This descriptive case study examined adolescents' and emerging adults' literate and social practices within the context of a role-play-game (RPG) forum, investigating the ways participants read and collaboratively composed within this space. As a researcher, I was interested in how this space functioned and how the interactions between members impacted their composing processes, with particular attention to the role of online spaces and popular culture in adolescents' motivation to engage in this forum. This study was guided by three research questions: (1) In what ways is Trelis Weyr, an RPG forum, organized as a virtual environment?; (2) In what ways, and for what purposes, do adolescents and emerging adults (ages 14-24) engage in literate and social practices as they read and collaboratively compose within Trelis Weyr?; (3) What are the factors that motivate participants to enter and persist at play in Trelis Weyr? Findings provide a nuanced understanding of how an RPG forum offers a range of multimodal, inter-textual, and hybrid reading and writing opportunities.

The media play a major role in every part of American society by distributing content that has value to individuals, and a National Football League (NFL) sports fan club is no different. This study examines how members of a Kansas City Chiefs' fan club use media to stay connected to their team and socialize with fellow members. Social identification theory explains that when an individual comes together with one or more individuals with like-minded interests, they form social bonds. Their shared interests allow them to disseminate Chiefs' information through content gathered from media usage. To understand how the Chiefs' fans use media, the author conducted research at a Kansas City Chiefs' sports club at a local bar in a large Southeastern city in the United States. The researcher used observation, participation, and interviews to collect information on the media usage of fan club members. The results find that the majority of members logged on to KCStar.com and KCChiefs.com when they wanted to read about the team from sources that lived in the Kansas City Region. When the members wanted to follow the games live, one person listened to play-by-play on their cellular phone, while others followed Internet updates on sports Web sites, or watched the games on television with the other fan club members.

迷研究自Fiske在1989提出迷是一種閱聽人以來，研究取向多以迷為主動閱聽人此概論為主探討其的主動性，再者在探討迷與偶像的關係時，多以「認同」、「愉悅」、「創作」以及「模仿」為主，此種樂觀的態度探討兩者的關係，忽略了迷是會有不再迷戀偶像的可能。 本研究以此研究途徑出發，探討迷從迷戀偶像到不再迷戀偶像過程中的變化。透過質化取徑的深度訪談法，訪談十二位曾經為w-inds.迷的閱聽人，希冀透過與十二位受訪者的訪談，了解閱聽人成為迷之後的原因與行為，以及不再迷戀偶像後的原因與行為。 在整理訪談資料後提出以下研究發現：首先，閱聽人會因為偶像的外型、作品，在大眾媒體的曝光以及周儕團體與家人的推薦之下迷戀偶像，透過消費偶像商品、創作文本、參與演唱會、加入迷社群的方式表達自己對於偶像的喜愛，迷戀的過程也會有較為隱私的內在心理反應。其次，因為偶像的緋聞與轉變、自己的個人因素以及與他人的衝突不再迷戀偶像。不再迷戀偶像後會減少消費偶像商品的次數，退出原先加入的迷社群，也會出現負面行為以諷刺的言語評斷原先迷戀的偶像；最後，本研究亦發現若是迷當初是因為偶像的作品而迷戀偶像的話，只要偶像的新作品能夠再一次吸引到迷，這時候是有可能再一次迷戀偶像的。 / Since the study by Fiske in 1989 that fans are a type of audience, research on fandom has mainly focused on the proactiveness of fans. Furthermore, when exploring the interactions between fans and their idols, it is usually in the form of “agreement,” “pleasure,” “creation,” and “imitation.” Studying the relationships between both parties with such optimistic attitudes neglects the possibility that fans might someday lose interest in their idols. Based on the research context above, this study investigates the changes during the process of how fans begin and cease worshipping their idols. Through in-depth interviews of 12 w-inds. audiences, who were once fans, hope to understand the reasons for audiences becoming fans and their subsequent behaviors, as well as the reasons that they stop worshipping their idols and their subsequent behaviors. The following was found after data collation: firstly, audience members become fans due to their idols’ appearance, creative works, mass media exposure, and recommendations from peer groups and family members. The fans express their devotion by purchasing products related to their idols, writing fan-fictions, attending concerts, and joining fan organizations. During the process of idolization they also have inner psychological reactions. Next, gossip and changes in the idols, personal factors related to fans, and conflicts with others could result in the termination of their idolization. This leads to reduced frequency of purchasing products related to their idols, leaving fan groups they had previously joined, and even the use of ironic language when judging idols they had previously worshipped. Lastly, if fans initially idolized an idol due to their work, and if the idol can present a new creative work that can again attract the fans, then the audience members might once again become fans of the idol.

