The Exchange of Material Culture Among Rock Fans in Online Communities

Bibliographic Data

ID20509692
AuthorsAndrea Baker (0000-0002-9650-8268, Ohio University Lancaster, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume15
Issue4
Pages519-536
Publication date2012-05-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInformation Communication & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1369-118X • E-ISSN: 1468-4462
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1369118x.2012.666258
OpenAlexW2002599764
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited11

In online rock fan communities, fans regularly offer goods up for sale or trade and sometimes give them away. These objects constitute the material culture of the fans and reflect the values of the people in the online groups. Using data from participant observation of two fan groups and 101 interviews with members, this article identifies the main types of material goods exchanged including imports of concert recordings, tickets to shows, apparel and accessories, and fan and band artwork. In describing how the objects are transmitted from one fan to another, this article shows how the process of giving and receiving material culture can strengthen bonds between individuals by using the new technologies of the internet. Exchanging material culture first described online in internet communities adds to an understanding of the increasingly permeable boundaries between offline and online interactions

Advertising · Archaeology · Business · Clothing · Cyberculture · Internet privacy · Online and offline · Political science · Sociology · The Internet · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Digital Games and Media · History · Law · Music History and Culture · Social Media and Politics

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub