Dynamic "fans": Media Use In Identity Construction

This dissertation,probing into the "Yi Dian Yuan(the Garden of Eden)" online forum of American sitcoms,reports a research into the fans of American sitcoms in China.The researcher adopts two qualitative research methodologies,i.e.,in-depth interview and observation,and conducts the research with the socio-cultural approach. It is discovered that the random has taken shape and developed in an online community.These fans are dynamic.They use media in a cross-media and multi-level way and also construct their identity during the process.The result of the present research has provided practical basis for audience researches whose aim is to study the relationship between the use of media and the construction of the identity of its audience.Chapter One serves as the introduction and begins with a literature review of the "fan culture" researches in the Western countries.It consists of two parts:"the three tides" and "the four approaches".The researches into fan culture in China are then classified and summarized.The chapter concludes with a detailed discussion of the theoretical starting point,the approach,the research questions,the significance,the aims,the methodologies and the core conceptions of the research.Entitled with "From Fan to Fan Community:American Sitcoms and Online Forum Make It Possible",Chapter Two depicts the comprehensive process of the appearance of the fan community.The phrase "the fans of American sitcoms" made its debut after American sitcoms disembarked China.When the mainstream media products cannot meet their needs,the fans of American sitcoms turn to the Internet for help and there immediately came the online fan community.Taking the "Yi Dian Yuan(the Garden of Eden)" online forum of American sitcoms as an example,the chapter describes the online fan community and communication process of American sitcoms in great detail.The reasons why online community enables the formation of fandom and the process of the formation are discussed at the end of the chapter.Chapter Three "Construction of Self-identity through Fandom Activities" elaborates how these dynamic fans construct their self-identities by using media. The author observes that their construction of self-identity is realized in the following ways:the presentation of cultural capitalism for the unification of others' comments and self-imaging,the projection of intentions and emotions,the violation to the ordinary consuming behaviors,and the role-play for the purpose of self-presentation and extension.Chapter Four-"Constructing a Multi-boundary Fan Community Identity"-explores relevant social identity theories(such as "social categorization","social comparison" and "active division") as its theoretical framework and introduces the "boundary division" practice into the research.The author points out that the community identity construction of the online American sitcom fan community is multi-boundary,which divides the "Yi Dian Yuan(the Garden of Eden)"online forum of American sitcoms from the online forum of American sitcoms of other websites, the online forum of American sitcoms from the online forum of non-American sitcoms,the online fan community of American sitcoms as a sub-cultural community from other mainstream cultural communities,and China's fan community of American sitcoms as a Chinese cultural community from other American cultural communities.Chapter Five-"Dynamic Fans-Constructing Identity through the Use of Media" concludes the dissertation and further advocates four possible prospects in the research field.