Journal of Fandom Studies, The - Volume 13, Issue 1, 2025

Much has been written when it comes to world-building, the nature of fan cultural practices, affect and digital media platforms. Each contributes in their own way to the field of media and cultural studies; yet their convergence continues to lack the attention it deserves. The aim of this research is to observe that. This study examines how the participatory culture of the Sarah J. Maas fandom on Spotify contributes to the world-building of each series’ respective fictional worlds through affective experiences. The goal of this research is to present how participatory fandom culture can function as world-building.

Research into celebrity worship has grown significantly over the last few decades. Through such research, many studies have identified potential correlates of celebrity worship, revealing the complex nature of the construct. In this correlational study, 267 participants completed scales that measured several key correlates of celebrity worship: authenticity, realness, conspiratorial ideation, as well as grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Results revealed significant and positive relationships between conspiratorial ideation, vulnerable narcissism and celebrity worship. Further, we presented exploratory correlational analyses across all study variables and a regression analysis to understand significant predictors of celebrity worship. Both primary and exploratory analyses present several avenues for future research.

This article dissects fan service, a formative industry practice in East Asian popular cultures, with a focus on its effects on audiences. Framing it as a queer practice, it argues that it enables limited representation in conservative public spheres and its impact on perception within fans. Using the celebrity ships TayNew and OffGun as case studies, it traces fan service through their interactions to explore the phenomenon and its implications. At its core, the article analyses celebrity cultures and fan practices, mapping the symbiotic affective relationship that develops between them. It further examines understandings and critiques surrounding fan service, emphasizing its role in shaping emerging patterns of kinship and oppositions within transcultural fandoms.

Review of: Identity, Community, and Sexuality in Slash Fan Fiction: Pocket Publics, Anne Kustritz (2023)

Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 281, 294 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-03258-433-1, h/bk, $144

ISBN 978-1-00345-003-0, e-book, $43.99