Enunciative productivity and online fan identity: a case study of Doctor Who images on Facebook and Pinterest
Date
2021
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Most online fandom studies focus on dedicated fans’ textual productivity in designated fan spaces, which has led to social networking site (SNS) fan research that also looks for fan community on these sites. These public-facing platforms, however, provide an opportunity to study more casual, enunciative fan expressions. This study observed the personal and social aspects of Doctor Who fan-self-expression on Facebook and Pinterest through visuals on fans’ individual SNS profiles, with a portion of participants also responding to a survey in their own words. This work illustrated the complexity of these fans who both manage their fan expressions on these public sites and show full expression of Sandvoss’s (2005) fan self, which calls for a reassessment of these fans in the literature. Overall, this study calls for further research on enunciative and casual fans, analyzes the bias towards fan community studies on sites driven by individual identity expression, and recommends future SNS research on individualized collectives in fandom and beyond.
Description
Keywords
Doctor Who, Enunciative Productivity, Fandom, Identity, Online Fandom, Social Networking Sites