Filling the gap: An exploration into the theories and methods used in fan studies

Abstract

Interdisciplinarity involves the interaction, combination, and integration of theories, concepts, and methods across different disciplines—and fan studies is commonly seen as an interdisciplinary field of research. This contribution sheds light on the question of interdisciplinarity by investigating contemporary notions of theory and methods used in two discipline-related scholarly journals through a metadata analysis of the keywords as well as a content analysis of fifty randomly selected abstracts in order to investigate the dominant theoretical approaches and methods used in the field of fan studies.

Between Human and Virtual Idol: Fans Reception Analysis of Digital Alter Ego Concept

“…These findings indicate that even though they depart from the same reading position, informants -as fans-can construct different perspectives in the practice of worshiping idols. This is retrospective to the contemporary view in fans studies that notes fans as cultural practice instead of pathology (Benecchi et al, 2022;Stever, 2021). At this level, fans can create their meanings as they have distinct experiences in being a fan (Duffett, 2020).…”

“…Informant TN and J, for example, like Aespa's content while simultaneously perceiving the digital "ae" members as unreal images only created to entertain the fans. At this level, fans no longer seen as pathological, but rather active audiences who have their rationalization in consuming texts related to their idols (Benecchi et al, 2022;Lundy et al, 2020). Hence, they can joyfully consume the idol content without being trapped in the illusion made by the media.…”