Author: trinityvasquez

*trigger warning: this forthcoming content mentions topics that may be of sensitivity such as sexual assault, abuse, domestic violence and rape*

According to the Oxford Dictionary, “trigger warning” can be defined as:

a statement at the start of a piece of writing, video, etc. alerting the reader or viewer to the fact that it contains potentially distressing material (often used to introduce a description of such content).

With all the technological advancements in world and unlimited access to social media platforms, there is no question that there has become a reliance surrounding these aforementioned platforms. With social media having formed into a ‘safe haven’ for individuals to share their personal stories or experiences and in turn raise awareness around specific topics, it is inevitable that trigger warnings have become a common sighting on these platforms. An example of a social media platform where trigger warnings are prevalent, is TikTok.

I would like to further research the emotional effects trigger warnings may provoke as this particular insight will allow for the opportunity to delve into whether trigger warnings are harmful or helpful to an individual. The emotional and mental inner-workings of an individuals brain exclusive and unique meaning that conducting an in-depth analysis on this particular aspect will enable further comprehension surrounding the effects trigger warnings, which will consecutively conclude on whether these trigger warnings should be applied to every topic of sensitivity.

On the other hand, with the acknowledgement topics which may evoke distressing emotions it could be argued that trigger warnings are a necessity and allow for a grace period in which an individual can scroll past and completely disregard the subject in question. Considering the context of our time with coronavirus limiting human contact or even considering the possibility that individuals are not comfortable confiding in a professional or someone of authority, it is not abnormal that individuals find asylum in social media. Also with the recent notable volume of individuals speaking up about their personal trauma being showcased on the media and within social media platforms, the social media environment has more or less evolved into a safe place where people can be given the platform to be supported in a way that may seem insurmountable to them at the time.

With myself being an avid user of social media platforms, I have been exposed to my fair share of content with trigger warnings being used. Getting a little personal, I haven’t personally been through trauma such as sexual assault, abuse, domestic violence or rape. With this in mind, I completely understand why the use of trigger warnings are so prevalent and of importance on social media in regards to protecting those who have been through such trauma. On another note, this understanding may not be the circumstance for all individuals who are exposed to content with trigger warnings. Some may view trigger warnings as irrelevant or even view them as unnecessary and for this reason, I believe that delving into the emotional impact these topics of sensitivity have on individuals with traumatic pasts is of significance in order to achieve this cohesive understanding. This particular research is relevant to all those active on social media platforms as these topics have become conversational with individuals being encouraged to speak up about their trauma instead of holding it all within.

The question of whether trigger warnings are helpful or harmful has been formulated on the basis that traumatic events can result in deep psychological scars that have the potential to resurface as renewed emotional pain or unwanted memories, meaning that topics that are characterised with being distressful or may evoke a negative emotional response to some meaning this subject matter has the possibility to cause more harm than good (APS, 2020). With the rise of digital communication and access to new technologies, trigger warnings have been adopted by internet most, if not all, communities, as well as being adopted by popular social media platforms to varying degrees an example of this is Twitter’s flagging of “sensitive material” (James, 2017).

Clinical Psychological Science has conducted research on this almost controversial debate, which focussed on the effect that trigger warnings have on individuals with traumatic histories and this particular research resolved that trigger warnings offer little to no help in avoiding painful memories and perhaps are even harmful for the survivors of past emotional trauma (Jones et al., 2020). The debate surrounding whether trigger warnings help or harm is a debate that has been discussed extensively with results being inconclusive or for/against trigger warnings. Trigger Warnings Are Trivially Helpful at Reducing Negative Affect, Intrusive Thoughts, and Avoidance stated that ‘trigger warnings may prompt people to better regulate their negative emotions, however trigger warnings may lead people to be worse meaning that just as people can decrease the negativity of their emotional response, it can also increase it’.

With the current stance of research in mind, it is of importance to develop further research surrounding this debate in order to find a conclusive answer as to whether trigger warnings help or harm individuals with past traumas.

Reference List:

James, Catherine. “Trigger Warnings: To Label or Not to Label?” Public Services Quarterly, vol. 13, no. 4, 12 Sept. 2017, pp. 295–303, 10.1080/15228959.2017.1375883. Accessed 23 Mar. 2021.

Jones, Payton J., et al. “Helping or Harming? The Effect of Trigger Warnings on Individuals with Trauma Histories.” Clinical Psychological Science, vol. 8, no. 5, 1 June 2020, pp. 905–917, 10.1177/2167702620921341.

Oxford Languages. “Oxford Languages and Google – English -.” Languages.oup.com, 2021, languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/. Accessed 22 Mar. 2021.

Sanson, Mevagh, et al. “Trigger Warnings Are Trivially Helpful at Reducing Negative Affect, Intrusive Thoughts, and Avoidance.” Clinical Psychological Science, vol. 7, no. 4, 4 Mar. 2019, pp. 778–793, 10.1177/2167702619827018.

“The Following News Release Contains Potentially Disturbing Content: Trigger Warnings Fail to Help and May Even Harm.” Association for Psychological Science – APS, June 2020, http://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/trigger-warnings-fail-to-help.html#:~:text=Summary%3A%20New%20research%20suggests%20that. Accessed 22 Mar. 2021.