This study examines football fan identity and identification within the Nationwide football league in England. A preliminary examination of the literature concludes that research on fan identity with sports teams in general, focuses primarily upon the behavioural consequences of fan identification. More specific research on the football fan concentrates predominantly upon either the F.A. Premier League or the deviant fan. The research thus attempts to fill a void in knowledge by examining football fan identification of fans of less successful football teams, using a social identity theory framework. Employing a mixed-methods research design, and an embedded case study approach, the study investigates those factors that influence fan identification at Luton Town Football Club. Methods used were those of observation/participant observation, a large scale fan survey, and indepth semi-structured interviews with fans. As part of the fan survey, the sport spectator identification scale (Wann and Branscombe, 1993), revealed a fan population that was highly identified with Luton Town. Levels of fan identification were similar across age, gender, and length of support of the club. Subsequent survey and interview data allowed six themes related to this fan identification to emerge: these being the extent of fan identification; the antecedents of fan identification; the maintenance of fan identification; the effects of fan identification upon behaviour; the influence of the cultural identity within which fan identities are enacted; and the relationship between the fan and the football club. Analysis of these themes yields a model of football fan identification which can be adapted to fans of other football clubs, or fans within other contexts. It was concluded that whenever such identification provides positive social and psychological consequences for fans, levels of identification with the club remain high. For these fans, it is the process of identification with the club that is the most important component of fandom. By contrast, where the individual derives fewer benefits from fandom, identification remains low. For such less identified fans, other factors, such as the quality of facilities or team performance, become more meaningful. The findings from the study indicate that social identity theory is an appropriate framework with which to explore the concept of football fan identification.

x, 160 p. : ill. (some col.) / Although the web appears to be a welcoming space for women, online spaces--like offline spaces--are rendered female through associations with the personal/private, embodiment, or an emphasis on intimacy. As such, these spaces are marked, marginalized, and often dismissed. Using an explicitly interdisciplinary approach that combines cultural studies models with feminist theory, new media studies, and performance, Beyond Resistance uses fandom as a way to render visible the invisible ways that repressive discourses of gender are woven throughout digital culture. I examine a variety of online fan practices that use popular media to perform individual negotiations of repressive ideologies of sex and gender, such as fan-authored fiction, role-playing games, and vids and machinima--digital videos created from re-editing television and video game texts. Although many of these negotiations are potentially resistive, I demonstrate how that potential is being limited and redirected in ways that actually reinforce constructions of gender that support the dominant culture. The centrality of traditional notions of sex and gender in determining the value of fan practices, through both popular representation and critical analysis, serves as a microcosm of how discourses of gender are operating within digital culture to support the continued gendering of the public and private spheres within digital space. This gendering contributes to the ongoing subordination of women under patriarchy by marginalizing or dismissing their concerns, labor, and cultural tastes. / Committee in charge: Priscilla Ovalle, Chairperson; Kathleen Karlyn, Member; Michael Aronson, Member; Kate Mondloch, Outside Member

