Killing off Lexa: 'Dead Lesbian Syndrome' and intra-fandom management of toxic fan practices in an online queer community

This article contributes to the debates around toxic fan practices by focusing on the regulation and management strategies activated intra-fandom in order to combat fan toxicity. In particular, the social media boycott campaign against the teen series The 100 (The CW, 2014-) is examined after the de...

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Autores: Guerrero-Pico, Mar, Establés, María José, Ventura, Rafael
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Universitat de Lleida (UdL)
Repositorio:Repositori Obert UdL
OAI Identifier:oai:repositori.udl.cat:10459.1/466957
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/466957
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Estudios gais, lesbianos y trans
Queer studies
Fandom Studies
TV series
Online community
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spelling Killing off Lexa: 'Dead Lesbian Syndrome' and intra-fandom management of toxic fan practices in an online queer communityGuerrero-Pico, MarEstablés, María JoséVentura, RafaelEstudios gais, lesbianos y transQueer studiesFandom StudiesTV seriesOnline communityThis article contributes to the debates around toxic fan practices by focusing on the regulation and management strategies activated intra-fandom in order to combat fan toxicity. In particular, the social media boycott campaign against the teen series The 100 (The CW, 2014-) is examined after the death of a popular lesbian character in March 2016. This event propelled an online movement termed 'LGBT Fans Deserve Better', dedicated to improving the representation of lesbian and bisexual women on television and of characters infamously subjected to the occurrence of the 'Dead Lesbian Syndrome' trope. To frame this study, we discuss television representation of lesbian love and its effects on young queer females, and draw some necessary conceptual distinctions within what we call the spectrum of conflict formed by fan-tagonism, anti-fandom, and toxic fan practices, and how that spectrum relates to current research on fan activism. Then we apply a qualitative methodology based on grounded theory, discourse analysis, and reception studies to the study of The 100 fans' online interactions in a lesbian forum and on Twitter in the wake of the character's death. The results confirm the existence of a toxic fan faction that harassed producers on social media. However, three key self-regulation strategies are exemplified at the same time. First, fear of industry retaliation based on internalised social prejudices towards LGBTQ individuals; second, strategic thinking; and third, the common good of achieving a positive LGBTQ representation over time.University of NottinghamUniversity of GlasgowOxford Brookes UniversityUniversity of Sheffield2018info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/466957reponame:Repositori Obert UdL instname:Universitat de Lleida (UdL)InglésReproducció del document publicat a: https://www.participations.org/15-01-17-guerrero-pico.pdfParticipations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies, 2018, vol. 15, num. 1, p. 311-333cc-by (c) University of Nottingham, University of Glasgow, Oxford Brookes University and the University of Sheffield, 2018Attribution 4.0 Internationalinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/oai:repositori.udl.cat:10459.1/4669572026-06-24T12:42:17Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Killing off Lexa: 'Dead Lesbian Syndrome' and intra-fandom management of toxic fan practices in an online queer community
title Killing off Lexa: 'Dead Lesbian Syndrome' and intra-fandom management of toxic fan practices in an online queer community
spellingShingle Killing off Lexa: 'Dead Lesbian Syndrome' and intra-fandom management of toxic fan practices in an online queer community
Guerrero-Pico, Mar
Estudios gais, lesbianos y trans
Queer studies
Fandom Studies
TV series
Online community
title_short Killing off Lexa: 'Dead Lesbian Syndrome' and intra-fandom management of toxic fan practices in an online queer community
title_full Killing off Lexa: 'Dead Lesbian Syndrome' and intra-fandom management of toxic fan practices in an online queer community
title_fullStr Killing off Lexa: 'Dead Lesbian Syndrome' and intra-fandom management of toxic fan practices in an online queer community
title_full_unstemmed Killing off Lexa: 'Dead Lesbian Syndrome' and intra-fandom management of toxic fan practices in an online queer community
title_sort Killing off Lexa: 'Dead Lesbian Syndrome' and intra-fandom management of toxic fan practices in an online queer community
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Guerrero-Pico, Mar
Establés, María José
Ventura, Rafael
author Guerrero-Pico, Mar
author_facet Guerrero-Pico, Mar
Establés, María José
Ventura, Rafael
author_role author
author2 Establés, María José
Ventura, Rafael
author2_role author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Estudios gais, lesbianos y trans
Queer studies
Fandom Studies
TV series
Online community
topic Estudios gais, lesbianos y trans
Queer studies
Fandom Studies
TV series
Online community
description This article contributes to the debates around toxic fan practices by focusing on the regulation and management strategies activated intra-fandom in order to combat fan toxicity. In particular, the social media boycott campaign against the teen series The 100 (The CW, 2014-) is examined after the death of a popular lesbian character in March 2016. This event propelled an online movement termed 'LGBT Fans Deserve Better', dedicated to improving the representation of lesbian and bisexual women on television and of characters infamously subjected to the occurrence of the 'Dead Lesbian Syndrome' trope. To frame this study, we discuss television representation of lesbian love and its effects on young queer females, and draw some necessary conceptual distinctions within what we call the spectrum of conflict formed by fan-tagonism, anti-fandom, and toxic fan practices, and how that spectrum relates to current research on fan activism. Then we apply a qualitative methodology based on grounded theory, discourse analysis, and reception studies to the study of The 100 fans' online interactions in a lesbian forum and on Twitter in the wake of the character's death. The results confirm the existence of a toxic fan faction that harassed producers on social media. However, three key self-regulation strategies are exemplified at the same time. First, fear of industry retaliation based on internalised social prejudices towards LGBTQ individuals; second, strategic thinking; and third, the common good of achieving a positive LGBTQ representation over time.
publishDate 2018
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2018
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/466957
url https://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/466957
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Reproducció del document publicat a: https://www.participations.org/15-01-17-guerrero-pico.pdf
Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies, 2018, vol. 15, num. 1, p. 311-333
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv Attribution 4.0 International
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights_invalid_str_mv Attribution 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv University of Nottingham
University of Glasgow
Oxford Brookes University
University of Sheffield
publisher.none.fl_str_mv University of Nottingham
University of Glasgow
Oxford Brookes University
University of Sheffield
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Repositori Obert UdL
instname:Universitat de Lleida (UdL)
instname_str Universitat de Lleida (UdL)
reponame_str Repositori Obert UdL
collection Repositori Obert UdL
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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