheki about once a week. This means that they take a picture together every time they see each other, not as a star whom they cannot meet easily, but like a friend whom they see every week. According to the result of question 13 of Research 2, "Average number of Cheki photos taken at one live concert or event", the number of Cheki taken at one time is not large. Most of the participants took only one at a time, and the maximum was three to five. It can be seen that the opportunity to take a picture together is not so precious considering the frequency, and there is no need to take a large number of pictures because it is an everyday occurrence.
The time for taking a Cheki picture is not very long, and fans have to communicate with idols and finish taking a picture within a limited time. According to the question 16 of Research2 (optional, required answer) "Average time spent for "Cheki" at a live concert or event", most of the participants answered "1~2 minutes", and 3 participants answered "less than 1 minute" and "2~3 minutes" each. The average time for taking pictures was around 1 minute, and even when it was longer, it was within 3 minutes. In some cases, the idol asked or the fan specified the pose to be taken in the conversation. The time to decide the pose is also included in the time limit, and fans and idols have 1 to 3 minutes to decide the pose, take a picture and chat.
 
Analysis
-Why do fans take Cheki every time?
In this Research, I hypothesised that fan’s motivations were mainly 1: To talk with the idols, 2: To record or remember the event, and 3: To express their support. Based on this hypothesis, the following options were set (Question 8 of Reseach 1 (optional, with free answers, required) "Reasons for taking a "Cheki" picture (multiple answers allowed)")
 
To talk with your favorite idol
To meet or get close to your favorite idol
To record or remember the event
To express your feelings of support
To financially support the life of your favorite idol
To let your favorite idol know your attendance
To take a photo that only you have
To avoid waiting for your favorite idol
To get autographs or messages
To collect as a collection
 
As a result, all of the above options were selected more than 11 times, and the most common answer was " To talk with your favorite idol," followed by " To record or remember the event" and "To express your feelings of support," as I expected. Many of the Research participants wanted to talk directly with idols, and it can be said that there is no clear difference between this type of event and handshake events. According to the answers to questions 5-12 regarding handshakes in Research 2, more than half of the respondents answered that their favorite idol groups basically do not hold handshake events, suggesting that Cheki shooting was chosen as communication similar to handshake events. On the other hand, the motive for taking Cheki was also found to be for recording, which is one of the differences from the handshake event, and it can be said that the Cheki session functions as a place to accept both fans who want to talk and record.
 
-As a place to enjoy personalities of idols
From the results of the Research, it is clear that what is required in Cheki is verbal communication, or "talking", although for a very short time. Shoichi Ohta points out that this kind of community, consists of idols and fans, is being lost in Japanese society. In this situation, he states that "the current relationship between idols and fans may seem to be the ideal form of community" and that "stable communication" is essential to maintain this community (Ota 2014:8). In fact, there are many opportunities for interaction between idols and fans on a daily basis. Takashi Katsuki proposed that "the idol's self-consciousness, or to put it more broadly, the idol's personality, becomes the object of enjoyment" is the "common denominator" of today's idols (Katsuki 2014:103). Shinshi Okajima and Yasuhiro Okada also pointed out that "the strength of idols is that their value ultimately lies in people, which, like the experience of live performance and communication, cannot be replicated by modern technology" (Okajima and Okada 2011:99). If the "value" of today's idols is sought in their personalities, then events where two-way communication occurs are essential for fans, and handshakes and taking Cheki are direct opportunities to enjoy the personalities of idols.
 
- As a work to strengthen the community
Although it is difficult to concentrate on the conversation when taking Cheki pictures, overcoming this difficulty through the collaborative work of taking pictures becomes an attractive feature of Cheki. Unlike handshaking, Cheki gives both fans and idols the opportunity to communicate in a multifaceted and multi-layered way, without fixing their positions. Cheki functions as a place where fans can enjoy the personalities of idols and idols can enhance their own reputation by responding to the expectations of fans.
In this kind of collaboration, intimacy arises. The photographer Nobuyoshi Araki has coined the term "Pola-evacy" to describe the privacy contained in the Polaroid. The Polaroid, which does not need to be developed and cannot be duplicated, is said to be compatible with "secrecy", and Kotaro Iizawa, the interviewer, describes such "secrecy" as "collaboration" in this conversation (Araki 2000:102). What is pointed out here is the communality of Cheki and the intimacy shooting Cheki creates. The intimacy that arises from this photo shoot affects not only the one-on-one relationship between idol and fan, but also the community that surrounds both of them, and may strengthen the connection of the idol fan community itself. Taking a Cheki "for record or memory" would be compared to family photos or wedding photos.
 
- As an object that visualizes feeling to support
Furthermore, Cheki records communication in the form of objects, and this accumulation can be seen as a feature of Cheki.
The idol Erika-chan Baby says, "Sometimes when I think about if I support a idol, I'm happy when the Chekis accumulate. I might think, 'Oh, I like this idol so much,'" adding that fans can confirm their "Suki(like, love, want to support, cherish)" by seeing the physical accumulation of their Chekis (Nanase 2019b:13). The visualization of Cheki makes it easy to check not only the process of taking pictures but also the process of accumulation, and makes fans aware of the strengthening community. The fan base is essential for performance activities of idols, who are also part of a community, and the strengthening of this connection is related to the survival of the idol's life. The strengthening of community and the confirmation of "Suki" through Cheki are important works for idols. What is shown there is exactly the "feeling of support”. It is the economic activities of fans that mainly support the lives of idols, and the structure of idol activities is sustained by the continuous support of fans. In other words, idols can exist through the accumulation of support, and Cheki is a way to visualize this accumulation of time as an object in space.
 
Conclusion
In this presentation, I have discussed the current relationship between idols and fans through the medium of Cheki. Communication is essential to maintain an intimate community such as an idol fan community, and Cheki as a symbolic photographic communication is one of the cultural phenomena that have been overlooked so far. I also confirmed that the intimacy between idols and fans that is emphasized in this culture, while symbolizing the current idol culture, is an extension of the horizontal relationship that has already been pointed out since the birth of idols in the 1970s. In today's world, where the value of "experience" is emphasized, the commercialization of experience and communication as seen in handshake events and Cheki is rational, but the functional aspect of Cheki is not only its practicality but also its ability to strengthen the relationship through collaborative work through photography and to visualize the relationship through media. To depict the characteristics of the idol world through Cheki is to reveal the relationships among the people who gather there, and the strengthening and visualization of the community that occurs there is important in cultural studies or cultural sociology.

References (sorry TBC)
Fukuda et al. 1999
Nanase 2019b
Ota 2014
Takeda 2017
Ogawa 1993
Nakamori 2007
Ohta 2011
Inamasu 1989
Katsuki 2014
Okajima and Okada 2011
Araki 2000