Return of Fandom in the Digital Age With the Rise of Social Media

2022 ◽  
pp. 216-233
Author(s):  
Shuojia Guo
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Cultural Production ◽  
Digital Communication ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Dynamic Interaction ◽  
Participatory Culture ◽  
Fan Culture ◽  
Profound Impact ◽  
Fan Communities

In the digital age, the rise of social media has enabled the fan culture transitioning from “static” consumption to “dynamic” interaction. This is not only a result of the advancement of ICTs, but also a shift in digital communication driven by participatory culture. This chapter explores why social media in digital age have such a profound impact upon fandom. In particular, what is new with these fan communities that social media has done so much to enable. There is a blurring in the lines between fandom producers and consumers in the participatory fandom. Given the new forms of cultural production, fan culture has been enabled by social media and is more powerful than it was ever before. Finally, how the changing relationships between fans and producers have redefined the fandom economy.

Return of Fandom in the Digital Age With the Rise of Social Media

2020 ◽  
pp. 193-210
Author(s):  
Shuojia Guo
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Cultural Production ◽  
Digital Communication ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Dynamic Interaction ◽  
Participatory Culture ◽  
Fan Culture ◽  
Profound Impact ◽  
Fan Communities

In the digital age, the rise of social media has enabled the fan culture transitioning from “static” consumption to “dynamic” interaction. This is not only a result of the advancement of ICTs, but also a shift in digital communication driven by participatory culture. This chapter explores why social media in digital age have such a profound impact upon fandom. In particular, what is new with these fan communities that social media has done so much to enable. There is a blurring in the lines between fandom producers and consumers in the participatory fandom. Given the new forms of cultural production, fan culture has been enabled by social media and is more powerful than it was ever before. Finally, how the changing relationships between fans and producers have redefined the fandom economy.

Charging Fandom in the Digital Age

2018 ◽  
pp. 147-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuojia Guo
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Cultural Production ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Dynamic Interaction ◽  
Fan Culture ◽  
Fan Communities ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Information And Communication

In the digital age, the proliferation of fan-generated content on social media platforms is making the fan culture transitioning from the “static” online consumption to “dynamic” interaction. This is not only a result of the advancement of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), but also a cultural phenomenon driving by participatory fandom in cyberspace. The rise of social media has dramatically altered the dynamics of fan practices and spectatorship hence increased vocality and visibility within the fan community as well as the formation and facilitation of fan roles. In this chapter, we will explore why social media have such a profound impact upon fandom. In particular, what is new with these fan communities that social media has done so much to enable. Why there is a blurring in the lines between fandom producers and consumers in the participatory fandom. Given the new forms of cultural production, how fan culture enabled by social media is more powerful than it was ever before.

Charging Fandom in the Digital Age

2021 ◽  
pp. 1481-1496
Author(s):  
Shuojia Guo
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Cultural Production ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Dynamic Interaction ◽  
Fan Culture ◽  
Fan Communities ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Information And Communication

In the digital age, the proliferation of fan-generated content on social media platforms is making the fan culture transitioning from the “static” online consumption to “dynamic” interaction. This is not only a result of the advancement of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), but also a cultural phenomenon driving by participatory fandom in cyberspace. The rise of social media has dramatically altered the dynamics of fan practices and spectatorship hence increased vocality and visibility within the fan community as well as the formation and facilitation of fan roles. In this chapter, we will explore why social media have such a profound impact upon fandom. In particular, what is new with these fan communities that social media has done so much to enable. Why there is a blurring in the lines between fandom producers and consumers in the participatory fandom. Given the new forms of cultural production, how fan culture enabled by social media is more powerful than it was ever before.

scholarly journals Fan Culture with Chinese Characteristics: Participatory Engagement in the Web 2.0 Era

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Bo Wang
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Fan Culture ◽  
Community Group ◽  
Fan Communities ◽  
The Web ◽  
Chinese Social Media

