'Pretending to be a celebrity prank!'

Although the above video was intended for entertainment purposes, I think it presents an interesting point towards the idea of 'celebrity culture' and could easily be adapted into a social experiment. It could be used to support discussions on the public's tendency to worship people simply for being presented as famous, rather than focusing on, or necessarily even needing to know what the person is famous for.

Discourse Studies Reader: Essential Excerpts

I found this ebook which contains an extract about the social community of "Beliebers". It explores the idea that these online fans are trying to create a virtual identity for themselves which may be completely different to how they are in person. It also brings up the idea that humans have the desire for affiliation, we wish to connect with others who feel the same way.



Hyland, K (2013) Discourse Studies Reader: Essential Excerpts. London. Bloomsbury

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=KflLAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA314&dq=beliebers&hl=en&sa=X&ei=PD85U8GoCpSVhQff7YDoBg&ved=0CFIQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=beliebers&f=false

Digital Fandom: New Media Studies by Paul Booth

I found this ebook which discusses the new found use of the internet for fans to meet and expand their fan base sharing information and discussing their love for the band, movie, game etc. This book also discusses how this use has caused a new shift in the way that the internet can be used, a 'Web Commons' which is allowing virtual social grouping through the internet.

Booth, B. (2010) Digital Fandom: New Media Studies. New York. Peter Lang Publishing.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=9LdS5WwGOvwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=fandom&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6Tg5U-XNAoi2hQfs4YHIBg&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=fandom&f=false

Only have one Problem with this, women play Minecraft too.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Minecraft%20fandom

Video Game Fandom

Video game fandom.

 As a result of its unique characteristics as a technology and a medium, a computer game engages its players with several novel forms of coproductivity, such as modding, the making of machinima videos, and the writing of game play walkthroughs. Depending on the game, genre, and playing style, the player is either expected or encouraged to create game content and game-related texts of her own. This essay discusses the productive practices surrounding computer games, proposing five dimensions of player productivity: game play as productivity; productivity for play: instrumental productivity; productivity beyond play: expressive productivity; games as tools; and productivity as a part of game play. 

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail?vid=3&sid=c1746639-c467-478a-9dc5-dbc102fea9b1%40sessionmgr4004&hid=4203&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPXNoaWImc2l0ZT1lZHMtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=hlh&AN=53380879

Engagement With Fandoms and Global Citizenship Identification

Two studies investigated the relationship between fan group participation and global

citizenship identification—self-identifying as a member of a global community with a

sense of responsibility to act toward the betterment of that global community.

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail?vid=5&sid=c1746639-c467-478a-9dc5-dbc102fea9b1%40sessionmgr4004&hid=4203&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPXNoaWImc2l0ZT1lZHMtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=pdh&AN=2013-32200-001

Published sources

Fandom: Identities and communities in a mediated world.

Edited by: Jonathan Gray, Cornel Sandvoss, C.Lee Harrington.

Youth Culture: Identity in a post-modern world.

Edited by Jonathon S Epstein

Published sources.

Rebel Style by G. Bruce Boyer

The Disciples by James Mollison 

Anderson and Day

Imagined communities by Benedict Anderson

Anderson, B. (1991) Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism. London: Verso.

Community and Everyday Life by Graham Day

Day, G (2006) Community and everyday life. Oxon: Routledge.

I've recently written an essay on Identity, which shared similar ideologies to community therefore as subcultures are a form of community and a way of identifying ones self, I felt that one of the books I referenced; Imagined Communities would be a good book to use for this research blog on subcultures. I've also chosen to look at Community and everyday life in hope to find some similar information.

What is a subculture?

A subculture is a select group of people within a specific culture who choose to differentiate themselves from the discourse of what is considered 'mainstream culture'. Examples of popular western subculture are Punks, Goths, Emos, Hipsters and Scene kids. Subculture signals a breakdown of consensus and often adopt their own distinctive fashions, music style and social attitude. We have chosen to explore the more modern day style of subculture formed through the excessive exposure to social networking. Fandoms formed around popular media and the effect that this has on groups of people who chose to idolise this.