Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Anthropology

Sub-Department

College of Arts and Sciences

First Advisor

Kimberly Simmons

Abstract

In my dissertation, “Negotiating the Interconnections of Sociality, Identity, Fan Activism and Connectivity within the Twilight Community”, I examine the ways in which women employed a shared interest in a cultural text to establish meaningful social relationships with other fans. Rather than focusing solely on consumptive pleasure, these fans of the Twilight series utilized the intense popularity of the franchise to engage in charitable activities. Through these common threads of identity, community, virtual technologies, and charity, I contend that the Twilight fandom represents a new form of fan community, which is trending upward and creating an impact beyond the traditional sphere of fandom. The internet and virtual technologies continue to increase the interconnectedness between people, and the ways in which experiences –online and offline—intermingle and flow back and forth to create vibrant fan communities that impact the world with both consumptive pleasure and altruistic intentions. As such, it becomes relevant to understand the ways in which fandom and the ensuing activities are enacted and experienced by people in a contemporary, technologically mediated community.

Rights

© 2015, Amy A. O’Brien

Included in

Anthropology Commons

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