Cultures of complaint : online fan message boards and networked digital media sport communities

David Rowe; Andy Ruddock; Brett Hutchins

Cultures of complaint : online fan message boards and networked digital media sport communities

David Rowe, Andy Ruddock, Brett Hutchins

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

37 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Association football fans in the UK often blame the media for ruining the game as an organic community experience. Certainly, this proposition is supported by the substantial levels of complaint that can be found across thousands of online fan message boards. We argue that these complaints embrace online comment and activism as a continuation of footballÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s traditional culture of communicative exchange between supporters. Yet, online football fan discussion also presents a contradiction, relying upon the same media networks against which fans rail for commodifying ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“the peopleÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s gameÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢. Using cultivation analysis, the case presented is based upon a study of ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“FreeMyFCÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ (FMFC), a website ostensibly started to expose the failures of ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“MyFootballClubÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ (MFC), the worldÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s first attempt to manage a football club through a supporter funded and managed website.

Original language	English
Number of pages	18
Journal	Convergence : the International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies
Publication status	Published - 2010

Keywords

media sport
networked digital media
online social networks
soccer
sports spectators

Cite this

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title = "Cultures of complaint : online fan message boards and networked digital media sport communities",

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keywords = "media sport, networked digital media, online social networks, soccer, sports spectators",

author = "David Rowe and Andy Ruddock and Brett Hutchins",

year = "2010",

language = "English",

journal = "Convergence : the International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies",

issn = "1354-8565",

publisher = "SAGE Publications Inc.",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Cultures of complaint : online fan message boards and networked digital media sport communities

AU - Rowe, David

AU - Ruddock, Andy

AU - Hutchins, Brett

PY - 2010

Y1 - 2010

N2 - Association football fans in the UK often blame the media for ruining the game as an organic community experience. Certainly, this proposition is supported by the substantial levels of complaint that can be found across thousands of online fan message boards. We argue that these complaints embrace online comment and activism as a continuation of footballÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s traditional culture of communicative exchange between supporters. Yet, online football fan discussion also presents a contradiction, relying upon the same media networks against which fans rail for commodifying ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“the peopleÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s gameÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢. Using cultivation analysis, the case presented is based upon a study of ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“FreeMyFCÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ (FMFC), a website ostensibly started to expose the failures of ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“MyFootballClubÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ (MFC), the worldÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s first attempt to manage a football club through a supporter funded and managed website.

AB - Association football fans in the UK often blame the media for ruining the game as an organic community experience. Certainly, this proposition is supported by the substantial levels of complaint that can be found across thousands of online fan message boards. We argue that these complaints embrace online comment and activism as a continuation of footballÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s traditional culture of communicative exchange between supporters. Yet, online football fan discussion also presents a contradiction, relying upon the same media networks against which fans rail for commodifying ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“the peopleÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s gameÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢. Using cultivation analysis, the case presented is based upon a study of ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“FreeMyFCÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ (FMFC), a website ostensibly started to expose the failures of ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“MyFootballClubÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ (MFC), the worldÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s first attempt to manage a football club through a supporter funded and managed website.

KW - media sport

KW - networked digital media

KW - online social networks

KW - soccer

KW - sports spectators

UR - http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/509047

M3 - Article

SN - 1354-8565

JO - Convergence : the International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies

JF - Convergence : the International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies

ER -

Cultures of complaint : online fan message boards and networked digital media sport communities

Abstract

Keywords

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