the brony culture study - wordpress.com...60,000 participants (brony study); 10,000 attendees...
TRANSCRIPT
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THE BRONY CULTURE STUDY
& Computer Mediated Recruiting and Interviewing
By Jessica Marsh
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¡ Created by Hasbro Studios, 4th Generation of My Little Pony entertainment
¡ Premiered on Hub Network in
Fall of 2010 ¡ Target Demographic: Girls 3
to 9 years old
¡ Anthropomorphic ponies who have magical powers and fly. Battle mythological creatures as well as negotiate slice-of-life dramas.
MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Season 2 Episode 2 ,“The Return of Harmony”
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¡ Adult males. Average age 21 years old. International fandom.
¡ Formed approximately 2010-11 on 4chan. In response to Amidi’s article about the end of “creator driven era of TV animation.”
¡ Fans branched out creating websites and forums specific to fan community.
WHO ARE BRONIES?
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¡ Little academic scholarship on Bronies and fandom when study began. Attempt to further research on Bronies and fandom as well as potentially support other research (surveys and content analysis).
¡ Unusual fandom: Adult males actively engaging with and enjoying text targeted toward children, particularly girls. Research on men engaging with feminized text is minimal.
¡ Relatively large fandom: 24,000 participants (Turner, 2014); 60,000 participants (Brony Study); 10,000 attendees (BronyCon, 2015).
¡ Active Fandom: Conventions, creative works, active participation online and offline. Indication of show having emotional/behavioral impact. Sincere audience.
WHY STUDY BRONIES?
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RELATIONSHIP TO SHOW What drew Bronies to watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and why do they continue watching? How has the show affected them?
RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER FANS AND FANDOM
What motivates Bronies to participate (or not) in the fandom and if they participate, how do they participate? What pleasures do they gain from participating?
EXPERIENCES WITH “OUTSIDERS”
What types of experiences have Bronies had when sharing their “Bronyhood” with those outside of the fan community?
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
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COMPUTER MEDIATED RECRUITMENT AND
INTERVIEWING
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¡ Establish online presence http://thebronyculturestudy.com/
¡ Start observing and
interacting in fan forums § Restrictions to posting to
outside content
¡ Posting study description to fan Facebook groups, Equestria Daily, and Reddit
RECRUITING BRONIES
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¡ Preliminary questions that focused on research topic § Semi-structured, synchronous interviews using Skype
¡ Benefits: § Conduct interviews from anywhere, reach a wide
demographic § Easily share images and links to fan content § Affordable, flexible on time
¡ Drawbacks: § Webcam quality and inability to read body language § Audio and video lag/distortion § Online distractions/multitasking by interviewee
INTERVIEW PROCESS
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¡ Qualitative
¡ Interviewed 46 fans; 34 males, 12 females
¡ Most interviews approximately 1.5 to 2 hours in length. Audio recorded.
¡ Interviewed most participants only once.
MY STUDY
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¡ Transcribed and coded till saturation, 10 interviews. ¡ Established themes by looking for…
§ Repetition § Metaphors and analogies § Transitions § Similarities and differences § Linguistic connectors § Missing data § Theory-related material such as active audience and
media effects theories.
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¡ Visual appeal of show § Well illustrated, vibrant colors, manga qualities
¡ Engaging storyline § Characters overcome obstacles and struggles that are
relatable to adult audience. ¡ References to pop-culture and geek culture icons
§ Dr. Who, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Sherlock Homes, Lord of the Rings
¡ Emotional impact § Makes them happy, altered outlook on life
WHY DO BRONIES LIKE THE PONIES?
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Trailer for documentary Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony
IN THEIR OWN WORDS…