‘Ethics surrounding the use of qualitative research needs to take into consideration the rigour and ethical nature of the research activities that precede use’ (Mertens, 2008). On the 7th of October I released a survey on my personal twitter account which allowed fans, just like me, to disclose on their fan experience anonymously. This prioritisation of anonymity is what allows for the ethics behind this research to be maintained and practiced. This survey gained 10 responses, 11 including my own and consisted of a total of 13 questions.

This survey was essential to this autoethnography as I was able to really hone in on the comparisons between myself and what other fans have also experienced within the same community that I am directly apart of as well. For 6 out of the 14 questions in this survey I will compare and contrast my own answer to a randomly generated response. I chose the questions that I think best reflect the fan experience. This segment of ‘fandom uncovered’ will conclude this autoethnographic research.

“Fans may express admiration by recognising the celebrity’s style or creativity within the framework of popular culture. Fans are often involved in specific communities which give rise to certain practices and social roles”. (Lacasa, P., de la Fuente, J., Garcia-Pernia, M. and Cortés, S., 2017). This particular journal article speaks on how each individual fan’s identity is influenced by those in which they admire and therefore creating personas in which model after those who they admire. This study is relevant to this particular segment of research where personal fan experiences are analysed. I know that my identity was influenced by One Direction and I am sure that other fans reflect this as well.

QUESTION 7/8: Where do you see the most fan produced One Direction Content? How does it feel to see this content?

My answer: Tik Tok. Its very nostalgic but at the same time new and fresh in some aspects because obviously the boys each have their own respective careers and content is being formed from that also. 

Participant Answer: Twitter. Nostalgic mostly. I miss them as a band so much. It would be great if they got back together; however, it is not the end of the world if they don’t. They are all have such great solo careers. Harry’s two albums are so much better musically than anything One Direction released (but don’t get me wrong, I love their music).

It is so crazy to conceptualise how other fans experience and feel the same way as you do mostly because sometimes being in a fandom, for me at least, you forget that other people are apart of it too. I’m not sure if my train of thought is translating very well, but the basis of my point is that it is mind-blowing to think about how others each have their own personal story behind the same exact topic or moment in time. I know that seems quite premature and obvious to state but it is so easily forgotten that not everyone interprets things the same as you do. Nostalgia is a constant emotion I feel whenever I see anything to do with One Direction so I am not surprised that this emotion is similar within this context.

QUESTION 11: How did you feel when the boys announced their Hiatus?

My Answer: I was honestly so shattered. At school crying, shattered. Staying up till 2am depression tweeting and crying, shattered. 15 year old me was more than heartbroken to say the least.

Participant Answer: I didn’t mind, it was when I wasn’t too interested in the band anymore because I was older.

This moment in time within the fandom ruined lives and broke hearts (not joking if I didn’t delete my old twitter account I would be exposing all my tweets right now). This particular response differs to mine greatly, I can understand how one can grow out of a particular phase in their life but I am somehow stuck in this nostalgic state reminiscing on this decade of dedication to the boys and the band itself. While I am able to understand, I am unable to relate. As a soon to be 20 year old woman I can say that I still love One Direction as much as I did all those years ago. I still hope for a reunion, for the boys to get together, for anything to do with One direction. Maybe this shows that I am holding onto my youth and to this era of my life because of the joy it brought me. This differ in response made me question why I still remain so loyal to the boys despite growing older and becoming a completely different person. It is hard for me to conceptualise that another fan didn’t feel the heartbreak I felt in 2015 because I am still able to say that I love them to this day.

QUESTION 12: How would you say being a One Direction Fan has influenced you?

My Answer: Being so young and becoming a fan of this world renowned Boy Band has made me grateful to have been able to experience all the things I have as a fan. The Tours, the music, the boys, everything was monumental to me. Girls who have recently become fans of the boys will not be able to experience the fraction of things I have because of their break up. Being a One Direction fan has influenced me to embrace and further accept that I am a crazy and obsessed fan girl (maybe not so much anymore) but I am proud of that. 

Participant Answer: I always used to laugh at Justin Bieber fans and how lame that was, until my teenage bedroom became full of their posters and I would cry seeing them live, it’s nice to be apart of a community where most people love something as much as you

Reflection on what someone or something means to you is a truly emotional experience. While the love may remain a consistent theme, the meaning is so different yet so similar. I spoke of what they meant to me more than I spoke about what being their fan meant to me. Upon reading the participant response, I found that I feel the same way. The fandom is so strong, loyal and almost everlasting, truly unmatched. The fandom is the life blood of One Direction and is what is really keeping their legacy alive to this day. I have come to this realisation through this research and I think It all clicked when reading this response.

QUESTION 13/14: Would you consider yourself still a fan of One Direction? Why? What does being a One Direction Fan mean to you?

My Answer: Yes, because I will always be a fan. I have a whole playlist dedicated to them STILL for goodness sakes. It’s like being apart of a family. Finding likeminded people who have experienced the same things, that is what One Direction has given me and that is what I’m most grateful for. One Direction were apart of some of my favourite memories through their music and content. I basically grew up with them, they are as much apart of my youth and coming of age as anything else. They were my youth and they still are apart of who I am. 

