Self-Reported Fandom in Offline and Online Spaces: the Television Viewing Behaviours and Fandom Characteristics of Selected Young Women in Johannesburg
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COPYRIGHT AND CITATION CONSIDERATIONS FOR THIS THESIS/ DISSERTATION o Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. o NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes. o ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. How to cite this thesis Surname, Initial(s). (2012). Title of the thesis or dissertation (Doctoral Thesis / Master’s Dissertation). Johannesburg: University of Johannesburg. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/102000/0002 (Accessed: 22 August 2017). Self-reported Fandom in Offline and Online Spaces: The Television Viewing Behaviours and Fandom Characteristics of selected Young Women in Johannesburg by Aimee Rebecca Viljoen 201404354 Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters in Audiovisual Communication in the Department of Journalism, Film and Television in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Johannesburg Supervisor: Dr Nadia Van Der Merwe Co-Supervisor: Dr Phyllis Dannhauser Date: 31 October 2019 ABSTRACT This dissertation aims to fill a gap in research on the television viewing practices and subsequent fandom behaviour of selected, female, South African television viewers. In a society where online interaction in a variety of participatory groups, like fandoms, have become an international norm, South Africa is still struggling to get its citizens connected to the online sphere. This is in part due to a lack of internet infrastructure as well as grossly high data costs compared to other developing countries. Consequently, South African television viewers’ ability to interact and compete in online television fandoms comes into question. The aim of this study was thus to establish whether selected South African television viewers conform to traditional models of fandom and television consumption or if there is a need for a uniquely South African model. This study followed a descriptive, interpretive approach to research, based on grounded theory, using a mixed methods approach in the form of 55 online surveys which made up the quantitative data, and a subsequent 15 one-on-one interviews, which provided rich qualitative data. The population group from which the 70 sample participants were drawn, are women between the ages of 19 and 25 living in Johannesburg, South Africa. This study argues that the fandoms, within this sample group, can be classified as “micro fandoms” which means that these fandoms consist of between two to six participants, who are usually family members and close friends, who interact in small fandom groups within an offline space. The preferred medium of fandom interaction for these groups was identified as an in person discussion or discussion via WhatsApp and WhatsApp Status. The participants in this study also indicated that, despite having access to internet technology, high data costs and a fear of ridicule and backlash within the online sphere prohibited them from taking part in online fan groups and discussions. The participants showed a preference for an in person discussion of television programmes and other fan content, and this usually went hand in hand with prevalent communal television viewing practices. This study thus contrast “micro fandoms” with international “macro online fandoms”. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are a few people I would like to thank for all their help, support and guidance throughout the process of writing this thesis. Firstly, to my supervisor, Dr Nadia Van der Merwe, thank you very much for your words of encouragement and all your help and guidance throughout this process. Secondly, to Emmerentia Breytenbach, thank you for all the work you put into editing my thesis in such a short amount of time. Finally, thank you to my fiancé, Chris, and my mother, Lorraine, for all your support throughout these two years. You never stopped pushing me to get this done and you are always so encouraging and so proud of everything I accomplish. I could not have done this without you. Finally, to my unborn daughter Rebecca, I am sorry for all the late nights I had to pull on you. I know you were probably just as tired as I was by the end, but we did it baby girl! ii TABLE OF CONTENTS p. ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND ORIENTATION 1 1.1 Introduction and orientation to study 1 1.1.1 Central research question and sub-questions 2 1.2 Background literature and theoretical framework for this study 3 1.2.1 South African television viewers and their viewing habits 3 1.2.2 Studies on media fandom and fandom theory 4 1.2.3 Theoretical/conceptual framework 5 1.3 Research Methodology 6 1.4 Study Structure 9 1.5 Conclusion 10 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 11 2.1 Introduction 11 2.2 Audience Studies and Television Audiences 12 2.2.1 A brief history of audience studies 12 2.2.2 New technology and changing television practices 14 2.2.3 New technologies and second screen viewing 18 2.2.4 The television viewing trends of South African audiences 20 and other Third World countries 2.3 Studies on media fandom and fandom theory 24 2.3.1 Participatory Culture and the Origins of Fandom and Fandom Studies 26 2.3.2. New media technologies, cyber-fandom and user-generated content 30 2.4 Theoretical framework for this study 34 2.5 Conclusion 37 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 38 3.1 Introduction 38 3.2 Methodological orientation 41 3.3 Population group and sampling 43 3.4 Data Collection Methods 44 3.5 Pilot Study 48 3.6 Data analysis 49 3.7 Reliability and Validity 52 3.8 Conclusion 53 CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 54 4.1 Introduction 54 4.2 Results of the online surveys 55 4.2.1 Television viewing practices of selected South African viewers 55 4.2.2 Level of internet access among study participants and its effect on the television viewing platforms the participants have access to 59 4.2.3. The participants’ fandom characteristics compared to Jenkins (2017) and reasons for a lack of online interaction 63 4.2.4. The participants fandom characteristics as compared to Stamps (2014) 70 4.3 Findings of the one-on-one interviews 79 4.3.1 Television viewing practices, fear of online interaction and the ‘micro fandom’ 81 4.3.2. Micro-fandoms, face-to-face fandom and the use of WhatsApp in local fandom discussion 85 4.4. Conclusion 91 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 93 5.1. Introduction 93 5.1.1 The television viewing practices of selected female, South African, viewers 94 5.1.2 The impact of internet connection and data prices on South African fandoms 96 5.1.3 South African fans: traditional fandom, ‘ideal online fandom’ and a fear of ridicule 97 5.2. Contribution to existing research 100 5.2.1 The start of a South African fandom model 101 5.3 Recommendations for future research 104 REFERENCE LIST 107 APPENDIX A 118 APPENDIX B 129 APPENDIX C 158 APPENDIX D 159 APPENDIX E 240 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND ORIENTATION 1.1 Introduction and orientation to study Internet technology and social media have significantly advanced what Henry Jenkins (2017) refers to as “participatory culture”, a culture in which ordinary people are able to participate, discuss and interact on a variety of different platforms without physical or temporal constraints. Fandom, and fan culture, are excellent examples of participatory culture, where fans form part of communities where people share opinions, creations and admiration for their favourite television programme or cultural artefact (Jenkins, 2016). The word “fan” is derived from the word “fanatic”, referring to people who are “temple servants”, devotees and a part of a cult (Sullivan, 2013:193). Fans are generally defined as “individuals who maintain a passionate connection to popular media” and who “assert their identity through their engagement” with these forms of popular media. Fans also experience social affiliations around “shared tastes and preferences” (Jenkins, 2006). New media technology allows fans to communicate and share on a variety of platforms in what Jenkins (2006) refers to as “convergence culture”; also referred to as second screen theory, a “paradigm shift – a move from medium specific content toward content that flows across multiple media channels” (Jenkins, 2006:243). In this technology-driven world, traditional fandoms have become “digital fandoms” and these fandoms do not only require fans to enjoy and appreciate the chosen cultural artefact, but to also “create additional contents about it” online (Baki, 2014:18). Nożewski and Trzcińska (2016:15) and Pearson (2010:83) argue that the digital revolution has had a profound impact upon fandom, empowering those who have access to the internet- based platforms through which fandom now operates, and disempowering those who cannot interact and create fan content online. Fans with an abundance of internet technology and internet connection can participate freely in any multitude of fandoms while fans in technologically underdeveloped countries, like South Africa (Bakari, 2017), are left out. South Africa was found to have one of the largest telecommunications markets on the African continent, with almost 20.3 million mobile phone users (Broadcast Research Council of South Africa, 2017). In a population of approximately 55.9 million people, there are over 21 million internet 1 users, which means that 40% of the South African population is making use of growing internet technology (Goldstuck, 2017). However, despite these high levels of interaction with media technology, South Africa is still struggling to get its citizens connected to the online sphere.