University of Jyväskylä | JYX Digital Repository

  • English  | Give feedback |
    • suomi
    • English
 
  • Login
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
View Item 
  • JYX
  • Opinnäytteet
  • Kandidaatintutkielmat
  • View Item
JYX > Opinnäytteet > Kandidaatintutkielmat > View Item

Fandom as an online support group : a case study of CW's Supernatural

Thumbnail
View/Open
558.2 Kb

Downloads:  
Show download detailsHide download details  
Authors
Tammentie, Bastian
Date
2016
Discipline
SosiologiaSociology
Copyright
This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.

 
As online chats and forums became more popular recreational activities it contributed to communities being transferred to cyberspace. Fans have constituted a unique user group from the very beginning of online networking, providing a space for like-minded individuals to bond and build an intercontinental community and to engage in activities related to the object of their affection from producing fan content to taking part in fan-based activism. Peer support and the positive impact of social acceptance have been found to have a positive impact on an individual’s mental well-being while also preventing social isolation. Likewise, social networking has also brought celebrities and fans closer as they are now able to share the same forums in the form of social media platforms, and thus can also be used to promote products, shows, or charity campaigns, sometimes lead by a celebrity with a strong fan following. It is argued that a charity may gain more publicity when supported by an idol, and that when the celebrity has a personal connection to or experience of the issue, the message is made more powerful and believable for the audience. This dissertation aspires to combine the elements of celebrity-driven charities, fan activism and peer support, and studies the personal impact the charity campaigns launched by idols have had on the fans concerned. The research is conducted as a case study of the fandom surrounding the CW network’s cult television series “Supernatural”. The focus is on the charity campaigns campaigning for raising awareness of mental health, above all depression, launched by either or all of the three lead actors, and how the campaigns and celebrity involvement has been received by the fans. These questions are answered as a non-participant study by observing and analysing the comments written by the fans of the show and the actors on the actors’ public Fabebook pages. The dissertation finds celebrity involvement in charity campaigns promoting mental health and raising awareness of mental illnesses to have a positive impact on the fans who themselves suffer from a mental illness and to create a micro-support network within the larger network of the fandom as a whole. The fans with a personal connection to the subject of the campaigns were found to be more likely to consider celebrity involvement in the campaigns as empowering as opposed to fans without such connection, although a negative response to celebrity involvement was found to be rare, although further research is required. ...
Keywords
micro-support network mikrotukiverkosto Supernatural sosiaaliset verkostot yhteisöt mielenterveys fanius hyväntekeväisyys kampanjat henkilöt social networks communities (organisations) mental health fandom charity campaigns persons
URI

http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-201902251639

Metadata
Show full item record
Collections
  • Kandidaatintutkielmat [4645]

Related items

Showing items with similar title or keywords.

  • Personal Social Networks of Community-Dwelling Oldest Old During the Covid-19 Pandemic : A Qualitative Study 

    Kulmala, Jenni; Tiilikainen, Elisa; Lisko, Inna; Ngandu, Tiia; Kivipelto, Miia; Solomon, Alina (Frontiers Media SA, 2021)
    The COVID-19 pandemic and its related restrictions have affected the everyday life of older people. Advanced age is a significant predisposing factor for a more severe COVID-19 infection, increasing the risk for hospitalization ...
  • Personal branding or employee advocacy : expert's use of social networking site 

    Makkonen, Pekka; Schutskoff, Sanna (Decision Sciences Institute, 2017)
    This paper deals with social media in building experts’ professional images. In the theoretical part, online communities are discussed in the light of the paper’s topic. The study relies on technological adoption models, ...
  • “Emma and Regina made me realize I was gay” : a study on LGBT identity formation in femslash fan communities 

    Aalto, Emmi (2020)
    Tämän maisterintutkielman ensisijainen tarkoitus on selvittää, miten femslash-nettifaniyhteisöön kuuluminen auttaa LGBT-identiteetin muodostamisessa. Tutkielmasta myös selviää, onko femslash-faneilla erilaisia seksuaali- ...
  • Making social capital : case study of two beneficiary communities of the social housing initiative, Lagos, Nigeria 

    Zgrzywa, Ewa (2009)
    Recent estimates have set the world urban population at over 3 billion people. In Nigeria, the massive urban sprawl has resulted in the proliferation of slums that are regarded as areas of extreme poverty. Nevertheless, ...
  • Psychological impact of online support communities : can human participation in an online health community improve psychological well-being 

    Kolawole, Olatunbosun (2019)
    Online Health Communities (OHCs) have become a major source of social, emotional and informational support for people with health problems. There has been much debate surrounding the potential benefits and costs of ...
  • Browse materials
  • Browse materials
  • Articles
  • Conferences and seminars
  • Electronic books
  • Historical maps
  • Journals
  • Tunes and musical notes
  • Photographs
  • Presentations and posters
  • Publication series
  • Research reports
  • Research data
  • Study materials
  • Theses

Browse

All of JYXCollection listBy Issue DateAuthorsSubjectsPublished inDepartmentDiscipline

My Account

Login

Statistics

View Usage Statistics
  • How to publish in JYX?
  • Self-archiving
  • Publish Your Thesis Online
  • Publishing Your Dissertation
  • Publication services

Open Science at the JYU
 
Data Protection Description

Accessibility Statement

Unless otherwise specified, publicly available JYX metadata (excluding abstracts) may be freely reused under the CC0 waiver.
Open Science Centre