Soap operas and the history of fan discussion
For decades, fans of U.S. soap operas have formed social networks surrounding their shows, and they did so even before the concept entered the vernacular. Soap fans, who started on a geographically local scale and built their communities through grassroots efforts, have found a variety of venues to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Organization for Transformative Works
2008-09-01
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| Series: | Transformative Works and Cultures |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3983/twc.2008.0042 |
| _version_ | 1818614245468667904 |
|---|---|
| author | Sam Ford |
| author_facet | Sam Ford |
| author_sort | Sam Ford |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | For decades, fans of U.S. soap operas have formed social networks surrounding their shows, and they did so even before the concept entered the vernacular. Soap fans, who started on a geographically local scale and built their communities through grassroots efforts, have found a variety of venues to connect with one another over the past several decades. This study looks at the pre-Internet development of these social networks to show how that trajectory relates to the current online community of soap opera fans. Although several scholars have studied soap opera fandom, few have taken an historical approach at understanding the trajectory of soap fandom, a view especially necessary in an era where online social networks are at the center of audience studies and where cornerstone U.S. soap operas are struggling to retain relevance and audience. To fill this gap, I argue that understanding fan networks today requires looking back to previous methods of fan networking. Soaps' longevity (the youngest U.S. soap is more than 20 years old) and frequency (all U.S. daytime soaps are daily) make them crucial texts in demonstrating how the roots of fan social networks in a pre-Internet era helped shape that fandom's transition onto the Internet, and they also illustrate the continued evolution of these networks as fans move online. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T16:14:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-edf41538a33b4e448a5035310269986b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1941-2258 1941-2258 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T16:14:57Z |
| publishDate | 2008-09-01 |
| publisher | Organization for Transformative Works |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Transformative Works and Cultures |
| spelling | doaj.art-edf41538a33b4e448a5035310269986b2022-12-21T22:25:08ZengOrganization for Transformative WorksTransformative Works and Cultures1941-22581941-22582008-09-01110.3983/twc.2008.0042Soap operas and the history of fan discussionSam Ford0MIT Convergence Culture Consortium, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesFor decades, fans of U.S. soap operas have formed social networks surrounding their shows, and they did so even before the concept entered the vernacular. Soap fans, who started on a geographically local scale and built their communities through grassroots efforts, have found a variety of venues to connect with one another over the past several decades. This study looks at the pre-Internet development of these social networks to show how that trajectory relates to the current online community of soap opera fans. Although several scholars have studied soap opera fandom, few have taken an historical approach at understanding the trajectory of soap fandom, a view especially necessary in an era where online social networks are at the center of audience studies and where cornerstone U.S. soap operas are struggling to retain relevance and audience. To fill this gap, I argue that understanding fan networks today requires looking back to previous methods of fan networking. Soaps' longevity (the youngest U.S. soap is more than 20 years old) and frequency (all U.S. daytime soaps are daily) make them crucial texts in demonstrating how the roots of fan social networks in a pre-Internet era helped shape that fandom's transition onto the Internet, and they also illustrate the continued evolution of these networks as fans move online.http://dx.doi.org/10.3983/twc.2008.0042ArchivingAs the World TurnsCommunityDiscussion boardsFan clubsFan communitiesFan proselytizersFandomGeneral HospitalGuiding LightOvercoded textsPassionsSoap operaSoap Opera DigestSoap Opera WeeklySocial networkingThe Bold and the BeautifulThe Edge of Night |
| spellingShingle | Sam Ford Soap operas and the history of fan discussion Transformative Works and Cultures Archiving As the World Turns Community Discussion boards Fan clubs Fan communities Fan proselytizers Fandom General Hospital Guiding Light Overcoded texts Passions Soap opera Soap Opera Digest Soap Opera Weekly Social networking The Bold and the Beautiful The Edge of Night |
| title | Soap operas and the history of fan discussion |
| title_full | Soap operas and the history of fan discussion |
| title_fullStr | Soap operas and the history of fan discussion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soap operas and the history of fan discussion |
| title_short | Soap operas and the history of fan discussion |
| title_sort | soap operas and the history of fan discussion |
| topic | Archiving As the World Turns Community Discussion boards Fan clubs Fan communities Fan proselytizers Fandom General Hospital Guiding Light Overcoded texts Passions Soap opera Soap Opera Digest Soap Opera Weekly Social networking The Bold and the Beautiful The Edge of Night |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.3983/twc.2008.0042 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT samford soapoperasandthehistoryoffandiscussion |