Participant Answer: When people ask me or when I talk to my friends I always refer to it in the past tense. I think in the past when I labeled myself as a one direction fan a lot of the reason I liked them was because of their appearance, however now i find myself emphasising I used to be a big fan but now I’m more a fan of their music. Being a one direction fan means so much to me because like a lot of people it was basically our whole teenage to young adult years. When I look back now I’m so amazed this all happened 10 years ago, and during that time I don’t think I had any idea just how loved they were by the entire world. Being their fan is something I don’t think I could ever explain to people who didn’t like them and makes me feel sorry for people who never had a teenage obsession with a singer or band. I made so many friends through one direction and also lost quite a lot, and even though I may not have been that close with those friends somehow because of our shared love of one direction, somehow their losses hurt far more than others.

The impact 5 boys made on the lives of so many within the fandom became so crystal clear when reading all the responses to this particular question. The impact felt by so many, if not every fan within this fandom is so crazy to think about. I stated in my response, “They were my youth and they still are apart of who I am” and the parallel between “Being a one direction fan means so much to me because like a lot of people it was basically our whole teenage to young adult years” which was the participants response really emphasises this aforementioned impact a band had on so many likeminded individuals. It became definite with the responses from this question that despite all fans within this fandom experiencing different things in different ways and identifying differing meanings within things that although a fan experience is so personal and distinctive with each individual, the feelings, emotions and even thoughts surrounding the band remains a consistency.

Mertens, Donna M., and Pauline E. Ginsberg. “Deep in Ethical Waters.” Qualitative Social Work: Research and Practice, vol. 7, no. 4, Dec. 2008, pp. 484–503, 10.1177/1473325008097142. Accessed 27 Oct. 2019.

Lacasa, P., de la Fuente, J., Garcia-Pernia, M. and Cortés, S., 2017. Teenagers, fandom and identity. Persona Studies, 3(2), p.51.

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TikTok is an app that has risen to popularity within mainstream media over the last 12 months in particular with young teens rising to fame in an instant. TikTok has become a profound and staple app amongst youth culture where you can find viral videos on just about anything.

“As a result of the growth of social media, the Internet structure has become a very complex, fluid, and fragmented space” (Caliandro, 2017). This growth of social media can be seen within this very application. With over 500 million TikTok users, so many content creators as well as the content itself can be lost or left unseen. With focus placed on particular viral tiktok videos, it became easier for myself to escape the complexity.

I’m not sure about anyone else but my ‘for you page’ has been consistently providing my daily dose of one direction fuelled serotonin since day dot. In my personal experience the one direction fandom has utilised this social media platform in a way that allows fans to be able to relive the best One direction moments as well as allow them to experience personalised mock situations between yourself and one of the boys e.g harry calling you to tell you happy birthday. The fandom has truely made their mark on TikTok through posting the most creative and nostalgic as well as fresh never before seen content for likeminded fans to consume.

TikTok is where I have consumed most of my One Direction fan curated content and in all honesty I will never not appreciate the fandom content grind. The following three TikToks are ones that I have consumed myself and have appeared on my ‘for your page’. According to TikTok, the for you page can be defined ‘TikTok’s recommendation feed, which is personalised to each user based on how that user interacts with videos on TikTok’.

TIKTOK 1:

@harryshoeforeva

happy 10 years!! #onedirection #10yearsof1d #harrystyles #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #xyzbca

♬ Surrender – Natalie Taylor

Likes – 208.7K

Shares – 6648

Comments – 2299

Personal Interaction – Liked, added to favourites and shared with fellow 1D fan friends

This particular TikTok cut me deep in the feels. With it being posted on the 10th Anniversary of One Direction, there is no question as to why I was feeling so emotional when watching this. With the boys obviously being separated for over 5 years by the time the 10 year anniversary came around, I think this compilation type video was the glimmer of hope that many fans hold onto. The glimmer of hope being a reunion, of course. I remember the first time I watched it, I’m pretty sure I almost cried. The boys all on their seperate paths and still appreciating the magic they created for the world. The comments were filled will a mixture of love and a lot of sadness and I think a little disappointment. Although this video confirms the boys potentially ending this long frickin ‘break’, the fans flooded the comments with:

“I believe they’re coming back but not yet” or

“im crying im crying im crying” as well as

“I’m crying. They promised. I had so much hope for today. There were so many hints. I genuinely thought they would come back”

Although sadness was conjured within the hearts of many, if not all fans within this fandom, the sad comments were met with consoling of other fans telling them to never give up on our boys and that they definitely will come back but just not yet. The way that almost everyone in the fandom is not personally established, fans are still able to be so compassionate, candid and supportive of one another. Much like a family, this fandom has a family dynamic without even being a ‘traditional’ family. This is what analysis of this particular TikTok confirmed for me.

