{"id":{"repo_id":"ku","oai_identifier":"oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/37398"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/ku/oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/37398","repository":{"repo_id":"ku","name":"University of Kansas","base_url":"https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"An enterprise for magic, dragons, and Impalas: An evaluation of parasocial interactions and fan discourse in four genre fandom online discussion forums","abstract":"The long-withstanding nature and impact of fandom in popular culture has resulted in the etching of its own designated discipline of study in multiple fields, including sociology, anthropology, psychology, and media studies. As parasocial interactions (PSI) are increasingly becoming observable and associated with fandom, it brings to question the role of parasocial relationships (PSR) in fandom communities. By conducting a content analysis, this study analyzes the presence of PSRs in the fandom forums of Star Trek, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and Supernatural. Additionally, this study conducted a preliminary content analysis evaluating the use of language to understand how fans are reinterpreting (Rabinowitz, 1985) text during discourse online about a media artifact. The relationships between PSI and interpretation styles were supported in this study demonstrating the overlap of participatory fandom and building relationships with fictional characters.","abstract_html":"The long-withstanding nature and impact of fandom in popular culture has resulted in the etching of its own designated discipline of study in multiple fields, including sociology, anthropology, psychology, and media studies. As parasocial interactions (PSI) are increasingly becoming observable and associated with fandom, it brings to question the role of parasocial relationships (PSR) in fandom communities. By conducting a content analysis, this study analyzes the presence of PSRs in the fandom forums of Star Trek, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and Supernatural. Additionally, this study conducted a preliminary content analysis evaluating the use of language to understand how fans are reinterpreting (Rabinowitz, 1985) text during discourse online about a media artifact. The relationships between PSI and interpretation styles were supported in this study demonstrating the overlap of participatory fandom and building relationships with fictional characters.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Erlichman, Sara Rebecca"],"institution":"University of Kansas","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Belmas, Genelle"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-01-01","date_published":"2016-01-01","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:47:27Z","subjects":["Mass communication","Communication","Journalism","discussion forum","fandom","media psychology","parasocial interaction","semiotics","textual poaching"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright held by the author."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:14663"],"render_values":[{"text":"http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:14663","href":"http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:14663","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/1808/37398","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Belmas, Genelle"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Erlichman, Sara Rebecca"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-04-14T20:34:09Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-04-14T20:34:09Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2016-01-01"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Kansas"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Mass communication","Communication","Journalism","discussion forum","fandom","media psychology","parasocial interaction","semiotics","textual poaching"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright held by the author."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:14663"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/1808/37398"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The long-withstanding nature and impact of fandom in popular culture has resulted in the etching of its own designated discipline of study in multiple fields, including sociology, anthropology, psychology, and media studies. As parasocial interactions (PSI) are increasingly becoming observable and associated with fandom, it brings to question the role of parasocial relationships (PSR) in fandom communities. By conducting a content analysis, this study analyzes the presence of PSRs in the fandom forums of Star Trek, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and Supernatural. Additionally, this study conducted a preliminary content analysis evaluating the use of language to understand how fans are reinterpreting (Rabinowitz, 1985) text during discourse online about a media artifact. The relationships between PSI and interpretation styles were supported in this study demonstrating the overlap of participatory fandom and building relationships with fictional characters."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["An enterprise for magic, dragons, and Impalas: An evaluation of parasocial interactions and fan discourse in four genre fandom online discussion forums"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Belmas, Genelle"],"dc:creator":["Erlichman, Sara Rebecca"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-04-14T20:34:09Z"],"dc:date.available":["2026-04-14T20:34:09Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2016-01-01"],"dc:description.abstract":["The long-withstanding nature and impact of fandom in popular culture has resulted in the etching of its own designated discipline of study in multiple fields, including sociology, anthropology, psychology, and media studies. As parasocial interactions (PSI) are increasingly becoming observable and associated with fandom, it brings to question the role of parasocial relationships (PSR) in fandom communities. By conducting a content analysis, this study analyzes the presence of PSRs in the fandom forums of Star Trek, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and Supernatural. Additionally, this study conducted a preliminary content analysis evaluating the use of language to understand how fans are reinterpreting (Rabinowitz, 1985) text during discourse online about a media artifact. The relationships between PSI and interpretation styles were supported in this study demonstrating the overlap of participatory fandom and building relationships with fictional characters."],"dc:identifier.other":["http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:14663"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/1808/37398"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["University of Kansas"],"dc:rights":["Copyright held by the author."],"dc:subject":["Mass communication","Communication","Journalism","discussion forum","fandom","media psychology","parasocial interaction","semiotics","textual poaching"],"dc:title":["An enterprise for magic, dragons, and Impalas: An evaluation of parasocial interactions and fan discourse in four genre fandom online discussion forums"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:47:27Z"}