Impact of Fandom

During this week, we will discuss public culture and power as those concepts related to fan communities. As we will learn, the ways in which we situate ourselves as “fans” impacts more than our viewing/entertainment pleasure. It frames parts of the ways in which we perceive the world, and, more globally, fandom rhetorically impacts economic choices, political, social, and sometimes even religious perspectives, etc. During this week, you should (1) read the assigned readings, and (2) upload your own post on Discussion Board by midnight on Sunday, June 24. Sixth Blackboard prompt: Based on your readings and reflections, how does your own fandom impact your choices and perspectives beyond your decision to watch something?
REQUIRED READINGS (for week of June 18):
Beck, C., Chapman, S., Simmons, N., Tenzek, K., & Ruhl, S. (2015). Celebrity health narratives and the public health (pp. 5-20, 111-131). Jefferson City, NC: McFarland.
Butterworth, M. (2013). The passion of the Tebow: Sports media and heroic language in the tragic frame. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 30, 17-33.
Koren-Kuik, M. (2015). Desiring the tangible: Disneyland, fandom, and the spatial immersion.
In K. M. Barton & J. M. Lampley (Eds.), Fan culture: Essays on participatory fandom in the
21st century (pp. 146-158). Jefferson, NC: McFarland.