TIKTOK 2:

@one.direction723

I’ve never really look at them all individually and i-😂 #ot5 #onewayoranother #foryou #onedirection #onedirectionreunion #foryoupage #foryouu #1d

♬ One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks) – One Direction

Likes – 2.7M

Shares – 263.6K

Comments – 107.3K

Personal Interaction – Liked and added to favourites

Rather than evoking any distressing or upsetting emotions this TikTok was rather nostalgic and kinda hilarious to me. Like the caption of the video states, I never have looked at what they were doing individually before and when I first watched this video I really hate to admit that I actually laughed out loud. However, my laughter was obviously not unwarranted which can be proved in the stats of likes, comments and shares. The astronomical amount of fan interaction with this video is so telling of the fan representation featured on this particular social media platform. The comments from fans are further mocking the boys on their awkward behaviour whilst adding the reminder int that they were never coordinated and could never dance. The way the fandom is able to bounce of one another and initiate humorous behaviour with one another really highlights how much this band has brought us together to form one big fandom family.

TIKTOK 3:

@we_are_clowns_for_1d

Reply to @oii.oii_itz.leeroy

♬ original sound – shared acc

Likes – 202.3K

Shares – 10.3K

Comments – 5100

Personal Interaction – Liked and added to favourites

Now this, this is another TikTok that made me too emotional for my own good. I literally grew up with these boys and seeing how far they’ve come and how much they have grown as artists within a 15 second video is so beyond mind blowing to me. When this first appeared on my for you page, I played it on a continuous loop until the shock and emotions wore off. I can’t quite place my finger on what I was feeling when I watched this but I will try my best to describe. My heart almost ached for them to be freshly out of XFactor and barely starting their One Direction Empire, seeing how much they have changed was almost so surreal to me and I could barely even catch my breath (I am so dramatic??) and I just remember slightly smiling to myself whilst feelin’ a little pain as the video replayed and replayed. Maybe it was a mix of a lot of emotions and I could not compartmentalise each one to fully understand what I was feeling. The fans commented on the differences in number (5 members down to 4), made jokes about how the video made them ‘torn’ and how they didn’t need to cry but they are crying. By the fandom response to this video, I think this video collectively hurt the fandom and opened our eyes in showing us where they came from and who they are now.

In a previous blog the following was mentioned: “One Direction fans (Directioners) are known for their extreme passion and behaviour both online and off-line…Today, many One Direction fans are young women in their twenties who own and wield their power through the very online spaces that fuelled their fandom“. This notion was confirmed to be true for this fandom through the finding of these tiktoks. The views, likes and comments accumulated on a multitude of videos on this particular social media platform about One Direction comes from an act of passion and love for the boys. The mark made on social media platforms by the One Direction fandom, as demonstrated in the last two blogs, is astronomical.

Caliandro, Alessandro. “Digital Methods for Ethnography: Analytical Concepts for Ethnographers Exploring Social Media Environments.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 29 Apr. 2017, p. 089124161770296, 10.1177/0891241617702960.

Carmona, R.O.L., 2020. How One Direction prepared young women for the revolution. Transformative Works and Cultures, 32.

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As apart of my autoethnographic research I delegated some time into analysing how fans, like myself, interact with tweets about or including One Direction. With this being an autoethnographic research project, it is only fair to deeply analyse the tweets that I have directly interacted with in some sort of way. The concern of privacy surrounding whether fans on social media platforms are being ethical when regarding, publishing or mentioning a celebrity has been questioned. ‘Between Ethics, Privacy, Fandom, and Social Media’ is a journal article published in 2017, that has studied this query, this article concluded however that “some fans choose the much larger benefit of engaging with other likeminded individuals over the relatively small chance of their work being discovered”. With this point in mind I found it necessary to dig into the cyber world of the fandom, beginning with twitter.

The following 3 tweets are tweets that were featured on my twitter timeline. On my personal twitter I have chosen to ‘follow’ the subject ‘One Direction’, meaning that my timeline will include any popular tweet including this subject. Tweets like this which include all of the ‘OT5’ (One True Five; referring to Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayn) are not as common as tweets involving each singular member even though I follow the topic line of ‘One Direction’.

TWEET 1:

TO DO LIST:
1. Love Zayn
2. Respect Niall
3. Appreciate Liam
4. Be proud of Louis
5. Treat Harry with kindness.

— ashᴺ ♡s jas (@fearIessflicker) October 12, 2020

• Likes – 13.2k
• Retweets – 2.2k
• Quote Tweets – 40
• Comments – 39
• Personal Interaction : Retweeted and Liked

There were a lot of random comments i.e mentioning that Niall has news or that a fan’s videos were open in a group chat of the OT5. However with my experience of the fandom being quite outspoken with good intention, a lot of the fans corrected this tweet to apply all of the verbs to each member of the band as well one fan adding “6. love & accept myself the way i wish to be loved & accepted”. This particular fan reaction towards this tweet highlights the protective nature that characterises this fandom. As a person within this fandom, I would have to say that I personally have experienced this protectiveness over the boys and their wellbeing. For example, when rumours have been spread about the boys or when the recently named ‘locals’ (A person who tries to keep up with the trends by overusing and misunderstanding popular) try to act like they have been here from the start.

