{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/104804"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/104804","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"The real-world implications of an imaginary world: A netnography of a Harry Potter based virtual community (Hogwarts Running Club)","abstract":"The rapid development, growth, and diffusion of technology throughout the world today has spurred an integration with socializing and engagement that is fast becoming a part of everyday life (Baym, 2015; Blank, 2012; Consalvo & Ess, 2011). One such manifestation of this new form of social interaction is communities formed online or virtual communities (Ridings, Gefen, & Arinze, 2002). Virtual communities have been in existence for over thirty years (Ridings, Gefen, and Arinze, 2002) and existing studies of these communities have yielded powerful insights into learning, communication, marketing, relationships, benefits of participation, and more (Hiltz & Wellman, 1997; Mamonov, Koufaris, & Benbunan-Fich, 2016; Nimrod, 2014; Welbourne, Blanchard, & Boughton, 2009; Wellman & Gulia, 1999; Winkelman & Choo, 2003). However, there are still aspects of virtual communities about which little is known. Therefore, this study utilized the qualitative research technique of Netnography (Kozinets, 2010; 2015) to explore the experiences of participation in a virtual community and the meanings participants associate with membership in this group. Specific research questions focused on motivations, potential benefits, and potential implications for participants’ offline reality. The Hogwarts Running Club (HRC), a virtual community established in 2014 (HRC, 2017), on Facebook was the study setting. This Facebook group had approximately 16,000 members who engaged in online discussions and activities that focused around the Harry Potter book series and running (HRC, 2018a). The posts within the virtual community Great Hall (named for a location that is significant in the Harry Potter book series) served as the source of study data. As the researcher was a member of the HRC, four qualitative techniques were utilized to alleviate concerns surrounding “backyard” research (Glesne & Peshkin, 1992). These four techniques were member checking (Lincoln & Guba, 1985), prolonged engagement in the study setting (Creswell & Miller, 2000; Lincoln & Guba, 1985), peer debriefing (Creswell, 2009; Lincoln & Guba, 1985), and reflexive journaling (Genoe & Liechty, 2016; Walsh, 2003). Findings of the study have been presented as three manuscripts with unique foci. Sense of Community (McMillan & Chavis, 1986), Serious Leisure (Stebbins, 2007; 2012), and benefits and motivations each serve as the focus of a manuscript where implications for research and application have been discussed.","abstract_html":"The rapid development, growth, and diffusion of technology throughout the world today has spurred an integration with socializing and engagement that is fast becoming a part of everyday life (Baym, 2015; Blank, 2012; Consalvo & Ess, 2011). One such manifestation of this new form of social interaction is communities formed online or virtual communities (Ridings, Gefen, & Arinze, 2002). Virtual communities have been in existence for over thirty years (Ridings, Gefen, and Arinze, 2002) and existing studies of these communities have yielded powerful insights into learning, communication, marketing, relationships, benefits of participation, and more (Hiltz & Wellman, 1997; Mamonov, Koufaris, & Benbunan-Fich, 2016; Nimrod, 2014; Welbourne, Blanchard, & Boughton, 2009; Wellman & Gulia, 1999; Winkelman & Choo, 2003). However, there are still aspects of virtual communities about which little is known. Therefore, this study utilized the qualitative research technique of Netnography (Kozinets, 2010; 2015) to explore the experiences of participation in a virtual community and the meanings participants associate with membership in this group. Specific research questions focused on motivations, potential benefits, and potential implications for participants’ offline reality. The Hogwarts Running Club (HRC), a virtual community established in 2014 (HRC, 2017), on Facebook was the study setting. This Facebook group had approximately 16,000 members who engaged in online discussions and activities that focused around the Harry Potter book series and running (HRC, 2018a). The posts within the virtual community Great Hall (named for a location that is significant in the Harry Potter book series) served as the source of study data. As the researcher was a member of the HRC, four qualitative techniques were utilized to alleviate concerns surrounding “backyard” research (Glesne & Peshkin, 1992). These four techniques were member checking (Lincoln & Guba, 1985), prolonged engagement in the study setting (Creswell & Miller, 2000; Lincoln & Guba, 1985), peer debriefing (Creswell, 2009; Lincoln & Guba, 1985), and reflexive journaling (Genoe & Liechty, 2016; Walsh, 2003). Findings of the study have been presented as three manuscripts with unique foci. Sense of Community (McMillan & Chavis, 1986), Serious Leisure (Stebbins, 2007; 2012), and benefits and motivations each serve as the focus of a manuscript where implications for research and application have been discussed.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Lizzo, Robin"],"institution":"University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Recreation, Sport, and Tourism","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Liechty, Toni","Graber, Kim","Shinew, Kim","Browning, Matt"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-08-23T19:51:46Z","date_published":"2019-08-23T19:51:46Z","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:42Z","subjects":["Harry Potter Netnography Self-Determination Theory Sense of Community Serious Leisure Benefits Motivation"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright 2019 Robin Lizzo"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/2142/104804","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Liechty, Toni","Graber, Kim","Shinew, Kim","Browning, Matt"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Lizzo, Robin"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2019-08-23T19:51:46Z","2019-04-15","2019-05"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Recreation, Sport, and