<p>This thesis is centred on participatory fan culture in Chinese social media. It investigates how fans gather through social networks, how they produce creative work, and how they use different platforms to circulate their favourite media and fannish texts. By constructing, reshaping and spreading meanings through participatory practices, fans create their own cultures and gradually develop their own discourses. My theoretical approach can be classified as cultural discourse analysis (Carbaugh,2007; Scollo,2011), and I adopted the snowball sampling method to find interviewees and fan communities in which I have conducted observation to collect data for my analysis. On the basis of John Fiske’s concept of “textual productivity” (1992) and Henry Jenkins’s notions of “media convergence” (2006a) and “spreadability” (2013), the thesis is based on a platform analysis as well as two case studies about the Chinese reality TV show Where Are We Going, Dad?and BBC’s crime drama Sherlock.  The platform analysis examines four platforms that Chinese social media fans use most frequently: Weibo, WeChat, Tieba and Bilibili. Through the analysis of the sociocultural contexts, user interfaces and primary features of these four platforms, it became clear that the platforms emphasise differentiated content (e.g. microblogging-style posts, instant text/voice messages, continuous updating posts, video clips and flying comments), and that each platform has its own search and recommendation services to guide users to their target content. By comparing five elements of social media including public posts, direct messaging, group chatting, search tools and information recommendation (Yoder and Stutzman, 2011), the analysis offers insight into the different affordances provided by these four platforms and how Chinese fans employ the platforms to develop fan culture.  The two case studies investigate the formation, manifestation and influence of fan cultures on three levels: fan-platform interaction, fannish texts and fan identity. Analysing data collected from interviews and online observation in the Weibo-based fan chat group 刘诺一全球后援会1群(Liu Nuoyi Quanqiu Houyuanhui 1 Qun; “Liu Nuoyi’s Global Fan Community, Group 1”) and the Tieba-based forum爸爸去哪儿康诺吧(Babaqunaer Kang Nuo Ba; “Kangkang and Nuoyi of Where Are We Going, Dad?Forum”), the case study of Where Are We Going, Dad?demonstrates that the Web 2.0 services that fans use maintain an open structure, which attracts fans to contribute new layers of meaning and value. Discussing the fan-platform interaction, fannish texts and fan identities, the case study of Chinese Sherlockfandom demonstrates that Chinese online fans rely on textual productivity to establish their fan identities, and Chinese social media to facilitate the production and spread of fan translation, which not only bridges the language and cultural gap between the Sherlocktexts (the BBC episodes and the original novel) and Chinese fandom, but also connects different types of Sherlockfans online. I also compare the two cases from the perspective of narrative structure by drawing upon Jason Mittell’s “centrifugal and centripetal complex” model (2015) and argue that the different narrative structures lead a different sense of self-recognition for fans, gender dynamics, power differences in fan communities, and that they shape fans’ cultural citizenship.</p>

scholarly journals Fan Culture with Chinese Characteristics: Participatory Engagement in the Web 2.0 Era

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Bo Wang
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Fan Culture ◽  
Community Group ◽  
Fan Communities ◽  
The Web ◽  
Chinese Social Media

<p>This thesis is centred on participatory fan culture in Chinese social media. It investigates how fans gather through social networks, how they produce creative work, and how they use different platforms to circulate their favourite media and fannish texts. By constructing, reshaping and spreading meanings through participatory practices, fans create their own cultures and gradually develop their own discourses. My theoretical approach can be classified as cultural discourse analysis (Carbaugh,2007; Scollo,2011), and I adopted the snowball sampling method to find interviewees and fan communities in which I have conducted observation to collect data for my analysis. On the basis of John Fiske’s concept of “textual productivity” (1992) and Henry Jenkins’s notions of “media convergence” (2006a) and “spreadability” (2013), the thesis is based on a platform analysis as well as two case studies about the Chinese reality TV show Where Are We Going, Dad?and BBC’s crime drama Sherlock.  The platform analysis examines four platforms that Chinese social media fans use most frequently: Weibo, WeChat, Tieba and Bilibili. Through the analysis of the sociocultural contexts, user interfaces and primary features of these four platforms, it became clear that the platforms emphasise differentiated content (e.g. microblogging-style posts, instant text/voice messages, continuous updating posts, video clips and flying comments), and that each platform has its own search and recommendation services to guide users to their target content. By comparing five elements of social media including public posts, direct messaging, group chatting, search tools and information recommendation (Yoder and Stutzman, 2011), the analysis offers insight into the different affordances provided by these four platforms and how Chinese fans employ the platforms to develop fan culture.  The two case studies investigate the formation, manifestation and influence of fan cultures on three levels: fan-platform interaction, fannish texts and fan identity. Analysing data collected from interviews and online observation in the Weibo-based fan chat group 刘诺一全球后援会1群(Liu Nuoyi Quanqiu Houyuanhui 1 Qun; “Liu Nuoyi’s Global Fan Community, Group 1”) and the Tieba-based forum爸爸去哪儿康诺吧(Babaqunaer Kang Nuo Ba; “Kangkang and Nuoyi of Where Are We Going, Dad?Forum”), the case study of Where Are We Going, Dad?demonstrates that the Web 2.0 services that fans use maintain an open structure, which attracts fans to contribute new layers of meaning and value. Discussing the fan-platform interaction, fannish texts and fan identities, the case study of Chinese Sherlockfandom demonstrates that Chinese online fans rely on textual productivity to establish their fan identities, and Chinese social media to facilitate the production and spread of fan translation, which not only bridges the language and cultural gap between the Sherlocktexts (the BBC episodes and the original novel) and Chinese fandom, but also connects different types of Sherlockfans online. I also compare the two cases from the perspective of narrative structure by drawing upon Jason Mittell’s “centrifugal and centripetal complex” model (2015) and argue that the different narrative structures lead a different sense of self-recognition for fans, gender dynamics, power differences in fan communities, and that they shape fans’ cultural citizenship.</p>