TWEET 2:

10 YEARS AGO TODAY ONE DIRECTION PERFORMED 'NOBODY KNOWS' LIVE ON XFACTOR (WEEK 3) pic.twitter.com/qI1DmMvJKd

— daniela²⁸ (@fearlessdans) October 23, 2020

• Likes – 8.3k
• Retweets – 864
• Quote Tweets -194
• Comments – 79
• Personal Interaction : Liked

This particular tweet was flooded with fans reminiscing, expressing their love and wishing that the boys were back together again. As well as this there was an influx of one direction themed memes expressing how fans were feeling about seeing this performance form ten years ago. Here are some examples of the memes:

• 

• 

This tweet was very nostalgic to me and it seems like it was also nostalgic for the majority of the fans that also interacted with this tweet. When it came up in my timeline I must have rewatched it at least 3 times before I decided I needed to stop. Thinking about how it was 10 years ago is so so crazy and brings up a lot of emotions that I think triggered all of the fans who interacted with this tweet.

TWEET 3:

WE ARE PROUD OF ZAYN

WE ARE PROUD OF NIALL

WE ARE PROUD OF LIAM

WE ARE PROUD OF LOUIS

WE ARE PROUD OF HARRY

Never forget these 5 very talented, beautiful human beings have all been in a band with the name ONE DIRECTION for 5 years, together we all are a FAMILY! pic.twitter.com/VYcjmJ8Vsj

— Annika lovez Z! (@ZaynForHero) October 27, 2020

• Likes – 4.9k
• Retweets – 758
• Quote Tweets -47
• Comments – 55
• Personal Interaction : Liked

This particular tweet is the one that touched me the most in regards to how the fandom reacted. This tweet and the reactions to the tweet itself, perfectly encompasses what I perceive the One Direction fandom to be like. The comments were all tweets repeating the first 5 lines of the tweet. Truely acknowledging how great they are together and apart on their own seperate journeys, the fans still support and are still proud of them. There isn’t much more to speak about this tweet in regards to characteristics or the nature or how it made me feel because I think this truely speaks for itself and shows the twitterverse what kinds of fans we really are.

The way in which fans process communication within the fandom through interactions is the perfect presentation of Media ecology as a metaphor for evolution. Media ecology as a metaphor for evolution can be described as being ‘able to be understood as a collection of social interrelations stimulated by interpretative ideas of change in the field of technology, culture, and our own consciousness’. This particular theory can be applied to this very segment of research into the twitterverse due to the interrelations between the Fans and One Direction experiencing evolution through the years as we ourselves experience evolution.

• trin

Davisson, Amber L, and Paul Booth. Controversies in Digital Ethics. 2020. New York, Bloomsbury Academic, 2017.

Caliandro, Alessandro. “Digital Methods for Ethnography: Analytical Concepts for Ethnographers Exploring Social Media Environments.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 29 Apr. 2017, p. 089124161770296, 10.1177/0891241617702960.

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In order to effectively conduct this autoethnograpy it is more than essential to analyse my own personal experience as a One Direction Fan.

As a part of my research plan, I have dedicated half of the autoethnographic research to the discovery of other fans experiences which will allow for the comparison and similarity deconstruction as research progresses. In order to achieve this I produced an online survey which will allow fellow fans to detail their personal experiences whilst also maintaining the importance of anonymity within this research task.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdF_6r3qW8CpbNDc8OW7oQY98UiasNkIj9zNKBa2CULYnYFmw/viewform?usp=sf_link

As the conductor of this research, I completed this same survey in order to achieve consistency and in order to gain a narrated insight on my experience. I found myself getting quite emotional reminiscing on when I was a DIE HARD fan, you will notice I continuously refer to the word ‘nostalgic’ as a way to interpret how I feel.

Without further ado, here are my answers (I am embracing the embarrasement to come #noshame) :

1. When did you first become a One Direction Fan?

2010

2. What is your first distinctive memory about or as a fan of One Direction?

Watching the What makes you beautiful music video and wanting to be the lead girl that Harry Styles kissed, I was lowkey jealous and highkey in love at age 10.

3. What is your FIRST distinctive memory about the One Direction Fandom?

The obsession with the things the boys would say on their xfactor tapes and old videos i.e Carrots, Vashappenin, Spoons, Kevin, GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN, Potatoes. The list could honestly go on forever.

4. What is your MOST RECENT memory about or as a fan of One Direction?

Going to their last tour ever. I got to watch Zayn (which a lot of fans did not have the chance to see, I was lucky enough to have attended all the past tours as well ) in the last tour he was apart of and eventually their last tour as a band. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMGMAAnYi88

5. What is your MOST RECENT memory about the One Direction Fandom?

On the 10 year anniversary of One Direction this year, it was wild to witness the fans all come together again. Sharing favourite memories, 2 worldwide trending hashtags, watching the boys reminisce through their respective posts – It was humbling and so crazy to see how much manpower this fandom has facilitated.

6. Do you still consume fandom/band produced content even though One Direction is no longer together?

Yes.

7. Where do you see the most fan produced One Direction Content?

Tik tok.

8. How does it feel to see this content?

Its very nostalgic but at the same time new and fresh in some aspects because obviously the boys each have their own respective careers and content is being formed from that also.

