Specific Features of Online Communication in Twitter TV Fandoms
Abstract
The article is devoted to the specifics of online communication in TV shows’ fandoms. Based on symbolic convergence theory and the emerging concept of online creative collaboration, this study focuses on several communicational processes in fandoms, such as causal factors of intergroup and intragroup conflicts, motivation to interact and co-create with fandom peers and sources of hierarchy inside fandoms. Qualitative research, including nine semi-structured interviews with fandom members from different countries and a netnographic study of Twitter fandoms, offers in-depth insights into communication in TV shows’ fandoms. International youth fan communities in social media are of scientific interest as a cultural and communication phenomenon. As fans become more influential, the results also have practical implications for the promotion of TV shows.
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References
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