2) What role does Hills (2004) suggest fans play in the construction of cult TV? How is new media central to this?
According to Hills (2004), there are two possibilities with regards to the production of television shows which entail a following of fans. Firstly, there are shows which influence the growth or creation of fans toward certain shows. On the other hand, cult television is not limited to just targeting a certain group as they may be aimed at larger audiences in mainstream networks but at times, accidentally categorised into that cult television. Centrally, Hills says that new media enables more “fan activities to be carried out both online and in real life” (p. 519) – technology makes it easier for fans to create online communities devoted to cult shows, television networks can post episodes online and fandoms can also organise/attend cult television based conventions.
Basically, both reasons are valid for the relationship between fans and cult television – shows can either unintentionally bring about a loyal group of avid viewers or those shows can be intentionally created for a market which already exists due to predecessors in the genre (Hills, 2004). New media such as the vast possibilities through the internet also influences the opportunities for avid fans, to engage in social interaction to do with their preferred shows.
REF LIST
Hills, M. (2004). Defining Cult TV; Texts, Inter-texts and Fan Audiences, The Television Studies Reader, in R. C. Allen & A. Hill. London and New York: Routledge.
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