9. What is your Favourite Album and Song?

‘Take Me Home’ is my favourite album but Walking in the Wind from Made in the A.M is my favourite song.

10. How does this album and song make you feel? Why is it your favourite?

Listening to the Take Me Home album makes me feel very nostalgic because they were so much younger and I was so much younger when that album was released. That time was when fanfics were on the rise, the boys were releasing a movie a year later and the fandom was peak cringe prime. The album makes me feel safe, Like I am back there all over again. Walking in the Wind was featured on the last album the boys recorded as a Band. It was said to be about Harry and Zayn’s conversation in the early hours of the morning when they were having an emotional conversation about how Zayn was leaving the band. Although its a ‘goodbye’ song, it makes me feel rejuvenated and like everything will be okay no matter what I’m going through. It’s so crazy how songs and albums can have such a personal influence on each individual. 

11. How did you feel when the boys announced their Hiatus?

I was honestly so shattered. At school crying, shattered. Staying up till 2am depression tweeting and crying, shattered. 15 year old me was more than heartbroken to say the least.

me after waiting five years for one direction to end hiatus pic.twitter.com/Pa7EZyKiIZ

— tatum sad era ♡'s shilah ~ wants hug from lou²⁸ (@tatumbtomlinson) October 5, 2020

12. How would you say being a One Direction Fan has influenced you?

Being so young and becoming a fan of this world renowned Boy Band has made me grateful to have been able to experience all the things I have as a fan. The Tours, the music, the boys, everything was monumental to me. Girls who have recently become fans of the boys will not be able to experience the fraction of things I have because of their break up. Being a One Direction fan has influenced me to embrace and further accept that I am a crazy and obsessed fan girl (maybe not so much anymore) but I am proud of that. 

13. Would you consider yourself still a fan of One Direction? Why?

Yes, because I will always be a fan. I have a whole playlist dedicated to them STILL for goodness sakes.

14. What does being a One Direction Fan mean to you?

It’s like being apart of a family. Finding likeminded people who have experienced the same things, that is what One Direction has given me and that is what I’m most grateful for. One Direction were apart of some of my favourite memories through their music and content. I basically grew up with them, they are as much apart of my youth and coming of age as anything else. They were my youth and they still are apart of who I am. 

Thanks for reading the first of many blogs ! – Trin x

My personal media niche is One Direction, specifically the fandom itself.  As I have been a fan of One Direction for the past ten years it seems more than fitting to ethnographically research the fan culture. This research project aims to interpret and methodically analyse an individuals personal experience within the one direction fandom in order to understand the societal group and cultural experience within this fandom. Media Ecology can be described as study of the circumstances in which communication is processed (Gamaleri, 2016) – In this case, the facilitation of online presences in relation to the pop sensation One Direction is what will be further studied and delved into.

I will be undertaking an Autoethnographic style of research with the research being solely qualitative in nature. When adopting an Autoethnographic research approach researchers are said to retrospectively as well as selectively address and analyse epiphanies that stem from or are a result of being apart of a culture or through possessing a particular cultural identity (Adams, Ellis & Bochner, 2011).The field sites I am concentrating on for the entirety of this research is Twitter and tik tok. With most of the one direction content being personally seen on these two social media platforms it will be beneficial for this study to analyse the content I personally consume as a fan.

The following Gantt Chart details the research schedule I will undertake this research throughout the following semester:

With any research project it is essential to acknowledge the ethical concerns that may occur throughout the research process. Ethical Ethnography (Ladner 2014 p.92) states three simple rules that can be applied to any ethical ethnographic research:

1. Do no harm.
2. Be open and honest.
3. Gain informed consent

• trinity

With the past 3 blogs detailing the changes and inner-workings of my autoethnography, it is now time to discuss the background research that will be referenced in order to understand the pragmatic framework used to analyse the data collected through research. This blog will also discuss the ethical issues that may arise and how I will overcome them.

background research:

Carmona, R.O.L., 2020. How One Direction prepared young women for the revolution. Transformative Works and Cultures, 32.

This particular resource is a detailed research article that explores the way in which the online networks relative to fandom, in this case One Direction, can play a critical role in the informal training and education of young women. It also discusses how the engagement in fan networks may ‘prepare’ fans to use networked cultures as a positive force for example, this research article mentions that this positive application of networked cultures will allow a fandom individual to be more likely to advocate for feminist changes to the current political landscape.

“One Direction fans (Directioners) are known for their extreme passion and behaviour both online and off-line…Today, many One Direction fans are young women in their twenties who own and wield their power through the very online spaces that fuelled their fandom”

This particular article will prove to be a beneficial resource within my autoethnography as it highlights the online connection between the fandom and band as well as mentioning a different insight into how a fan is likely to behave as a result of immediate influence from being apart of the One direction Fandom.

Lacasa, P., de la Fuente, J., Garcia-Pernia, M. and Cortés, S., 2017. Teenagers, fandom and identity. Persona Studies, 3(2), p.51.

This second background research resource investigates the collective and individual identity construction processes in adolescent fan communities.

