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Representation of fandom in mainstream media: Analysis of production and content of Flemish television's Superfans
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Representation of fandom in mainstream media: Analysis of production and content of Flemish television's Superfans

Hilde Van den Bulck, Nathalie Claessens, Jelle Mast and An Kuppens
European journal of cultural studies, v 19(6), pp 513-528
01 Dec 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549415597924
url
https://doi.org/10.1177/1367549415597924View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Open Access (License Unspecified),  Open

Abstract

Cultural Studies Social Sciences
By means of a qualitative analysis of Superfans, a five-part reality television series in which fans are followed in their daily activities, ranging from singing along at concerts to intimate camera confessions in a room dedicated to their idol, this article studies the representation of fandom in mainstream television and participants' and TV-producers' reflections upon it. Empirical content analysis and interviews reveal different aspects of fandom, as identified by Abercrombie and Longhurst, to dominate the representation: intense media use and fan productivity, strong hierarchical communities and a lack of critical interpretative skills. Fan-idol relationships are shown to be based on emotions and to go beyond mere identification to include parasocial relationships and neo-religiosity. Results thus confirm the theoretical paradox between the television industry's promotion of celebrity to attract loyal audiences and the rejection of fandom through a carefully constructed representation hereof as freaky business'.

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10 citations in Web of Science
10 citations in Scopus

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Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
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Cultural Studies
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