Conference Paper: Fan/Celebrity symbiotic social relationships: A participant-observer ethnography of fan clubs.

by Gayle. S. Stever, May 2009

International Communications Association: Theme: Keywords in Communication, Chicago, IL, May 22-26, 2009.

Many individuals look for a community of like-minded people with whom to form connections. For some, the media fan community becomes this social network. Contrary to the popular media and some research literature that depicts fan/celebrity interaction as obsessive on the part of the fan and a potential nuisance to the celebrity, studied fan subcultures were characterized by fan/celebrity interaction that was reciprocal and symbiotic, collaborative and mutually beneficial. Observations from 20 years of participant/observer ethnography in multiple fan subcultures will support these concepts and a positive interpretation of fan communities.