investigacion. analisis de la actividad fan-artista en las fanpages de facebook
TRANSCRIPT
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Faculty of Arts, Computing Engineering and Sciences
City Campus Howard Street
Sheffield S1 1WB
School of Communication Studies MA Programme in Communication Studies
MA in Online Communication Master’s Dissertation
Title Music fandom on Facebook Pages: a mixed-
methods analysis of artist use and fan activity
Author Adam Greenwood
Date 03 September 2012
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Acknowledgments
A special thank you to Ruth Deller for supporting me with this Dissertation.
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Abstract
Background. This study aims to examine whether Facebook Pages offer music artists the ideal
platform to expand their fanbase and develop an active, engaging and interactive online
fandom. The research aims to explore whether Facebook Pages can be considered as online
communities. The study was driven by personal experience of managing my own band's
Facebook Page. I began to question whether our Facebook followers could be defined as an
online community having observed that fan-to-fan interaction was practically non-existent.
This led me to question whether this was true for other music artists on Facebook. It is now
commonplace for most music artists to host a Facebook Page, and in some cases, it even
replaces an actual website as their official online platform (as with my band).
Aim. The central aim is to test whether it is misleading to suppose that a Facebook Page will
enhance artist fandom, in terms of growth, devotion and loyalty. Facebook's perceived
reputation of harbouring interactivity would be tested by appraising the artist's social media
approach, the resultant levels of fan engagement and also the evidence of a self-sufficient
online community. This involved taking the artists respective popularity into account against
the relational likelihood of user contribution.
Method. Content and thematic analysis of Facebook Walls for the Pages of 9 UK based music
bands of varying size and scale - from major, emerging and local unsigned artists. Analysis was
conducted by one researcher over a period of 7 days.
Results. Facebook Pages for music artists experience low-levels of engagement between fans.
Whilst some artists undertake more active and personal roles to updates, the results indicate
that Facebook Pages function in a similar vein to newsletters than online forums.
Conclusions. Facebook Pages experience low levels of fan-to-fan engagement which suggests
they cannot be identified as online communities. Therefore, the function is at odds with the
rhetoric of Facebook as the leading platform for participation and community building. This
leads to debates that question the user and music artist's benefits of following bands on
Facebook other than for news updates. Moreover, it questions whether Facebook platform
has a lasting future as the leading online platform for music related activity.
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Contents
Chapter Page Number
Introduction 9
Topic 9
Context - Personal Motivations 9
Themes of literature 10
Music and the Internet 10
Outline of contents 12
Literature 13
Aims and overview 13
Music fandom 13
Participatory culture 15
Facebook 16
Evaluation of Literature 17
Methodology 19
Section overview 19
Paradigm: Interpretivist 20
Methods applied 21
Content Analysis 21
Thematic Analysis 24
Research Design 26
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Data Recording 26
Research Strategy 28
Issues Identified 28
Ethical Considerations 29
Conclusion 30
Findings 32
Introduction 32
Artists 32
Growth and new fan accumulation 32
Artist updates 34
Public Wall Replies with Fans 36
Artist Voice 38
Fan community 41
Evidence of Fandom 41
Fan inclination to interact with artists 46
Overview of community activity and contribution 46
Attachments - user generated media amongst fans 50
Fan community, reciprocal engagement and user integration 53
Fan motivation to post 57
Spam and junk posts – classification, frequency and community experience 60
Summary of Findings 64
Conclusion 66
Overview 66
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Aims and motives 66
Appraisal of key findings 66
Appraisal of study 68
Recommendations and remaining questions 69
Conclusion 70
Bibliography 71
Appendices 82
A Screenshots 82
A1 Muse 82
A2 Radiohead 85
A3 Kasabian 88
B1 Bombay Bicycle Club 90
B2 Dry the River 94
B3 Spector 97
C1 Dead Sons 101
C2 The Violet May 103
C3 Oblong 104
D About Facebook Pages 106
E My band 106
F Excel Workbook 107
F1 Overview Tab 107
F2 Charts Tab 107
F3 'ARTIST#' Tab (Overview of statistics for findings) 107
F4 'FAN#' Tab (Overview of statistics for findings) 108
F5 'THEMES#' Tab (Overview of statistics for findings) 109
F6 'muse' Tab - Statistics for Muse - (Major Artist) 110
F7 'radiohead Tab - Statistics for Radiohead - (Major Artist) 110
