Simone Driessen
Biographic Data
| ID | 198404 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Simone Driessen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Simone |
| FAMILY NAME | Driessen |
| SIGNATURE | DRIESSEN S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Erasmus University Rotterdam |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8195-0072 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 18 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Ruptures, Dissent and Cancellation: Studies on Digital Fandoms in Crisis
Scholars working across fan studies, internet studies and politics have noted the increasing use of cancellation practices across media, politics and culture and within digital spaces. Cancel culture is “the withdrawal of any kind of support (viewership, social media follows, purchases of products endorsed by the person, etc.) for those who are assessed to have said or done something unacceptable or highly problematic, generally from a social jus…
Invisible string(s): Exploring conspiratorial participatory practices among Swifties
This study explores how Taylor Swift fans, so-called “Swifties,” engage in playful, conspiratorial participation by interpreting hidden messages and developing fan theories, especially around Swift’s queer identity (the “Gaylor” discourse). Drawing on interviews with 18 fans, this article presents an in-depth perspective, demonstrating how speculative fandom blurs the line between interpretive play and conspiracist logic. This helps reveal how pa…
Waving the cancelling wand: Harry Potter fans and the cancellation of J.K. Rowling
The “cancelling” of celebrities is typically understood as a stark, immediate withdrawal of support. However, what happens when cancellation intersects with fandom, known to endure long after artists disappear from the mainstream? This study examines how Harry Potter fans navigated anti-transgender statements made by author J.K. Rowling. Drawing on a 2022 survey posted on Tumblr, qualitative analysis of free-text responses reveals four thematic c…
WeGotYou: Examining the intersections of believability, cancel culture, and fandom (in a not-cancel case)
In 2022, Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter faced sexual assault allegations from three women. Carter, during his boyband career branded as the “innocent, young, baby” of the band, did not receive a lot of public backlash due to the cases, despite their resonance with typical #MeToo-narratives warranting an artist's cancellation. Besides the cancellation of the “Backstreet Boys Christmas Special” by ABC (and a few sponsorship deals), Carter's rep…
Introduction: Cancel culture & celebrity bashing, exploring the theatre of morality
Over the past decade, cancel culture and celebrity bashing have become prominent markers in public and academic discourse. They can lead to denoting public shaming or exclusion of individuals, brands, or organisations for perceived moral transgressions. Yet, these phenomena are far from stable or self-evident; they operate as contested moral and semiotic fields in which notions of guilt, accountability, and justice are constantly (re-)negotiated.…
They Not like Us: Cultural Aggregation and Ambiguous Meaning-Making in Internet Culture
Introduction: From Rap Battles to Cultural Battlegrounds In 2024, rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake took music, popular culture, and even politics by storm with an escalating series of diss tracks (Coscarelli), the latest chapter in a long-simmering rivalry dating back to 2014. Feuds have long defined rap, with diss tracks forming a distinct sub-style (Baker). The most infamous precedent comes from the 1990s, when American rappers from the East Co…
Best Song ever - forever: Exploring how young adults give meaning to their life-long music fandom
This study explores how aging One Direction and Taylor Swift fans continue their fandom in(to) adulthood. Drawing on interviews with 23 female fans, this article examines what happens if one actively pursues fandom after youth. Despite having multiple solo-careers to keep track of, or adjusting to new (Swift-)‘eras’, ‘aging pop fandom’ seems to go beyond the music: Results demonstrate that these young aging fans consider themselves ‘life-long fan…
From fan citizenship to ‘fanspiracies’: Politics and participatory cultures in times of crisis
Fan practices and behaviours have increasingly moved beyond fan communities into the political, economic and cultural structures of every day life. The proliferation of social media platforms has allowed both the progressive and reactionary aspects of fandom to converge in the public sphere, drawing on similar techniques, pleasures, and practices in order to interpret the world in a culture where the boundaries between popular and political commu…
The participatory politics and play of canceling an idol: Exploring how fans negotiate their fandom of a canceled ‘fave
What happens if your favorite artist gets canceled? Can you remain a fan after such a controversy? This study explores how fans – those with a strong affective bond toward their fan object – negotiate their fannish position and practices after the cancellation of their idol. Fans are asked to re-evaluate their fandom, and potentially their participation in it: a political turning point in their fannish career. To better understand this phenomenon…
Gaming Masculinity: Trolls, Fake Geeks and the Gendered Battle for Online Culture, Megan Condis (2018)
Review of: Gaming Masculinity: Trolls, Fake Geeks and the Gendered Battle for Online Culture , Megan Condis (2018) Iowa City: Iowa University Press, 138 pp., ISBN 978-1-60938-565-1, p/bk, $65.00
Look what you made them do: Understanding fans’ affective responses to Taylor Swift’s political coming-out
