Fandom Dynamics on Stan Twitter: A Grounded Theory

Abstract

Fandom culture is a fast-evolving trend on Twitter as its algorithm involving event hashtags is an efficient way to have their idol’s events be on a top trend. Stan Twitter is a section of Twitter dedicated to celebrities. Stan Twitter has been noted not only for its aptly fanatic culture and behavior but also for the creative content made by stans. The study used qualitative methods to explore the experiences of stan account users on twitter. Interviews with stan account users were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. A theory was developed that shed light on what motivates stan account users to produce creative content such as fan art, fan made videos and fanfiction. Results indicate that creating these contents gave them a feeling of self-gratification and made them feel empowered. Interactions with other fans who supported their content also boosted their self-esteem. These emotions translated into their real-life identity as they became more productive in doing academic requirements and in the workplace. Engagements and conversations from their account followers also drive them to produce more relevant content. Results further revealed that engagements such as retweets and comments were preferred over views. With the emergence of these results, a theory on the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of stan twitter account users was developed. It can then be concluded that self-gratification, the amount and kind of engagements, and the benefits for the society are major factors on the motivation of creative content production.