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F8 'kasabian' Tab - Statistics for Kasabian (Major Artist) 110
F9 'bombay bicycle club' Tab - Statistics for Bombay Bicycle Club (Emerging Artist) 110
F10 'dry the river' Tab - Statistics for Dry the River (Emerging Artist) 110
F11 'spector' Tab - Statistics for Spector (Emerging Artist) 110
F12 'dead sons' Tab - Statistics for Dead Sons (Local Artist) 110
F13 'the violet may' Tab - Statistics for The Violet May (Local Artist) 110
F14 'oblong' Tab - Statistics for Oblong (Local Artist) 110
Ethical checklist 111
Tables Table 1 illustrates the number of new fans acquired within seven-day 33 research period
Table 2 Shows rates of growth between the artist categories 33
Table 3 Shows Artist post update frequency, interaction with fans and 35 narrative tone of replies
Table 4 Shows fan interactivity with 'popular' Artist posts 41
Table 5 Highlights relational contributory values against total fanbase 45 for 'most popular' posts of that day; likes, commented on and shared
Table 6 Provides a comparison of Artist and fan updates respectively 48
Table 7 Shows various categories of attachments used on Facebook Pages 50
Table 8 Indicates levels of fan-to-fan interactivity and user engagement 54
Table 9 Shows proportionate value of fans from each artist category likely 58 to post within their respective communities
Table 10 Shows the saturation of spam and junk posts within the total 62 number of posts during research period
Table 11 Shows percentage values of the various spam posts evident across 62 research sample collectively
Figures
Figure 1 Emerging Artist (Dry the River) replying to a fan initiated wall post 37
Figure 2 Example of the jovial and personal tone employed 40 by an Emerging Artist (Spector)
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Figure 3 Example of the Major Artist (Kasabian) with their dual authoring styles 41
Figure 4 Example of Major Artist (Muse) who obtain high numbers of fan activity following a band update. However there was no evidence of a direct Wall reply to a single fan throughout the research period 43
Figure 5 Screenshot of Major Artist (Radiohead) band update attempting to address a ticket sales issue (11/03/2012) 45
Figure 6 Local Artist (Oblong) updates show a lack of fan engagement with the band despite their best efforts - a strained community lacking in critical mass 49
Figure 7 Major Artist (Kasabian) with fan photo uploads
Figure 8 Example of attachment usage on Facebook (Kasabian Wall, Major Artist) 53
Figure 9 Evidence of fans posting more than once in succession and of a thread involving one person (originator) 56
Figure 10 Illustrating a day when seven fans ingratiated over a communication thread. Evidence of fandom but out over a community with over eight million Facebook fans it is a lowly figure 57
Figure 11 A rare example of mutual support offered amongst the fans over a ticketing issue on Major Artist Radiohead’s Page (09/03/2012) 60
Figure 12 Overt spam evident on Muse (Major Artist) Wall 64
40 45 56 60
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Introduction
Topic
My research focuses on the nature of music fandom on Facebook Pages. Specifically, the
analysis looks at fan growth, artist update approach, fan-to-fan engagement (community
definitions) and thematic observations of the user experience.
In application to the Wall feature of Facebook Pages, I will be using content and thematic
analysis to explore nine UK music bands of varying levels of popularity. These categories are
Major Artists (Muse, Radiohead and Kasabian), Emerging Artists who are ‘up-and-coming’
(Bombay Bicycle Club, Dry the River and Spector) and Local Artists to Sheffield that remain
unsigned (Dead Sons, The Violet May and Oblong).
I operate within an Interpretivist ‘Phenomenology’ paradigm incorporating mixed-method data
gathering (qualitative and quantitative). At its core, this will involve compiling numerical
frequency occurrences for a wide range of measurable phenomena. This includes the
Facebook approach of the Artists (new fan accumulation Artist updates, Artist-fan
engagement) and also that of the Fan Community (total fan posts, fan-to-fan interactions,
users within popular thread counts). Thematic occurrences relating to spam and attachments
used across Facebook Wall’s will also be referenced to add texture my overall commentary on
the nature of the user experience.
Context - Personal Motivations
I am a musician in an unsigned band in Sheffield. My band, Low Duo, use a variety of online
platforms to promote our news, music and drive fan connections in the hope of developing a
loyal devoted following.
Facebook is one of our primary social media tools, working alongside an active Twitter and
YouTube presence. Collectively these formats offer various channels to communicate and
present our music to fans, to such an extent that a need for an official band website has not
yet been identified.