“Fans may express admiration by recognising the celebrity’s style or creativity within the framework of popular culture. Fans are often involved in specific communities which give rise to certain practices and social roles”

Through the application of ‘persona studies’, this article deep dives into a fan based ethnographic research which will be more than beneficial throughout the process of my individual autoethnographic research. This particular study details the conformity to a specific persona as a result of a fan’s identity being advanced or formed to adhere to definitive interpretations of the world, values, and knowledge within the fandom culture. With this study being established around identity and persona, it will relate specifically to this exact autoethnography which delves into individuals personal experiences as a fan. This particular insight into fandom culture will assist this research as experience and identities/personas as a result of fan culture, correlate with each other.

ethical considerations/concerns:

With any research project it is essential to acknowledge the ethical concerns that may occur throughout the research process. Ethical Ethnography (Ladner 2014 p.92) states three simple rules that can be applied to any ethical ethnographic research:

1. Do no harm.
2. Be open and honest.
3. Gain informed consent

Of course, applying these three baseline ethical guidelines is important and will be adhered to however, with an online autoethnographic research task there are a few more ethical issues in play. As mentioned in ‘Looking, But Not Listening?
Theorizing the Practice and Ethics of Online Ethnography’, the application of active listening allows a researcher to consider exactly how people are interacting and speaking online. This particular point is of significance as this listening enables a researcher to recognise that despite social media interactions appearing predominantly text-based, there are actually a multitude of ways that individuals are able to express emotion within their conversations (Steinmetz, 2012). Through the application of active listening, myself as the researcher will be able to ethically and effectively conduct research eventually gain detailed findings about this media niche.

Moreover, with the research being solely conducted online, I will prioritise the need for anonymity as ones individual experience within a cultural group is quite personal insight. This anonymity will be managed through not specifically naming any individual, gaining consent to potentially quote each participants response, as well as prioritising the need for respect and understanding.

As a researcher, it is my personal responsibility to remain ethical through:

-Remaining understanding and empathetic towards topic sensitivities and boundaries

– Being completely transparent, honest and open with my research, the participants and myself

– Correctly sourcing, giving credit and using appropriate language

As the fourth week of the University semester comes to a close and two previous blogs detailing the chosen media niche have been published, would I really be myself if I didn’t completely change the direction of this ethnographic research?

Briefly mentioned in blog two, there is a level of difficulty associated with conducting an ethnographic research project based around the analysation of a twitter environment. Because of this complication and the inability to effectively assess the twitter-verse, I have decided to adopt an Autoethnography approach when researching the One Direction Fandom Culture. This particular research approach aims to interpret and methodically analyse an individuals personal experience in order to understand societal group or cultural experience (Adams, Ellis & Bochner, 2011). The application of this research approach means that I will be investigating my own personal experience as a One Direction Fangirl within this specific Fandom culture.

1. PROBLEMATISE THE MEDIA NICHE:

Although I have been a fan of One Direction for the past 10 years of my life (literally have dedicated 1/2 of my life to One Direction, I am torn whether that’s a good or bad thing), I have not remained as dedicated as I was 5 years ago when they announced their 18 month “Hiatus” which turned into the unofficial but offical end of the band with each member exploring their individual musical journey. I have only closely followed the solo musical career of Harry Styles (because I am a Harry Girl 🥰), however I am still an avid listener and reminiscer of One Direction.

I am curious to know whether other fans within this fandom have continued to avidly support each individual solo musical career or if they have unknowingly or knowingly chosen to only follow one of the members career. As well as this I am curious how my personal fan experience compares to others. For example, I have seen multiple social media posts (see bellow) regarding the superiority of fans who have been there from the conception as compared to fans who have begun to follow One Direction in recent years. I happen to be one of the fans who have followed since the beginning as well as being able to go to all the Australian tours (yes with Zayn and yes with 5sos). I am more than open to the exposure of different fan experiences within this fandom, the way in which I immerse myself in another fan experience will be further discussed in the research plan portion of this blog.

you have no room to complain if you saw one direction in concert. bonus points if zayn and 5sos was there

— rain 📌 was @/tyongroii (@hsidjsjdnns) August 23, 2020

2. PLANNING THE RESEARCH APPROACH:

When adopting an Autoethnographic research approach researchers are said to retrospectively as well as selectively address and analyse epiphanies that stem from or are a result of being apart of a culture or through possessing a particular cultural identity (Adams, Ellis & Bochner, 2011). Through the discussion and exploration of my personal experience as a One Direction fan I am hoping to demonstrate aspects of fandom culture that I have immediately been exposed to in order to compare and contrast my experience with other individuals within this fandom.

In effort to effectively conduct this comparison and contrast within my autoethnographic research, I will release a survey aimed solely at One Direction fans within the bcm241 cohort which will include seperate excerpts of something I have directly experienced or felt within fan culture followed by a prompt where participants are able to share their respective familiarities or experiences.

3. RESEARCH SCHEDULE:

The following Gantt Chart details the research schedule I will undertake throughout the following semester.