Submitted by Bruna Rodrigues (bruna92rodrigues@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-09-13T14:49:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissPTP.pdf: 10221819 bytes, checksum: f1a9a5fc9bc3569835da66d9b81bff42 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-13T19:47:35Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissPTP.pdf: 10221819 bytes, checksum: f1a9a5fc9bc3569835da66d9b81bff42 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-13T19:47:47Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissPTP.pdf: 10221819 bytes, checksum: f1a9a5fc9bc3569835da66d9b81bff42 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-13T19:47:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissPTP.pdf: 10221819 bytes, checksum: f1a9a5fc9bc3569835da66d9b81bff42 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-06-15 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / The advent and popularization of the Internet has enabled the cultural convergence movement, creating numerous online communities as well as the consolidation of collective intelligence. Without being blocked by geographical barriers that once separated them, fans of today are much more active, organized and eager for content. Their voices can now be heard by the companies holding the canonicity of the stories on the internet, through protests on social networks and unofficial content building (fandom culture). Their reactions can influence and even change the original plots. This work aimed to study this phenomenon from the fans perspective and their participation in the evolution of the transmedia universe of Mass Effect games (2007-2012), from Bioware, through its unofficial productions such as fanfiction, specific actions through crowdfunding platforms and interactions via social networking communities like Facebook, in response to the end of game trilogy, which generated great dissatisfaction due to an expectation not fulfilled (from the perspective of those fans). It analyzed the narrative complexity of the work, and how this aspect influenced the relationship with the fans, culminating in this highly organized protest action against the ending, forcing the company holding the canon content to retract and change the ending of its work. / O advento e popularização da internet possibilitou o movimento da convergência cultural, criando inúmeras comunidades online, bem como a consolidação da inteligência coletiva. Sem serem tolidos pelas barreiras geográficas que os separavam, os fãs da atualidade são muito mais ativos, organizados e ávidos por conteúdo. Suas vozes podem agora serem ouvidas pelas empresas detentoras da canonicidade das histórias na internet, através de protestos em redes sociais e da construção de conteúdo não oficial (cultura fandom). Suas reações conseguem influenciar e até mesmo alterar enredos originais. O presente trabalho buscou estudar esse fenômeno sob a ótica da participação dos fãs do universo transmidiático do jogo eletrônico Mass Effect (2007-2012), da empresa Bioware, através de suas produções não oficiais, como fanfictions, ações pontuais através de plataformas de financiamento coletivo (ou crowdfunding) e interações em comunidades via redes sociais, como o Facebook, em resposta ao final da trilogia dos jogos, que gerou grande insatisfação devido à uma expectativa não cumprida (sob a ótica desses fãs). Analisou-se a complexidade narrativa da obra, e como esse aspecto influenciou na relação com os fãs, culminando nesta ação de protesto altamente organizado contra o final, obrigando a empresa detentora do conteúdo cânone a se retratar e alterar o final de sua obra.

