This thesis presents young British readers? engagement with manga regarding literary, aesthetic, social, and cultural dimensions. The study explores young readers? points of views of their reading preference ? manga. I investigated how children interpreted manga, with respect to the artistic techniques, the embedded ideologies, and the cultural elements therein. I also looked into children?s participation in manga fandom and its social meanings. This allowed me to explore what attracted British readers to this exotic text. This study involved 16 participants from two schools, aged between 10 and 15, with genders represented equally. The participants were grouped by gender in each school. Each group of students received three group interviews based on three manga that they were required to read in advance. Individual interviews with each student followed the group interviews, and all the students were asked to keep reading reflections. The findings show that the attraction of participants to manga includes at least five dimensions. First, manga is a visually rich text, which not only had great power in rendering vicarious experiences to the students, but also allowed the struggling students to grasp the meanings of the text better. Second, both the verbal and the visual storytelling were characterised as fragmentary, which inspired the students? imagination to join the creation of the story. Third, manga provided a temporary shelter where the participants could forget a stressful and frustrating reality. In addition, they felt that they gained renewed hope, refreshed energy, and insights to face potential challenges and difficulties in their lives. Fourth, the elements of Japaneseness and otherness made manga reading a rich experience of an exotic culture. Fifth, manga afforded collective pleasures in fan communities where the students could express their passion and gained a sense of identity.

Diploma thesis "Media representation of Czech Sci-Fi Fandom in the Press in 2001-2006" deals with the ways in which science fiction fans are represented in Czech newspapers. For most people the media remain the most important source of information about the specific subculture of the fans. This thesis employs the qualitative analysis method to uncover the regularities of the fans' media representations. It concentrates on the portrayal of the fans' relationship with the primary texts, as well as relationships within the fan community and relationships with the wider society.

This thesis examines how a female politician is being represented in a political parody account on Twitter through a thematic analysis of “Lady Emily Kardashian Duchess of Yiolou” (@edPLOgAQvtTQHJc) Tweets, satirizing the Cypriot Minister of Justice & Public Order Ms. Emily Yiolitis. The analysis of both Tweets and official media outlets, during a fixed period of time, demonstrates how a humorous and at the same time critical act of public discourse, can perform as an expression of political action and a form of activism, which can be approached as a branch of the study of anti-fandom.

The following study examined identity construction and community formation within the comic book fan community on the social media website, Twitter It had three objectives It investigated how comic book fans constructed their respective identities on Twitter, explored how fans came to identify with the comic book community and why it formed, and aimed to discover how the community was maintained and expanded The study applied an ethnographic method that relied on the analysis of dialogue Ten comic book fans (five males, five females) that frequently used Twitter to communicate with other fans were video interviewed It was found that comic book fans constructed their identities using their Twitter biography and profile picture and they all believed they were communicating their true and genuine selves The biography, profile picture, and tweets reinforced the rhetoric of what it meant to be a comic book fan It was this visual and written rhetoric that enabled comic book fans to identify with one another and bring the community into being Without this rhetoric, there is no community The community maintained itself through the continued reinforcement of this rhetoric It expanded itself by bringing comic book fans from different backgrounds, locations, and nationalities together online around a shared interest The study also found that the relationships formed within the community could develop into real friendships, the same caliber of friendship that individuals would normally have with those they knew and met in real life.

The popularity of Taylor Swift has been growing rapidly on social media after the release of her ‘Midnights’ album on 21 October 2022. The lead single of the album, ‘Anti- Hero’ and the ‘Anti-Hero Challenge’ initiated by the singer inspired 17 thousand fans (Swifties) to share their own anti-heroic stories inspired by the song. The aim of the study is to examine the contribution of the Swifties online fan community to the ‘Anti-Hero Challenge’ on YouTube Shorts. The research interests revolve around Swifties’ prosumption practices in a dialogical relationship with the original music media material, the fan community, the platform, and the artist. The goal of the analysis is to demonstrate how Swifties use YouTube Shorts for both personal and communal expression by means of prosumption. Prosumption refers to the synchronous production and consumption of media content in the field of Media and Communication Studies (Zajc 2015:29). The thesis illustrates how online performances, interactions, and discussions nurtured by prosumption practices shape and maintain the Swifties fan community on YouTube Shorts. The study applies the Uses and Gratifications Theory and Netnography to scrutinize how Swifties reuse Taylor Swift’s song ‘Anti-Hero’ to make their own media products, and give each other feedback. The findings indicate that online fan prosumption and discussion practices not only foster entertaining, humorous, creative, and challenging self-expression but also provide pathways for communal exchange.  Swifties fan community members play a dual role in not only being active audiences and critics of ‘Anti-Hero’ but also of fellow fan prosumers. Swiftie prosumers and commenters of the ‘Anti-Hero Challenge’ videos also draw attention to controversial societal problems and call for change. The findings indicate the beginning of an era where the boundaries between music production and consumption dissolve. The thesis calls for further scientific inquiry into music fan communities’ prosumption practices online and offline.

