Fandom, Social Media, and Authenticity in the Digital Age

"Fandom, Social Media, and Authenticity in the Digital Age" focuses your attention on the interconnected dynamics of identity, representation, interpretation, and self-reflection. It asks the question: how, where, and with whom do we inhabit the worlds of fandom and popular culture in the digital age? We will explore the role of digital media in the production of celebrity and fandom, using social media tools and platforms as a running case study. More broadly, the course is about what media studies scholar Henry Jenkins has called “participatory culture,” the processes by which bring our sel…