It is now commonplace for the majority of music acts, big or small, signed or unsigned, to have
a Facebook Page to connect with their fanbase indeed with the aim of securing many more
(David 2010, Ehrlich, 2011; Davey, 2011). .
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I was interested in learning how fellow artists use Facebook, and more importantly, whether it
is providing any benefits to those artists. From personal experience, I had noticed that our rate
of growth on Facebook remained small with an acquisition rate of approximately 5 Facebook
fans a month in 2012. This appeared somewhat frustrating for a active local band that gig
regularly in their hometown (and beyond), have released three EP’s in eighteen months,
supported touring artists such as Anna Calvi and Courtney Pine, received national plaudits
including The Guardian’s ‘New Band of the Day’ (number 986), featured on the front-page of
MySpace and had been personally invited by BBC6 Music for a recording Session for Tom
Robinson. Combined with an active Facebook presence involving posting at least every two
days (sometimes more), our fan size seemed incongruent to both our Facebook and offline
activity. It did not appear to reflect an (expected) assimilation rate considering the
aforementioned successes. I wanted to ascertain whether our experience was typical of other
UK artists on Facebook.
Overall, I am evaluating whether Facebook platform does offer tangible (measurable) benefits
to the artists and fans. This will be evaluated by focusing on Facebook fan growth, fan-to-fan
participations/conversations and Wall activity.
Themes of literature
I will be drawing upon literature from two key fields: Online Communication (Wood 2003;
Preece 2000; Baym; 1995, 2007) and Popular Music Studies (Middleton, 1990; Wall, 2003). I
will use literature themes of popular music fan studies, participatory culture and Facebook to
expand upon my Findings.
My study aims to investigate the purpose of Facebook Pages and evaluate the perceived
benefits against the actual benefits for both artists and users.
My personal experience in managing a Facebook Page ensures that I am looking to evaluate
whether a diligent approach to artist posting and fan engagement results in a growing fanbase.
Moreover, I am also testing whether the total number of fans leads to a more active fan
community.
I will now briefly discuss Facebook platform followed by an overview of the current
relationship between music and the internet.
Music and the Internet
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In 2012 Facebook is globally recognised as a major platform for online music activity (Halliday,
The Guardian Online, 2011; Segall and Milian, CNN Money, 2011, Trevis Team, Forbes Online,
2011). Within the last year, Facebook has secured high-profile partnership deals with other
popular music-centric social networking platforms including Rhapsody, Deezer and Spotify. A
user of these platforms is then able to simultaneously share their musical activity via Facebook
within their News Feed (Perreau, 2011). It is both a technological and cultural shift in terms of
music consumption, and an example of how Facebook constantly embraces change and ways
of extending its mass appeal – using music as a driver of new content.
The worldwide music industry is worth 168 billion USD (United States Dollars), (Resnikoff,
Digital Music News, 2011) – and the UK makes up a significant proportion of this market. In
2010, the value was estimated at 3.8 billion Great British Pounds (Sweeney, The Guardian
Online, 2011), equating to a value in the region of 6-6.1 billion USD (exchange rate of 1.588,
The Financial Times, 7 April 2012)
Historically, the music industry was reticent about online music (Dobie 2004; Ritchell, 2000;
Wikstrom, 2009) due to fears of illegal downloading en-masse (Boutin, Wired Magazine 2010),
(Perman, MusicWeek 2010; Shaw, 2011), driven by the evolution of high-capacity mobile
music devices (Nettamo, Nirhmao & Hakkila, 2006).
Part of this change has seen the utilisation of online social networks as part of marketing music
artists (Beer, 2008; McLean, Oliver and Wainwright, 2010; Preston & Rogers, 2011). There is
now a growing consensus that the music industry is supportive of online social networks to
promote their artists (Fixmer & Satariano, Bloomberg.com, 2011; Bahanovich & Collopy, 2009;
Molteni & Ordanini, 2003). Consequently, the majority of music artists will now have a social
networking presence, and predominantly that will be on Facebook.
Music Pages on Facebook are proving highly popular amongst fans, certainly those of ‘major’
artists. For example, as of August 2012 Eminem secured 60 million fans that ‘like’ his Facebook
Page (Locker, 2012).
Facebook makes no bold claims that Pages are designed for music artists. In their About
Facebook Pages section, it states, 'Pages are for businesses, organizations and brands to share
their stories and connect with people. Like timelines, you can customize Pages by adding apps,
posting stories, hosting events and more. Engage and grow your audience by posting regularly.
