Abstract 

This paper examines the impact of social media and participatory culture on the ideation process, plot, and message of network television shows using the example of the Fox show ‘Glee’ and its fandom, the “Gleeks.” As one of the first fan bases to grow in the online space, the ‘Glee’ fandom was global, hyper-connected, and influential, with fans having significant sway over writing decisions and character portrayals. Through an exploration of participatory culture, fanservice, and parasocial relationships, this paper analyzes the extent to which fans influenced the production of ‘Glee’ and how social media aided in this influence. 

Key Words 

1. Participatory culture 
2. Parasocial relationships 
3. Fanservice 
4. Glee 
5. Production 

Introduction 

The rise of participatory culture through the evolution of social media has greatly affected the ideation process and therefore the plot and message of network television shows. The Fox television show, ‘Glee,’ which ran from 2009-2015 is a perfect example of this as it saw the rise of social media and online fandoms during its run on-air.  ‘Glee’ and its fans “Gleeks” were among the first fan bases to grow in the online space, becoming prolific on Twitter and Tumblr. Due to this, the ‘glee’ fandom was global, hyper-connected and very influential. Fans of ‘glee’, during the years it aired (2009-2015), were noted as very powerful by people involved in the production of the show, including showrunner and creator Ryan Murphy. The fans seemed to even have sway over writing decisions and character portrayals as they voiced their opinions heavily online. In this paper, I will be exploring how much influence the fans of ‘glee’ had on the production of the show, and how social media and participatory culture aided in this influence. I will be exploring how participatory culture, fanservice and parasocial relationships impacted the ideation process of the television show and subsequently the plot. Understanding how fans have changed network television shows in the past is essential for developing interactive, immersive and entertaining streaming media in the 21st century. 

 

Participatory culture 

Participatory culture is a “complex set of relations between producers and consumers” (Jenkins, 2012) in which the consumers are able to participate and influence in the production of content, through online discourse. Participatory culture has risen in conjunction with social media due to the connective and communicative nature of most social media websites, specifically Twitter and Tumblr 2009-2015. Participatory culture is incredibly important for television shows to connect with their audience and encourage conversation. ‘Glee’ capitalized on the emergence of social media as a way to promote participatory culture and solidify fandom very quickly. Fans of ‘Glee’ flocked to the social media websites Twitter and Tumblr to share their love and opinions of the show. What stood ‘Glee’ apart from other shows at the time was the age of its audience. The young people watching and represented in ‘Glee’ were proficient in using social media, the audience for ‘Glee’ was already on and using social media to share their thoughts so talking about ‘Glee’ came naturally and almost instinctively. Additionally, the producers of ‘Glee’, primarily showrunner, Ryan Murphy, were also prolific on social media in the later seasons. This meant that fans could interact with the producers and writers with almost no boundaries. Making fans’ thoughts and opinions more valid, accessible and influential than ever before. ‘Glee’ creator, Ryan Murphy has said that ‘Glee’ is “a show that the fans made. They found it, they loved it, they bought the music, they turned it into a phenomenon, they bought the tickets for those concert tours, they created the ability to do multi-platforms, they had a really strong proprietary grasp on it.” (2016) Participatory culture in ‘Glee’ was solidified when the ‘Glee’ producers invited fans to audition for the show through an ‘American Idol’-style television show, ‘The Glee Project.’ (Stork, 2014) Fan participation removed the boundaries between producers and consumers that were previously present. The extent to which fans had control over the making of ‘Glee’ linked directly to the amount the producers were interacting with them online. Seasons one and two of ‘Glee’ stayed close to Murphy’s original pitch for the show, a quirky parody of the teen drama giants of the time. As social media use became more popular, so did fans’ influence on the stories being told on ‘Glee.” The idea that fans began to perceive themselves as equal to producers in terms of decision-making fed into the idea of parasocial relationships. 

 