In my last published blog for BCM241, I outlined my chosen media niche that will be thoroughly explored throughout this semester. That niche being the One Direction Fandom and the cultivated fan culture. As a One Direction fan, I have a very personal involvement within this media niche, because of this I believe stepping away and obtaining an outside perspective within this fan culture will be quite interesting and contradicting to my personal norm. Thus, through conducting  an ethnographic research project which solely focuses on this fandoms presence on Twitter, allow myself and other 1D stans an opportunity to view how others may view and interact with the fandom culture within this particular social media platform.

“Through the work of constructing a field site, researchers define the objects and subjects of their research” (Burrell, 2009). In order to effectively conduct a succinct ethnographic research project it is essential to outline all the elements in which may be apart of my particular field site. Due to such a broad and very very large field site there is a lot of relationships and interactions that are involved within this niche as demonstrated bellow. Through the construction of a field map the visualisation of networks which will be explored whether they are the incorporation of physical, virtual or imagined spatial characteristics (Burrell, 2009).

According to the BrandWatch.com – Twitter has over 330 million active monthly users, 145 million daily users and a total of 1.3 billion accounts that have been created since the conception of this social media platform. It has become obvious that I will not be able to track and research every single fan account dedicated to One Direction therefore the decision to solely focus on 4 of the most popular accounts within the fandom will be the most beneficial for this research project.

A category does not define us as better or worse fandom, what defines us as a better fandom is to always be present when Liam, Zayn, Louis, Niall and Harry need it. There we will always be giving the best for them #1D pic.twitter.com/tg2R15V0Yv

— 1D Updates. (@1DTENTHANNIVERS) August 18, 2020

As an individual with an interest within Marketing as well as Public relations, the study into the reciprocal actions and influence of fan culture allows for further understanding to be achieved. Marketing and PR are two sectors where it is essential to obtain a fluent knowledge of consumers within an audience. This ethnographic project allows for that knowledge to be obtained and practice.

Although this particular media niche is for the most part online via Twitter, this ethnographic research project is still able to demonstrate digital dualism. This can be achieved through the study of how events surrounding the band and their interactions in the offline environment are translated and interacted with, within the online environment (Jurgenson, 2012). However, with the focus on the fanbase on twitter there are a few problems which may roadblock the study of this particular media niche. Twitter is a large, public site which will make this ethnographic study difficult to bound, or to even determine, exactly who or what is being studied (Marwick, 2013, p. 116). As well as this it has been noted that engagement within ‘hashtag ethnography’ is difficult to asses due to the context of the tweets and hashtags being so vast and commonly used amongst millions.

As a requirement for BCM 241, each student is required to begin ethnographically researching a media niche that sparks personal interest. Being as indecisive as I am, this particular requirement was more or less my worst nightmare as I concluded that I had no notable interests that would be assignment and research worthy. However, as a young adolescent woman who is very much susceptible becoming obsessively in LOVE with celebrities. My personal and unashamed celebrity  love is for One Direction. Yes, the boy band sensation ‘One Direction’ will be my individual specialisation and media niche – more specifically the fan culture as a result of the success of this particular boyband. As I have been a fan of One Direction for the past ten years it seems more than fitting to ethnographically research the fan culture. And if anyone cares, I have and always will be a Harry Styles girl. 

With the 10 (rather disappointing) year anniversary of One Direction just recently passing on July 23rd of this year, all the dedicated and still very active fan accounts facilitated an even larger social media presence, especially on twitter. On this particular social media platform the use of hashtags such as #10Yearsof1D and #10YearsOfOneDirection as well as #OneDirection were consistently trending throughout the world with mentions from the fans dubbed as Directioners, fan accounts, band mates and even the One Direction boys itself. The anticipation within the Directioner fandom surrounding this date was sky high with the expectation of a possible reunion following the long overdue ending of the 2 year hiatus that was announced in 2015. According to an article published by Billboard following the awaited 10 year anniversary, One Direction collectively  earned 1.6 million Twitter mentions and 1.4 million Twitter reactions i.e comments, likes and retweets.

Ethnography is commonly defined as the study of a particular group of people, wherein their customs, habits, and everyday life are researched through various methods of observation and fieldwork. According to ‘Qualitative Research Methods in Public Relations and Marketing Communications’, to research something through ethnographic methods refers to the entire process of the research conducted as well as the immersion into the natural setting and cultural life of a group, organisation or community for an extended period of fieldwork in order to further understand the experiences that characterise the individuals involved within these particular groups or categories. Across all social media platforms, One Direction fan pages have maintained a strong social media presence. Even within the past 5 years of inactiveness, the fan pages dedicated to One Direction have continued to thrive with celebrating each solo career as they progress. Furthermore, this  particular niche exists online, for the most part, mostly on social media platforms such as twitter, YouTube and instagram which allows for the consistent and always occurring conversation within this fan culture to transpire. 

Media Ecology can be described as study of the circumstances in which communication is processed (Gamaleri, 2016) – In this case, the facilitation of online presences in relation to the pop sensation One Direction is what will be further studied and delved into. As a fan of One Direction and with this fandom involving a considerably large amount of individuals, it will be more than beneficial to undertake an ethnographic investigation within this field in order to obtain a deeper understanding and insight from an outside perspective in relation to the fan culture, fan accounts and curated fan content keeping One Direction well and truely alive in another sense. 

– Trinity Vasquez