Rewriting Narratives, Reimagining Communities: Fanfiction as a Beacon of Social Connection in the Digital Era

Authors

  • Athira Subin Department of English and Centre for Research, St. Teresa’s College, Ernakulam Author
  • Dr. Jeena Ann Joseph Department of English and Centre for Research St. Teresa’s College, Ernakulam Author

Keywords:

fanfiction, online communities, intense individualism, camaraderie, inclusivity

Abstract

In the milieu of the twenty-first century marked by its societal transition towards intense individualism, online fanfiction communities emerge as contemporary surrogates adept at mitigating social seclusion, isolation, closeting and its concomitant psychological adversities, thus presenting a corrective measure to the prevailing challenges entrenched within modern collective frameworks. Through an exploration of the collaborative mechanisms, cultural influences, and psychological ramifications inherent in the creation and consumption of fanfiction, this paper titled “Rewriting Narratives, Reimagining Communities: Fanfiction as a Beacon of Social Connection in the Digital Era” endeavours to illuminate the pivotal role of these digital enclaves as contemporary bastions of communal engagement and bonding. Employing an interdisciplinary approach, it seeks to underscore the multifarious impact of fanfiction on individual psychological well-being, communal solidarity, and the evolution of literary discourse, thereby advocating for a nuanced comprehension of its relevance within the postmodern socio-cultural zeitgeist.

References

Alejandro, Lynell (2021). Diving into the waves of fan fiction: K-pop girl group fandom and queer empowerment through user-generated literature. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3782276

Black, R. W. (2009). Online fan fiction, global identities, and imagination. Research in the Teaching of English, 43(4), 397–425. https://doi.org/10.58680/rte20097072

Burton, J. T. D. (2017). Making space on the digital margin: Youth fandom communities on Tumblr as spaces for making the self and re-making society [Master’s thesis, Rutgers University - Camden Graduate School]. https://doi.org/10.7282/T3WH2T1G

Coppa, F. (2006). A brief history of media fandom. In K. Hellekson & K. Busse (Eds.), Fan fiction and fan communities in the age of the Internet (pp.41-59). McFarland & Company.

Davies, R. (2017). Collaborative production and the transformation of publishing: The case of Wattpad. University of Westminster Press. https://doi.org/10.16997/book4.d

De Kosnik, A. (2016). Rogue archives: Digital cultural memory and media fandom. MIT Press.

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide. New York University Press.

Kawachi, I., & Berkman, L. F. (2001). Social ties and mental health. Journal of Urban Health, 78(3), 458–467. https://doi.org/10.1093/jurban/78.3.458

McMillan, D. W., & Chavis, D. M. (1986). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14(1), 6–23. 10.1002/1520-6629(198601)14:13.0.CO;2-I

Ozbay, F., Johnson, D. C., Dimoulas, E., Charney, D., & Southwick, S. (2007). Social support and resilience to stress. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/SOCIAL-SUPPORT-AND-RESILIENCE-TO-STRESS-Ozbay-Johnson/9f123a9a604ba9047d809850e94a70aba8a6820d

Putnam, R. D. (1995). Bowling alone: America’s declining social capital. Journal of Democracy, 6(1), 65-78.

Santos, H. C., Varnum, M. E. W., & Grossmann, I. (2017). Global increases in individualism. Psychological Science, 28(9), 1228–1239. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617700622

Syafrina, R. S., & Salim, A. B. (2023). The impact of fanfiction on youth communities in Indonesia: Insights from published literature. SVS, 10(4), 221-230. https://doi.org/https://isvshome.com/e-journal.php

Turkle, S. (2011). Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. Basic Books.

Uchino, B., Bowen, K., & Kent de Grey, R. (2016). Social support and mental health. In Encyclopedia of mental mealth (pp. 189–195). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-397045-9.00117-8

Additional Files

Published

2025-02-10

Issue

Section

Articles