Analyzing Digital Writing Practices & Communities

  Our Midwest Princess Builds Her Wings Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, known to her fans and the mass public as Chappell Roan, was born in a small conservative town called Willard in the heart of Missouri. As the oldest child of four, she grew up going to church every week with the added summer camps and youth groups, while her parents ran a local veterinary clinic. Roan notes that she longed for an outlet, feeling out of place in her small town, and that’s when she decided to take on a variety of hobbies until she found her niche.  She tried out a variety of things from crafting to cross-country running, but nothing seemed to stick until she took up the performing arts. Roan dove head first into music lessons with the full support of her parents at age eleven. From piano and vocal lessons to acting lessons, she immersed herself into her passion. In 2013, she launched her Youtube channel under her legal name, Kayleigh Rose, where she took inspiration from artists such as Lady Gaga, St...

  Introduction Digital platforms have transformed the way sports fans engage with teams, media, and one another. Sports fandom has extended beyond passive viewing experiences to become more participatory. The St. Louis Cardinals digital fan communities exemplifies how sports fandom practices have evolved with the access to the various digital platforms. By examining Cardinals fandom through Reddit, Instagram, and TikTok, this study explores how fans engage and create content the a variety of ways depending on the platforms’ affordances. While most of the Cardinals fandom communities support the team in positive ways, they all take shape in unique ways through each of these social media platforms. Goals of the fan community Through the usage of Reddit, Instagram, and Tiktok, the goals of the St. Louis Cardinals Fan digital fan community align with wanting to keep the Cardinals legacy alive. Each platform provides its own version of this, while still maintaining its strength. Reddit,...

   Introduction After 10 years of writing, pitching, and changing the concept for the show, Eric Kripke finally had his dream realized when Supernatural aired on The WB (later the CW) on September 13, 2005. The show, which followed brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester as they traveled around the country hunting supernatural creatures, ran for 15 seasons and quickly gained a cult following. The show’s first season saw impressive numbers in viewership as well as fan and critic reception. While it received more criticism after the end of the fifth season, the show still had a large enough fan base and staying power to survive another 10 years before ending on its own terms in 2020.     However, after the show’s first couple seasons, disaster seemed imminent just as the third season began to air; the Writers Guild of America strike began in late 2007. With only ...