The Age of Fans: Value, Judgment, and Generations in Convergence Culture

• In Event: The Life of Fans: Fandom, Identity, and the Life Course

Abstract

This paper explores the interplay between aging, life phases and cultural judgment across different fan cultures. Based on an AHRC-funded mixed-methods study of enthusiasts in nine fields across popular arts and culture (music, film, television, literature, comedy, gaming, theatre, visual arts and football), including survey data from 1046 enthusiasts across these nine fields and in-depth interviews with 36 respondents, this paper maps differences in practices and value attributions across different cultural fields, different groups of fans and enthusiasts, and different socio-demographic groups, with reference to age as a factor in shaping cultural engagements and judgments.

Cornel Sandvoss is Professor of Media and Journalism at the University of Huddersfield. He is author of Fans: The Mirror of Consumption (2004) and The Value of Participatory Culture (2015).

Author

• Cornel Sandvoss, U of Huddersfield