Submitted by Camila Fernandes de Oliveira null (oliveirafcamila@gmail.com) on 2016-10-01T04:04:15Z No. of bitstreams: 1 OLIVEIRA, CF - Práticas Participativas.pdf: 3313660 bytes, checksum: 78283fa789dea7bee80eb8580a83d3eb (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Paula Grisoto (grisotoana@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-10-05T14:35:56Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 oliveira_cf_me_bauru.pdf: 3313660 bytes, checksum: 78283fa789dea7bee80eb8580a83d3eb (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-05T14:35:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 oliveira_cf_me_bauru.pdf: 3313660 bytes, checksum: 78283fa789dea7bee80eb8580a83d3eb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-18 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Com a popularização da internet, a maneira que a sociedade se organiza foi alterada, incluindo a facilidade – e a velocidade – com que acessam informações, a possibilidade de se relacionar com outros membros do público e a oportunidade de criar releituras dos textos originais. Com o objetivo de identificar como os fãs constituem uma esfera de consumo de mídia ativo, foi escolhido como objeto o fansite brasileiro Potterish dedicado a Harry Potter. Utilizando a análise de conteúdo como metodologia, este trabalho considera sua estrutura e os trabalhos de fãs apresentados no fansite, as publicações da seção de notícias no último trimestre de 2015, os textos da seção de colunas com interpretações sobre a obra publicados em 2014 e 2015 e a cobertura realizada nos perfis do Potterish no Twitter e no Facebook sobre o anúncio do lançamento em livro do roteiro da peça Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Este trabalho se apoia no referencial teórico produzido pelos estudos de fãs, com destaque aos autores Booth, Duffett, Fiske, Jenkins e Hills, além de autores que colaboram para a compreensão da sociedade contemporânea, como Thompson e Canclini. Os resultados da pesquisa mostraram que a estrutura do fansite representa principalmente os prazeres de performance de Duffett (2013), relacionados às atividades cuja proposta é experienciar o fandom, a seleção de notícia reúne informações em português sobre as novidades relacionadas à franquia, as colunas do Potterish se destacam pelas interpretações da história não explícitas nos livros e a atividade do Potterish nas redes sociais apresenta coerência de linguagem e maior interação com os fãs do que o próprio site. O fansite se apresenta como um facilitador do acesso à informação para os fãs ao traduzir o que é publicado em outro idioma, compartilhar com os outros fãs e organizar de maneira que os usuários do site sejam capazes de se atualizar sobre o objeto de seu fandom. / The popularization of the Internet changed the way society is organized, including the ease - and speed – to access information, the ability to relate to other members of the public and the opportunity to create new readings of the original texts. In order to identify how the fans are an active media consumption sphere, the Brazilian fan site Potterish dedicated to Harry Potter was chosen as the object of this research. Using the content analysis as a methodology, this paper considers the structure of Potterish and the fanworks presented on the fan site, the news section publications in the last quarter of 2015, the texts of the columns section with interpretations of the story published in 2014 and 2015 and coverage held on Potterish profiles on Twitter and Facebook about the announcement of the publishing of the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. This work is based on the theoretical framework produced by fans studies, especially the authors Booth, Duffett, Fiske, Hills and Jenkins, and the authors that contribute to the understanding of contemporary society, as Thompson and Canclini. Research results showed that the fan site structure mainly represents the pleasures of performance of Duffett (2013), related to the activities whose purpose is to experience the fandom, the news selection gathers information in Portuguese about what is new related to the franchise, the columns of the Potterish are highlighted by interpretations of the story that is not explicit in the books and the activity of Potterish on social networks websites shows language consistency and greater interaction with the fans than the site itself.

The aim of this study is to examine knowledge processes in online spaces. It focuses on threeparticular cases: the Bonfireside Chat podcast, the community around the computer game Europa Universalis 4, and the Supernatural fandom. By applying the frameworks of Wenger’s (1998) communities of practice and Hall’s (1980) modes of reading, it examines how these spaces and their communities engage with their respective media artifacts. It concludes thatthese processes display high levels of complexity and literacy, and that a deeper understanding of such processes is useful in developing future educational efforts, online as well as offline.

