Fans speak for whom? Imagined ‘official’, internalised hegemony and self-censorship

Bibliographic Data

ID11267433
AuthorsSae Shimauchi (0000-0002-0409-2526, Tokyo Metropolitan University, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume46
Issue7
Pages1454-1468
Publication date2024-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedia Culture & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0163-4437 • E-ISSN: 1460-3675
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/01634437241249175
OpenAlexW4396759502
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited17

This study elucidates the concept of ‘official’, frequently used as a counterpart to fans in pop culture fandom using the case of Thai Boys Love drama fandom in Japan. It is necessary to examine the relationship between fandom and hegemony without assuming the potential of participatory culture and fandom as a counterculture. Therefore, this study focuses on how fans construct norms based on the concept of ‘official’ and internalise this power. Furthermore, it explores the meanings and respective boundaries of ‘unofficial’ and ‘official’ as constructed by fans. The results of the participation observations and interviews as an acafan revealed that the unofficial fan club, mass media and other entities were ‘officialised’ and the boundary between ‘official’ and unofficial was challenged by both fandom and the ‘official’ side. The mass media plays the role of the owner of cultural content and provider of norms, and fans expect each other to follow them through the constructed and ambiguous concept of ‘official’. The hegemony of ‘official’ is constructed by the voluntary consent of fans, and internalising these hegemonies leads to self-censorship and self-regulation. Blind overconfidence in fan-created ‘official’ may reinforce these structures and undermine the freedom and independence of fans

Censorship · Hegemony · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · History · Law · Social Media and Politics

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access