Tourism"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Harry Potter Netnography Self-Determination Theory Sense of Community Serious Leisure Benefits Motivation"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2019 Robin Lizzo"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/104804"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["The rapid development, growth, and diffusion of technology throughout the world today has spurred an integration with socializing and engagement that is fast becoming a part of everyday life (Baym, 2015; Blank, 2012; Consalvo & Ess, 2011). One such manifestation of this new form of social interaction is communities formed online or virtual communities (Ridings, Gefen, & Arinze, 2002). Virtual communities have been in existence for over thirty years (Ridings, Gefen, and Arinze, 2002) and existing studies of these communities have yielded powerful insights into learning, communication, marketing, relationships, benefits of participation, and more (Hiltz & Wellman, 1997; Mamonov, Koufaris, & Benbunan-Fich, 2016; Nimrod, 2014; Welbourne, Blanchard, & Boughton, 2009; Wellman & Gulia, 1999; Winkelman & Choo, 2003). However, there are still aspects of virtual communities about which little is known. Therefore, this study utilized the qualitative research technique of Netnography (Kozinets, 2010; 2015) to explore the experiences of participation in a virtual community and the meanings participants associate with membership in this group. Specific research questions focused on motivations, potential benefits, and potential implications for participants’ offline reality. The Hogwarts Running Club (HRC), a virtual community established in 2014 (HRC, 2017), on Facebook was the study setting. This Facebook group had approximately 16,000 members who engaged in online discussions and activities that focused around the Harry Potter book series and running (HRC, 2018a). The posts within the virtual community Great Hall (named for a location that is significant in the Harry Potter book series) served as the source of study data. As the researcher was a member of the HRC, four qualitative techniques were utilized to alleviate concerns surrounding “backyard” research (Glesne & Peshkin, 1992). These four techniques were member checking (Lincoln & Guba, 1985), prolonged engagement in the study setting (Creswell & Miller, 2000; Lincoln & Guba, 1985), peer debriefing (Creswell, 2009; Lincoln & Guba, 1985), and reflexive journaling (Genoe & Liechty, 2016; Walsh, 2003). Findings of the study have been presented as three manuscripts with unique foci. Sense of Community (McMillan & Chavis, 1986), Serious Leisure (Stebbins, 2007; 2012), and benefits and motivations each serve as the focus of a manuscript where implications for research and application have been discussed.","Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2019-08-22 without embargo terms","The student, Robin Lizzo, accepted the attached license on 2019-04-10 at 20:10.","The student, Robin Lizzo, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2019-04-10 at 20:18.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2019-04-15 at 16:31.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #13558 on 2019-08-22 at 14:42:30","Made available in DSpace on 2019-08-23T19:51:46Z (GMT). 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One such manifestation of this new form of social interaction is communities formed online or virtual communities (Ridings, Gefen, & Arinze, 2002). Virtual communities have been in existence for over thirty years (Ridings, Gefen, and Arinze, 2002) and existing studies of these communities have yielded powerful insights into learning, communication, marketing, relationships, benefits of participation, and more (Hiltz & Wellman, 1997; Mamonov, Koufaris, & Benbunan-Fich, 2016; Nimrod, 2014; Welbourne, Blanchard, & Boughton, 2009; Wellman & Gulia, 1999; Winkelman & Choo, 2003). However, there are still aspects of virtual communities about which little is known. Therefore, this study utilized the qualitative research technique of Netnography (Kozinets, 2010; 2015) to explore the experiences of participation in a virtual community and the meanings participants associate with membership in this group. Specific research questions focused on motivations, potential benefits, and potential implications for participants’ offline reality. The Hogwarts Running Club (HRC), a virtual community established in 2014 (HRC, 2017), on Facebook was the study setting. This Facebook group had approximately 16,000 members who engaged in online discussions and activities that focused around the Harry Potter book series and running (HRC, 2018a). The posts within the virtual community Great Hall (named for a location that is significant in the Harry Potter book series) served as the source of study data. As the researcher was a member of the HRC, four qualitative techniques were utilized to alleviate concerns surrounding “backyard” research (Glesne & Peshkin, 1992). These four techniques were member checking (Lincoln & Guba, 1985), prolonged engagement in the study setting (Creswell & Miller, 2000; Lincoln & Guba, 1985), peer debriefing (Creswell, 2009; Lincoln & Guba, 1985), and reflexive journaling (Genoe & Liechty, 2016; Walsh, 2003). Findings of the study have been presented as three manuscripts with unique foci. Sense of Community (McMillan & Chavis, 1986), Serious Leisure (Stebbins, 2007; 2012), and benefits and motivations each serve as the focus of a manuscript where implications for research and application have been discussed.","Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2019-08-22 without embargo terms","The student, Robin Lizzo, accepted the attached license on 2019-04-10 at 20:10.","The student, Robin Lizzo, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2019-04-10 at 20:18.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2019-04-15 at 16:31.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #13558 on 2019-08-22 at 14:42:30","Made available in DSpace on 2019-08-23T19:51:46Z (GMT). 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