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Presentation Type

Open Access Paper Presentation

Keywords

Social media and society; Popular music fans--Psychology;

Abstract

With social media being one of the most prominent forms of communication today, it has become a pillar in the way our society functions. Social media has completely transformed the way we interact with people we know and with people we don’t. Celebrities have taken social media in stride and are using it as part of their brand to communicate with fans, which creates a very interesting dynamic. Musicians and their fans appear to communicate regularly through social media, so fans are doing more than consuming music, they are interacting with other fans and their favorite musicians. Fans, through social media use, begin to feel an extremely personal connection to the celebrity/musician that they do not know. In this qualitative interview research with fans who interact with pop musicians on social media, I explore the depths of fan behavior, fans’ relationships with musicians, and social media and what it means for these bonds. I do this by asking these questions: Why do people feel so connected to musicians through social media? Does social media offer a new sphere in which people can form new attachments to their favorite musicians?

Start Date

4-4-2023 1:00 PM

End Date

4-4-2023 1:30 PM

Faculty Advisor

Marybeth Stalp

Department

Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology

Student Type

Undergraduate Student

Comments

This entry was a part of the following session:

  • Date: Tuesday, April 4, 2023
  • Time: 1:00 to 1:30 p.m.
  • Moderator: Lisa Ahern

Award: Fruehling Undergraduate Research Fellowship

File Format

application/pdf

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Apr 4th, 1:00 PM Apr 4th, 1:30 PM

We Would Be Friends: Fans, Musicians and Social Media

With social media being one of the most prominent forms of communication today, it has become a pillar in the way our society functions. Social media has completely transformed the way we interact with people we know and with people we don’t. Celebrities have taken social media in stride and are using it as part of their brand to communicate with fans, which creates a very interesting dynamic. Musicians and their fans appear to communicate regularly through social media, so fans are doing more than consuming music, they are interacting with other fans and their favorite musicians. Fans, through social media use, begin to feel an extremely personal connection to the celebrity/musician that they do not know. In this qualitative interview research with fans who interact with pop musicians on social media, I explore the depths of fan behavior, fans’ relationships with musicians, and social media and what it means for these bonds. I do this by asking these questions: Why do people feel so connected to musicians through social media? Does social media offer a new sphere in which people can form new attachments to their favorite musicians?