Магистерская диссертация посвящена исследованию феномена фанфикшн с точки зрения издательского дела. Проведен историографический обзор темы, дана характеристика специфических механизмов существования фанфикшн в сети интернет, а также анализ российских и зарубежных изданий фанфикшн-произведений и их правового статуса. На основании проведенного анализа и результатов анкетирования о читательской востребованности издания фанфикшн-произведений, выявлены возможности использования фанфикшн в издательской сфере и описаны направления работы издателя с ним. / Master's thesis is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of fanfiction from the publishing point of view. A historiographical review of the topic is conducted, a characteristic of the specific mechanisms of fanfiction's existence on the Internet is given, as well as an analysis of Russian and foreign publications of fanfiction works and their legal status. Based on the analysis and results of a survey on the reader's demand for publishing fanfiction works, the possibilities of using fanfiction in the publishing sphere are identified and the directions of the publisher's work with it are described.

The thesis examines the subcultural activities and online fan community of Drainers (fans of the music collective Drain Gang) through TikTok. A netnographic analysis of fans’ engagement and community cultivation through prosumption is done through participation observation.  Samples taken using a non-probability purposive sampling method are analyzed, categorized, and coded. By using theories of prosumption, uses and gratifications and a contemporary online take on subcultural theory from Bennet (2004) as well as Genova et al. (2022), the samples provide an insight into Drainers and their subculture.  Results from the study suggest that community within TikTok is easy to find, yet difficult to regulate. It can thus be both a space for creative participation and opportunity for exploring identity as much as it can be for receiving negative comments and further stigmatization. Regardless of the app’s implications and limitations, it does successfully provide a platform for fans to connect, bond, share ideas and create authentic identity and a subcultural status.  While plenty of previous research concerning fans and their communities exist, this study is through researcher’s immersion opening up a discussion about Drain Gang’s subculture and fans, which is essentially an untouched area of research. Although limitations are present such as lack of possibility to pick samples on TikTok based on publication date, as well as bias while collecting samples, it provides an insight into the online community and subculture which can be used to further explore the topic.

What Would The Doctor Do?  This is a question at the heart of the famous BBC science-fiction show Doctor Who led by the eponym character: the Doctor. As a fan of the show myself, a Whovian, this question matters to me as I look up to the Doctor, this hero who is described as an alien ethical guide for their human companions. Inviting other Feminist Whovians on this journey of reflection about the Whoniverse, we have attempted to unveil if this inspirational motto is shared by the feminist fandom. Concretely, we wondered in what ways can Doctor Who inspire feminist fans. Together, we have explored the feminist inspirational potential of Doctor Who, investigating how we make sense of the show as feminists. We have focused on the reboot and the last evolutions of the show, introducing a woman in the leading role after 60 years of white males. Juggling with fan theory, feminist methodology and phenomenological frameworks analyzing emotions, this study therefore explores the agency of the feminist fandom regarding the political and inspirational potential of Doctor Who. To collect the voices of other Feminist Whovians, I have experimented with the method of chat-discussions, providing an intimist space to share reflections and interpretations of the show. Collectively, we painted a three-dimensional feminist inspirational potential, connecting feminist emotions, feminist values and feminist role models. Doctor Who seems to trigger strong emotions in feminist fans which opens a bridge where values can be shared, and heroes can be admired.    This study shows that reading feminist inspirational potential into the show is rendered possible by the agency held by Feminist Whovians. The feminist fandom indeed adapts the messages of the show towards feminist interpretations, while having a critical understanding of the issues displayed on screen. Choosing specific moments and assigning them powerful meanings, Feminist Whovians are therefore both receivers and modelers of the feminist inspirational potential of Doctor Who.    Navigating this emotional journey uncovering inspirational values and relatable heroes, I have attempted to grasp the concrete influence of the show on the lives of feminist fans, immerging myself with them, with us, into our common love for Doctor Who. Together, we shaped a critical vision of what Doctor Who is and what it can mean for Feminist Whovians.   Fancy a trip?

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This study explores how Chinese ancient cultural memory is constructed, and specifically how it is reconstructed through Chinese Xianxia TV dramas during the past five years. Ancient Chinese culture has become a hit in Chinese popular culture today, in which Xianxia TV dramas draw the biggest audiences. This study focuses on the ways, namely the transformations between cultural memory as storage memory to cultural memory as living functional memory, in which the Xianxia genre reconstructs the past. Bringing together a ritual view of communication, cultural memory and participatory culture, it applies a cultural approach to communication, which refers to the production and the fandom reception of Xianxia TV drama. Meanwhile, the perspective of culture industry provides a critical dimension to look into this highly commercial genre. This study is based on the analysis of content and representations of the theme song lyrics, posters and the general narratives of six selected Xianxia TV dramas, as well as a virtual ethnography of fan-generated videos and their comments. The findings suggest that, the reconstruction of ancient Chinese cultural memory in Xianxia TV dramas is a complex interplay between the culture industry logics of Xianxia production and the passionate participatory fan culture. The limited representations of the past in the series are absorbed and practiced by the fan audiences. Through fan practices, the fans extend the media text with their passion and knowledge of ancient culture, attaching the cultural memory into their present real-life cultural identity and hence vigorously transforming cultural memory from storage memory into functional memory.  This study speaks to the lack of bottom-up perspectives in the studies of the ancient culture revival trend in China, and it contributes to a deeper scholarly understanding of the Xianxia genre.