Online construction of meaning: capturing the voices of TV series fans

Abstract

Television series fans often share their opinions on - more or less institutionalized - online spaces. These spaces and practices allow us to access a set of discourses and interactions that, although they have not been induced in a research context, provide a large amount of information about the readings and the appropriation of meaning of fans and detractors. Using fan discussions about Girls (HBO/Canal Plus, 2012-2017) in six different Spanish blogs (FormulaTV, Vertele, Jenesaipop, Blogelpaís, Foro Vandal and Foro Vogue), we explore the methodological usefulness of online fora in reception studies, problematizing the model developed by Hall (1973). Girls is a satire evolving around the daily lives of four young New York urbanites, displaying post-feminist representation patterns, as well as critical and feminist ones (Bell 2013, Daalmans 2013, Fuller and Driscoll 2015, Weitz 2016). In line with the narrative richness of the series, the contents created on online fora indicate a remarkable complexity of the readings expressed by viewers. In our study we show that by working with the material collected from online environments, the different types of readings come to light and it can be determined to what kind of representations each type of reading is associated, as well as the strategies established to approach or move away from the series’ presuppositions, according to viewers' own experiences and values. In addition, the discussions allow exploring both the connection established by fans and detractors between their daily experiences and the experiences of the characters in the series, and their critique of popular culture. However, we are aware that it is impossible to delve into these meanings without combining the analysis of the online fora with in-depth interviews or discussion groups. This type of methodologies, then, rather than gaining deep knowledge about a collective or a specific segment of the population and their motives, help us to understand the meanings constructed about a product or cultural manifestation by the (active) audience. In this work we therefore address the advantages and limitations, both methodological and ethical, of this type of data collection and analysis.