pesquisa de caráter epistemológico que tem como objeto de estudo contribuições epistemológicas, teórias e práticas oriundas do Campo da Comunicação para o método de monitoramento de redes sociais e técnicas de pesquisa. Objetivo geral propõe reflexões sobre o método de monitoramento de redes sociais aos pesquisadores do Campo da Comunicação proporcionando discussões e contribuições de cunho epistemológico, teórico e prático bem como apresenta limitações e implicações práticas sobre aplicações de técnicas de monitoramento em pesquisas de recepção da telenovela no Brasil. Objetivos específicos: (1) observar graus de autoridade apresentados por algoritmos em técnicas de monitoramento e quais técnicas são mais citadas no contexto de realização da atual pesquisa; (2) propor aplicações de técnicas de monitoramento para conteúdos gerados por fãs de telenovela em sites nos redes sociais, a saber Twitter, Facebook e YouTube. Hipótese de caráter epistemológico: citações de técnicas de monitoramento na Internet parecem esboçar comportamento semelhante ao de \"cauda longa\", seguindo as mesmas regras matemáticas da Lei de Pareto do ponto de vista de alusão ou referência às técnicas. Há citações de miríades de técnicas ao mesmo tempo em que há concentrações de citações que se direcionam para apenas 20% delas ou percentual aproximado. A concentração de citações indica o grau de autoridade de algoritmos que se dedicam à atividade de monitoramento. Do ponto de vista de autores que versam sobre técnicas será possível verificar a ocorrência hubs como resultado da concentração de domínios de conhecimento sobre volume e qualidade de referências às técnicas. Hipótese de caráter prático: combinações de técnicas gratuitas ou em modelo fremium empregadas para monitoramento e mineração de dados de CGU podem auxiliar ao estudo de fãs e estudos de recepção de telenovela. Metodologias quantitativa e qualitativa, a saber: análise de hiperlinks, análise de conteúdo, estudo de caso descritivo. Resultados: amostra inicial intencional bruta de 10.642 links a partir da qual se extraiu subamostra relevante e significativa de aproximadamente 1.579 links. Resultados: a cauda longa formada por 2.139 técnicas de monitoramento identificadas privilegia citações de técnicas revelando graus de autoridade entre algoritmos de monitoramento de conteúdos gerados por usuários em sites de redes sociais. / epistemological research whose goal\'s remains in contributions derived from the communication field for the social media monitoring method (SMM) and techniques. The overall objective remains on a propose reflections about the social media monitoring method for communication researchers providing discussions about epistemological, theoretical and practical issues in a research field of telenovela fans. Objectives: (1) observe degrees of authority presented by present algorithms in monitoring techniques and which techniques are most frequently mentioned in the context of realization of such research; (2) propose applications of monitoring techniques for CGU research on social network sites: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Epistemological hypothesis: monitoring techniques quotes on the Internet seems like the \"long tail\" behavior, following the same mathematical rules of Pareto Law allusion point of view or reference about the techniques. There are myriad quotes techniques while there quotes concentrations at target in only 20% of them or something close. The concentration of quotes indicates the degree of algorithms that perform monitoring activities authority. From the point of view of authors who deals with monitoring techniques it will be possible to detect hubs as a result of the concentrations of domain knowledge about the volume and quality to the SMM technical references. b) Practical hypothesis: free technical combinations or model fremium employed for monitoring and mining CGU data can help the study of telenovela fans and reception studies. Quantitative and qualitative methodologies were applied: hyperlinks analysis, content analysis and descriptive case study. Results: intentional sample of 10,642 links from which were extracted relevant and significant subsample of 1,579 links. Results: the long tail of 2,139 social medida monitoring techniques founded privileges techniques quotes revealing degrees of authority between monitoring algorithms.

En 2013, dans le parc Gezi d’Istanbul, plus d’un million de personnes ont spontanément déclenché le plus grand mouvement protestataire que la Turquie a connu. Les supporters des trois clubs de football les plus populaires d’Istanbul y ont joué un rôle inédit tant par la forme de leur engagement que par leur mode d’action. Le terrain d’expression de cette contestation était essentiellement constitué par les réseaux sociaux en ligne. La thèse propose de comprendre les raisons de l’implication des supporters et interroge la forme politique de cette mobilisation. Au-delà du football, cet engagement est étroitement dépendant d’un ensemble de conditions historiques et sociales, et de représentations liées à une « doxa républicaine ». L’analyse cyber-ethnographique sur Twitter (qui englobe les messages des supporters) nous a permis de repérer les traces de l’identité urbaine, laïque et « moderne » de ces participants de Gezi, leur rapport au politique et leur adhésion aux valeurs républicaines. / In 2013, at Gezi Park of Istanbul, over a million people spontaneously started the largest protest movement in the history of Turkey. The fans of Istanbul’s three popular football clubs had an unprecedented engagement in these protests. Online social networks were one of the major channels where dissident expressions took place. This thesis aims to understand supporters’ reasons to participate in these protests and the political forms of their mobilization. Beyond football, this engagement is closely associated with a bundle of historical and social conditions and representations, linked with the “republican doxa.” A cyber-ethnography on Twitter that covers football supporters’ messages helps us trace the urban, secular and “modern” identity of these participants of Gezi, their relationship with politics and their allegiance to republican values.