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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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Guerrero Pico, María del Mar, Establés, María-José, Ventura, Rafael
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2018
País:España
Institución:Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Repositorio:Repositorio Digital de la UPF
OAI Identifier:oai:repositori.upf.edu:10230/35005
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10230/35005
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Toxic fandom
Fan activism
Anti-fandom
Fan-tagonism
LGBTQ representation
The 100
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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, María del MarEstablés, María-JoséVentura, RafaelToxic fandomFan activismAnti-fandomFan-tagonismLGBTQ representationThe 100This 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.Participations201820182018info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10230/35005reponame:Repositorio Digital de la UPFinstname:Universitat Pompeu FabraInglésParticipations. 2018;15(1):311-33.Aquest article està subjecte a una llicència Creative Commonsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:repositori.upf.edu:10230/350052026-06-12T07:21:37Z
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, María del Mar
Toxic fandom
Fan activism
Anti-fandom
Fan-tagonism
LGBTQ representation
The 100
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, María del Mar
Establés, María-José
Ventura, Rafael
author Guerrero Pico, María del Mar
author_facet Guerrero Pico, María del 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 Toxic fandom
Fan activism
Anti-fandom
Fan-tagonism
LGBTQ representation
The 100
topic Toxic fandom
Fan activism
Anti-fandom
Fan-tagonism
LGBTQ representation
The 100
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
2018
2018
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dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10230/35005
url http://hdl.handle.net/10230/35005
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Participations. 2018;15(1):311-33.
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv Aquest article està subjecte a una llicència Creative Commons
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv Aquest article està subjecte a una llicència Creative Commons
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Participations
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Participations
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Repositorio Digital de la UPF
instname:Universitat Pompeu Fabra
instname_str Universitat Pompeu Fabra
reponame_str Repositorio Digital de la UPF
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