Parasocial relationships 

A parasocial relationship is a concept that describes the unhealthy belief adopted by fans, where they believe they are good friends with someone they do not know, usually someone who is famous. Price, et al, describe parasocial relationships as “the perception of a television viewer of relationship with someone known through the media.” (Price, et al, 2011) This perception stems from a false friendship that is promoted by celebrities and producers to reinforce fandom. Parasocial relationships grew in popularity with the rise of participatory culture and social media as the boundaries between celebrities and fans disappeared. The idea that fans could interact directly with the producers and actors of their favourite shows online contributed to the belief that they shared a friendship. Those who represent small communities or under-represented groups are the most likely to be the object of a parasocial relationship. ‘Glee’ aimed to represent groups of people who had previously lacked representation on television. Fans felt a powerful sense of connection with the characters with whom they could identify. Most notably, members of the LGBTQIA+ community found hope in ‘Glee’s portrayal of Kurt Hummel, who in the first season of the show comes out as gay to his father, who supported him despite their differences. Seeing a character who represented themselves experience such a positive reaction from his father was very important for many young people. For many fans, this sense of connection led to a sense of ownership, provoking outrage when a beloved character was written in a way deemed unacceptable by the fans themselves. During the era of ‘Glee’ parasocial relationships had not reached the intensity they have today. Now some internet celebrities deliberately feign friendship with their audience in the attempt to grow and solidify their audiences. The fan reaction has been strong with some fans tracking down a celebritys’ addresses. However, during the ‘glee’ era the level to which a fan could insight change within the show was growing every day. Price, et al, in their book ‘Mass Media Effects Research: Advances Through Meta-Analysis’ state that a person who watches television regularly and finds television rewarding is more likely to perceive the characters in television show as real, thus being more susceptible to developing a parasocial relationship. (Price, et al, 2011) ‘Glee’ aired once a week during its seasons, classifying it as network television. Network television lent itself to regular and loyal viewing. Additionally, the idea of ‘Glee’ was to provide representation to those who had lacked it on television in the past. These two factors imply that ‘Glee’ viewers are regular television viewers that find television rewarding. Therefore, suggesting they are likely to develop parasocial relationships. The parasocial relationship between the fans of ‘Glee’ and its characters caused the producers to lose focus of the original message of the show and lean into appeasing the online fandom with desired plots and character arcs. This idea is called ‘fanservice.’ 

 

Fanservice 

The fans of ‘glee’ had access to the producers and writers of the show through social media and had a sense of ownership of the show and characters. “Fan service functions through recognition by installing concrete responses to desires articulated by audience members within a cultural text, thereby reinforcing audience practices that address the purveyors of the source material directly” (Carrington, 2019). Fan service occurs when producers incorporate popular ideas and desires among fan groups into the production in order to appease its fanbase, thus reinforcing the belief that fans can have influence. Fanservice solidifies the parasocial connection fans feel with the content they consume. Fanservice can be seen in a variety of ways, from popular couples being paired up to bringing back loved characters that had been removed from the show. For ‘Glee’, fanservice played a significant role in the production, particularly in later seasons as the viewership and social media use grew. Fanservice often occurred in ‘Glee’ as a result of a hinted or joked-about plot that became popular online. For example, in season one of ‘Glee’ two minor characters, Santana and Brittany, joke that they had an intimate relationship that no other character, or fan, knew about prior. This seemingly harmless joke sparked an online push for the two characters to not only become main characters but also pursue their relationship. As a result of the fan demand, the two characters became one of the most beloved and long-lasting couples featured on the show, the two also became iconic for the representation they brought to mainstream television. The majority of fanservice plots that occur in ‘Glee’ are a result of an online push for more diversity and representation. Although the television show was setting a high precedent for representation compared to other shows at the time, fans demanded more accurate and diverse characters. It could be argued that this is not fanservice and is rather reflecting the desires of the show’s viewers or customers. However, what sets ‘Glee’ aside from other shows that followed fans interests is the extent to which this changed the original message of the show. ‘Glee’ was originally intended to be a parody of other teen television shows such as ‘Degrassi.’ Before fans began to intervene, in the first season of ‘Glee,’ the show very clearly mocks the overdramatic and cliché aspects of teen dramas. After fans began to influence the show, ‘Glee’ has been accused of losing its original message and falling to the stereotypical plots, characters, and dialogue of other dramas. Fanservice grew as a result of participatory culture and parasocial relationships and achieved both negative and positive impacts on the television show ‘Glee.’ 

Communities 

Online communities play a very significant role in the production of media today. The impact of social media and fan participation cannot be ignored. When the boundaries between producers and consumers are removed by online spaces, the fan community flourishes. Fan participation can be used as a tool to improve and evolve television shows and other media.  

Conclusion 

The influence of fans on the production of television shows has become increasingly significant with the emergence of social media and online fandoms. This paper explores the impact of fan participation, fanservice, and parasocial relationships to prove that the rise of participatory culture through the evolution of social media has greatly affected the ideation process and therefore the plot and message of network television shows. The show was chosen as an example because it aired during the rise of social media and online fandoms, allowing fans to interact with producers and writers in unprecedented ways. The paper highlights the growth of participatory culture as a result of social media and the emergence of parasocial relationships. Fans are now able to demand certain plots or character arcs, leading to the introduction of fanservice into the mainstream. Fanservice has incorporated fan ideas into television shows but has also set a precedent for the level to which fans can influence production. The paper concludes that the influence of fan participation and fanservice has both positive and negative outcomes. On one hand, it can lead to a stronger connection between fans and the show, increasing engagement and viewership. On the other hand, it can also lead to creative compromises and potential backlash if fans feel their desires are not being met. In conclusion, the participatory culture facilitated by social media, fanservice, and parasocial relationships had a significant impact on the production and storyline of “Glee“. Fans were able to interact with producers and writers, influencing decisions made about character portrayals and plot developments. While the influence of fans can have both positive and negative outcomes, it has become a crucial factor in the production of television shows. 

 

References 

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