Fans' Narrations

2019 ◽  
pp. 292-309
Author(s):  
Ersin Diker ◽  
Birgül Taşdelen
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Digital Communication ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Strategic Communication ◽  
Participatory Culture ◽  
Competitive Environment ◽  
Communication Tools ◽  
Important Place ◽  
Transmedia Storytelling ◽  
Tools And Methods

In today's world, with the development of technology, brands have turned to new communication means and methods apart from traditional communication tools like television, newspapers, magazines, cinemas, etc. in order to differentiate and escape from their competitors in an increasingly competitive environment. Storytelling and social media are the leading ones among these tools and methods. Thus, brands aim to create branding process and brand loyalty through the strategic communication they have established in social media with consumers. The concept of participatory culture has expanded thanks to digital communication technologies and social media. Fans who have an important place in the storytelling of transmedia reshape a story, associate it with their own lives, and recreate it by producing it again through various media, especially social media. Thus, in this study, it is aimed to reveal how the transmedia storytelling which has been awarded with fan comments in the context of participant culture contributes to brand communication, image, reputation, and marketing.

scholarly journals Creator Governance in Social Media Entertainment

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 205630511988342
Author(s):  
Stuart Cunningham ◽  
David Craig
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Cultural Production ◽  
The State ◽  
Network Economics ◽  
Global Media ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Central Concern ◽  
Platform Governance ◽  
Fan Communities ◽  
The Relationship

This article addresses the platformization of cultural production by offering a creator-centric account of industrial and governance issues in social media entertainment (SME). SME is our term for the emerging industry of native online cultural producers together with the platforms, intermediaries, and fan communities operating interdependently, and disruptively, alongside legacy media industries and across global media cultures. The central concern of the article is that these creators are not recognized as stakeholders in current debates both academic and policy on platform governance. The relationship between the platform behemoths and individual creators may seem grossly disproportionate, but insights from network economics suggest a more supple account of power. The interests of creators are examined in the “top-down” context of the exercise of platform governance and efforts, by platforms and the state, to improve it. Those interests are also canvassed from the “bottom up”—how creators and creator advocacy are organizing and acting collectively to improve prospects for creators in this emerging industry.

scholarly journals How Black Twitter and other social media communities interact with mainstream news

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deen Freelon ◽  
Lori Lopez ◽  
Meredith D. Clark ◽  
Sarah J. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Digital Communication ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
The Past ◽  
Diverse Communities ◽  
The Web

People have been forming communities using digital communication technologies since long before the web as we know it today. Social media are only the latest in a long series of digital forums that have enabled global conversations and connections around nearly any topic imaginable. With its emphasis on public accessibility and real-time content production, Twitter has become a major hub for communities of all types and sizes. The issues and voices of people of color and women have attracted much attention from professional journalists over the past few years. Yet many such individuals have criticized journalists’ portrayals and coverage of issues that are important to them. In response, some participants have assumed the role of news creators and distributors, focusing on their communities’ particular concerns. Understanding these emerging social subcultures will allow more accurate portrayals of diverse communities and yield insights for better journalistic engagement in the digital age.

New models of the inner self: Identity in the digital age

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriella Warren-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Digital Communication ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Human Identity ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
The Public ◽  
Inner Self ◽  
New Models ◽  
Constructed Self

The following article addresses the changing nature of human identity in the digital age, with a focus on the emergence of the ‘inner self’ via digital communication. Three models of ‘self’ are presented in this text, which have emerged as a result of our rising use of digital technology, entitled ‘The Constructed Self’, ‘The Programmed Self’ and ‘The Absent Self’. The first model, ‘The Constructed Self’, focuses on our ability online to manipulate the public portrayal of the ‘inner self’ via carefully constructed social media profiles and virtual identities. This model compares the instances in which the ‘online self’ and the ‘actual self’ develop as extensions of one another, with examples that highlight how they can also act in opposition. ‘The Programmed Self’ is concerned with the amalgamation of humans and technology. As machines become increasingly intelligent and humanized, new possibilities are arising for our relationship with technology to become ever more personal. Finally, ‘The Absent Self’ brings to light what we miss through our immersion in the screen; how do online environments capture our attention so effectively and what does this do to our ability to self-reflect?

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