Research

EDITED TO ADD: We have a created a Facebook community page to encourage others to participate and provide questions/comments that we may use in this project- Fandom Research Project

Fandom Research Project

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As it is sometimes difficult to find appropriate contact information for some of the people we are interested in speaking to… I have decided that I shall add a page to my blog site and post our introduction letter and plea for assistance in research. Please note, if you’ve received this link it is because I was unable to find another contact path or it seemed that particular social media (i.e. Twitter) would work best. Also, yes, I have removed my last name from the letter- it exists in the actual document- because this is a public page and I am protecting myself. If interested in participating, please use the contact information below- I will be most happy to provide more details etc via less public means.

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Allow me to introduce both myself and the reason for this correspondence. My name is Elizabeth Ann; I hold a Masters Degree in Forensic Psychology and am currently working on my doctorate in Clinical Forensic Psychology. I am also an active fan of TV, movies, and independent/interactive media.

Over the past several years, I have had opportunities to attend such gatherings as San Diego Comic-Con, Chicago Comic Con, and numerous smaller, more single subject conventions and “meet and greet” type events. Combining my interests in the subjects of these conventions and the celebrity guests attending them as well in the social behaviors of others, I often find myself observing the other fan attendees. I have found that many fan attendees seem to have a sense of entitlement, especially regarding celebrity guests. For instance, when interacting with various celebrity guests, these fan attendees seem to feel as though they are more important than any other fan attendee and therefore they deserving of more of the celebrity guests’ attention; sometimes going so far as to get upset and/or frustrated with other fan attendees. I have also had the opportunity to observe that there is likely a higher percentage per capita of persons with noticeable diagnosable mental disorders in the fan attendee population. Now, many people would not find this unexpected, but I think if an actual study were conducted, the types and ranges of diagnoses would be surprising. In my preliminary research into this topic, I have not found any prior studies that examined this phenomenon.

I have an interest in conducting a study that does examine this fan attendee behavior. I’d like to know if there is a prevalence of one type of disorder over another amongst fan attendees. I’d like to know what it is that creates that sense of entitlement. I often attend in a professional capacity representing a small comic shop, or because I have done some sort of work for the event itself.

My specific question to celebrity guests is whether or not there is anything to be gained from examining this topic from their point of view, i.e. the point of view of the celebrity guests. From my observations – and from anecdotes I have been told – it is clear that some people believe that as the celebrity guests are at these events to autograph items or take photos with fans attendees, and because these fan attendees have paid for admittance, they apparently believe they are entitled to be the sole focus of the celebrity guests. I have heard some people make statements along the lines of “I paid $XXX for this con, so-and-so-celebrity-guest owes me”. I am wondering if it would be valuable to pursue research from this point of view. To that end, I am currently looking for celebrity guests who are willing to speak to me regarding their impressions of fans and their feelings regarding the treatment they receive from fan attendees. At this time my team and I are not conducting any formal research; no interviews will be recorded or used in any way – they will remain confidential. The purpose of these informal interviews is only to determine if there is valid data that could be collected from research expected from this viewpoint. Additionally it may help to determine the best course of study, if quality data is theoretically possible. The interviews could provide qualitative data that would be useful in providing anecdotal coloring and integral information with will be collected from participating fan attendees, but it is currently unclear whether or not this would be scientifically useful.

It is understood that fan events are a part of a celebrity’s “bread and butter”. My team and I do not want to interfere with this. However, if there is any information that may assist in creating the best possible study, we wish to explore all possible avenues of study. At this time, an informal interview seems like an integral tool.

If you are willing and interested in speaking with me regarding your impressions and observations of fan attendees and of fandom, please see the contact information below.

I would like to thank you for taking the time to and considering my request.

Elizabeth Ann

elizabethann.research@gmail.com

Twitter: elizabeth_ann