This contribution discusses how fans make sense of Taylor Swift's versatile and constantly changing celebrity identity. More precisely, it examines how fans negotiate her post-Reputation political revelations and expressions. This piece does so through the lens of her fandom, particularly by looking at what happens when fans' perceptions are tested (see By doing so, this piece aims to offer an insight into how fans respond to Swift when their und…
Campaign Problems: How Fans React to Taylor Swift's Controversial Political Awakening
This study examines how the fandom of pop star Taylor Swift negotiates her 'political' awakening, after politically coming-out via Instagram in 2018. When Swift announced her vote for two Democratic senators, (international) media and her fandom considered it controversial. Swift, unlike many other pop-singers, had never publicly expressed her political views, until 2018. Yet, doing so put her on the map as a potential celebrity politician (CP): …
Taylor Swift, political power, and the challenge of affect in popular music fandom
When Taylor Swift came out politically via Instagram in 2018, her fans, the Swifties, reacted to their object of affection and her political position. An analysis of the online fan response provides a snapshot of how politics is empirically manifest in mainstream pop music fandoms—a genre and space often overlooked when it comes to discussing politics
Articulations of Identity and Distinction: The Meanings of Language in Dutch Popular Music
On the basis of interviews with music audiences, heritage practitioners, and cultural industry workers, this article explores how language use in Dutch popular music relates to local and historically situated taste patterns and music practices. Most popular music in the Netherlands is sung in English, Dutch, or dialects of the Dutch language. We discuss how these languages are used in Dutch popular music as an expression of cultural taste, cultur…
Articulations of Identity and Distinction: The Meanings of Language in Dutch Popular Music
On the basis of interviews with music audiences, heritage practitioners, and cultural industry workers, this article explores how language use in Dutch popular music relates to local and historically situated taste patterns and music practices. Most popular music in the Netherlands is sung in English, Dutch, or dialects of the Dutch language. We discuss how these languages are used in Dutch popular music as an expression of cultural taste, cultur…
The participatory politics and play of canceling an idol: Exploring how fans negotiate their fandom of a canceled ‘fave
What happens if your favorite artist gets canceled? Can you remain a fan after such a controversy? This study explores how fans – those with a strong affective bond toward their fan object – negotiate their fannish position and practices after the cancellation of their idol. Fans are asked to re-evaluate their fandom, and potentially their participation in it: a political turning point in their fannish career. To better understand this phenomenon…
Look what you made them do: Understanding fans’ affective responses to Taylor Swift’s political coming-out
This contribution discusses how fans make sense of Taylor Swift's versatile and constantly changing celebrity identity. More precisely, it examines how fans negotiate her post-Reputation political revelations and expressions. This piece does so through the lens of her fandom, particularly by looking at what happens when fans' perceptions are tested (see By doing so, this piece aims to offer an insight into how fans respond to Swift when their und…
Campaign Problems: How Fans React to Taylor Swift's Controversial Political Awakening
This study examines how the fandom of pop star Taylor Swift negotiates her 'political' awakening, after politically coming-out via Instagram in 2018. When Swift announced her vote for two Democratic senators, (international) media and her fandom considered it controversial. Swift, unlike many other pop-singers, had never publicly expressed her political views, until 2018. Yet, doing so put her on the map as a potential celebrity politician (CP): …
Articulations of Identity and Distinction: The Meanings of Language in Dutch Popular Music
On the basis of interviews with music audiences, heritage practitioners, and cultural industry workers, this article explores how language use in Dutch popular music relates to local and historically situated taste patterns and music practices. Most popular music in the Netherlands is sung in English, Dutch, or dialects of the Dutch language. We discuss how these languages are used in Dutch popular music as an expression of cultural taste, cultur…
Taylor Swift, political power, and the challenge of affect in popular music fandom
When Taylor Swift came out politically via Instagram in 2018, her fans, the Swifties, reacted to their object of affection and her political position. An analysis of the online fan response provides a snapshot of how politics is empirically manifest in mainstream pop music fandoms—a genre and space often overlooked when it comes to discussing politics
Gaming Masculinity: Trolls, Fake Geeks and the Gendered Battle for Online Culture, Megan Condis (2018)
Review of: Gaming Masculinity: Trolls, Fake Geeks and the Gendered Battle for Online Culture , Megan Condis (2018) Iowa City: Iowa University Press, 138 pp., ISBN 978-1-60938-565-1, p/bk, $65.00
Look what you made them do: Understanding fans’ affective responses to Taylor Swift’s political coming-out
This contribution discusses how fans make sense of Taylor Swift's versatile and constantly changing celebrity identity. More precisely, it examines how fans negotiate her post-Reputation political revelations and expressions. This piece does so through the lens of her fandom, particularly by looking at what happens when fans' perceptions are tested (see By doing so, this piece aims to offer an insight into how fans respond to Swift when their und…
