A "Glee"-ful collaboration: Academic networking in the Tumblr world

Authors

  • Elizabeth M. Downey Mississippi State University http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2109-8820
  • Sheryl Lyn Bundy Moraine Valley Community College
  • Connie K. Shih University of Tennessee, Knoxville
  • Emily Hamilton-Honey SUNY Canton

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2018.1243

Keywords:

Academia, Acafans, Connectivism, Gift economy, Social scholarship

Abstract

Four authors representing disparate disciplines recount their experiences meeting each other through Glee (2009–15) fandom via Tumblr, with an exploration of the popular microblogging site's utility as a platform for fan scholarship. This aspect of the site has been understudied; we thus explore the ways that Tumblr's particular culture and features support professional networking, facilitate the researching of fandom practices, and provide support mechanisms for scholars. In discussing the pleasures and challenges that Tumblr provides the acafan researcher, we weigh whether academia needs to rethink its own paradigms for audience engagement and professional development.

Tumblr-blue image with symbols of various fandoms surrounding a lowercase t in Tumblr's font. Text underneath reads "Ubi invenimus in domos nostras" (Here we found our homes).

Downloads

Additional Files

Published

2017-08-30

Issue

Vol. 27 (2018): Tumblr and Fandom

Section

Symposium

License

Copyright (c) 2018 Elizabeth M. Downey, Sheryl Lyn Bundy, Connie K. Shih, Emily Hamilton-Honey

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

TWC Nos. 25 onward are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC by 4.0). For an explanation of the journal's reasoning, see the TWC editorial Copyright and Open Access. TWC Nos. 1 through 24 are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC 3.0) license, with TWC, not the author, retaining copyright.

Presses whose policies require written permission for reproduction should contact the TWC Editor; such permission is routinely given for no fee.