Campaign Problems: How Fans React to Taylor Swift's Controversial Political Awakening
This study examines how the fandom of pop star Taylor Swift negotiates her 'political' awakening, after politically coming-out via Instagram in 2018. When Swift announced her vote for two Democratic senators, (international) media and her fandom considered it controversial. Swift, unlike many other pop-singers, had never publicly expressed her political views, until 2018. Yet, doing so put her on the map as a potential celebrity politician (CP): …
The participatory politics and play of canceling an idol: Exploring how fans negotiate their fandom of a canceled ‘fave
What happens if your favorite artist gets canceled? Can you remain a fan after such a controversy? This study explores how fans – those with a strong affective bond toward their fan object – negotiate their fannish position and practices after the cancellation of their idol. Fans are asked to re-evaluate their fandom, and potentially their participation in it: a political turning point in their fannish career. To better understand this phenomenon…
Best Song ever - forever: Exploring how young adults give meaning to their life-long music fandom
This study explores how aging One Direction and Taylor Swift fans continue their fandom in(to) adulthood. Drawing on interviews with 23 female fans, this article examines what happens if one actively pursues fandom after youth. Despite having multiple solo-careers to keep track of, or adjusting to new (Swift-)‘eras’, ‘aging pop fandom’ seems to go beyond the music: Results demonstrate that these young aging fans consider themselves ‘life-long fan…
From fan citizenship to ‘fanspiracies’: Politics and participatory cultures in times of crisis
Fan practices and behaviours have increasingly moved beyond fan communities into the political, economic and cultural structures of every day life. The proliferation of social media platforms has allowed both the progressive and reactionary aspects of fandom to converge in the public sphere, drawing on similar techniques, pleasures, and practices in order to interpret the world in a culture where the boundaries between popular and political commu…
They Not like Us: Cultural Aggregation and Ambiguous Meaning-Making in Internet Culture
Introduction: From Rap Battles to Cultural Battlegrounds In 2024, rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake took music, popular culture, and even politics by storm with an escalating series of diss tracks (Coscarelli), the latest chapter in a long-simmering rivalry dating back to 2014. Feuds have long defined rap, with diss tracks forming a distinct sub-style (Baker). The most infamous precedent comes from the 1990s, when American rappers from the East Co…
Ruptures, Dissent and Cancellation: Studies on Digital Fandoms in Crisis
Scholars working across fan studies, internet studies and politics have noted the increasing use of cancellation practices across media, politics and culture and within digital spaces. Cancel culture is “the withdrawal of any kind of support (viewership, social media follows, purchases of products endorsed by the person, etc.) for those who are assessed to have said or done something unacceptable or highly problematic, generally from a social jus…
Invisible string(s): Exploring conspiratorial participatory practices among Swifties
This study explores how Taylor Swift fans, so-called “Swifties,” engage in playful, conspiratorial participation by interpreting hidden messages and developing fan theories, especially around Swift’s queer identity (the “Gaylor” discourse). Drawing on interviews with 18 fans, this article presents an in-depth perspective, demonstrating how speculative fandom blurs the line between interpretive play and conspiracist logic. This helps reveal how pa…
Waving the cancelling wand: Harry Potter fans and the cancellation of J.K. Rowling
The “cancelling” of celebrities is typically understood as a stark, immediate withdrawal of support. However, what happens when cancellation intersects with fandom, known to endure long after artists disappear from the mainstream? This study examines how Harry Potter fans navigated anti-transgender statements made by author J.K. Rowling. Drawing on a 2022 survey posted on Tumblr, qualitative analysis of free-text responses reveals four thematic c…
WeGotYou: Examining the intersections of believability, cancel culture, and fandom (in a not-cancel case)
In 2022, Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter faced sexual assault allegations from three women. Carter, during his boyband career branded as the “innocent, young, baby” of the band, did not receive a lot of public backlash due to the cases, despite their resonance with typical #MeToo-narratives warranting an artist's cancellation. Besides the cancellation of the “Backstreet Boys Christmas Special” by ABC (and a few sponsorship deals), Carter's rep…
Introduction: Cancel culture & celebrity bashing, exploring the theatre of morality
Over the past decade, cancel culture and celebrity bashing have become prominent markers in public and academic discourse. They can lead to denoting public shaming or exclusion of individuals, brands, or organisations for perceived moral transgressions. Yet, these phenomena are far from stable or self-evident; they operate as contested moral and semiotic fields in which notions of guilt, accountability, and justice are constantly (re-)negotiated.…
Gender, Feminism, and Media (12 works) · Music History and Culture (8 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Art (6 works) · Fandom (6 works) · Politics (6 works) · Media studies (5 works) · Media Studies and Communication (5 works) · Political science (5 works) · Psychology (5 works)