People who like your Page will get updates in their news feeds' (Facebook, 2012). However, it
does state 'Facebook Pages allow artists, businesses, and brands to showcase their work and
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interact with fans. These Pages come pre-installed with custom functionality designed for each
category. Developers also build an array of apps for Page admins to add to their Pages.'
Therefore, the wording here makes explicit that there are perceivable benefits for artists in
using Facebook Pages, especially within an already successful social network platform.
Outline of contents
The structure of my dissertation is as follows: the Literature Review will elaborate upon the
topics that have informed and focused my research design and contextualise my proposal
among similar works. This will be followed by a Methodology which elaborates upon my
paradigm rationale (Interpretivist) with reference to my mixed-methods approach. This will
explain the decision making process behind selecting content and thematic analysis, with an
awareness of their limitations, but more importantly justification of their choice. This chapter
will also provide a more detailed synopsis of the data collection process and approach. The
Findings chapter will present the results and statistics collated by way of written commentary,
numerical tables and screenshots of Facebook Pages. Finally, the Conclusion will summarise
my findings against my original aims whilst also offering directions for further study in this
domain.
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Literature Review
Aims and Overview
To my knowledge, it appears there is a noticeable research gap that focuses primarily on the
community interactivity element of Facebook music Pages. Specifically, my study
encompasses the following:
The UK music market
Facebook as the online music platform of choice
Content and thematic analysis of music fandom with the context of social media
An awareness of the sensory experience of music
This literature review is arranged by the following topics: Music Fandom, Participatory Culture
and Facebook.
Fandom, participatory culture and online communities have been widely discussed within
Media and Cultural Studies where the study of enthusiasts of gaming (Jenkins, 2006; Ashton,
2009), science-fiction (Bacon-Smith 2000, Jones B., 2012; Scodari, 2003), television shows (Hills
2002; Wilcox 2005: Couldry 2007) and music (Baym 2007: David 2010; Beer 2008) have been
explored with fascination. Scholars have observed how audience identities and community
practices have altered following a transformative relationship with technology in what is an
increasingly digitised world.
Music fandom
There is a real diversity in research that centres on music fandom. There are studies that have
explored online piracy and illegal downloading as a consequence of the digital age (Horrigan,
Pew Internet, 2008; Schramm, 2006; Bahanovich & Collopy, 2009). There are also studies that
have analysed the power of online participatory cultures and how they can (and have) altered
the musical fortunes of many artists – especially via social media (Bannier, 2011; Beer, 2008;
Wikstrom, 2009). Further still, there are studies that examine the cultural significance attached
to music based practices such as the record collector (Shankar, 2000), the foundations of
recorded music (Cavicchi, 2007) and even the sensory and emotional ‘fan’ experience (Lacher,
1989). A common theme throughout these studies is the acknowledgment that fan practices
can shape the operational processes of the music industry.
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For example, David (2010) recounted the fortunes of how various bands such as The Arctic
Monkeys, Enter Shikari and even Simply Red had all managed to garner success from their
online fandoms. More recently, online sites such as PledgeMusic are fast-becoming an
alternative revenue stream for artists to get fans involved, connected and ultimately paying
more to the artist (London Evening Standard, 2012; Music Ally, 2012). These examples
illustrate the changing the nature and role identity’s of the modern music fan. For example,
music fans can also form alliances through a common or highly niche cause (Bennett, 2011;
Hills 2002: 124).
My study is also an assessment of the uniqueness of the online context and platform itself,
evaluating Facebook as both a communication medium and also a cultural artefact. I wish to
explore the participatory elements of Facebook Pages to determine their (or Facebook’s)
functions (and value) from both an artist and fan (user) perspective. This is in keeping with
McLuhan (1964) who stated the importance of studying the communication medium, not
simply the content.
Whilst there are criticisms among scholars for studies that observe fandom phenomena within
a single online platform, I would argue that application to an isolated platform is a credible
progression of the ongoing theoretical debate. The term ‘network collectivism’ was Baym’s
(2007) definition of describing the unified but network-fragmented fan cultures evident in
Swedish music communities. In her opinion, the validity of studying only one online context
does not accurately measure the breadth of the phenomena. However, I believe that the
study of music fandoms is riddled with many other issues beyond context and community
definitions. Historically, research that attempts to investigate music fandom often neglects
the emotive attachment humans place on music as entertainment and an art form (Cavicchi,
2007). This is supported by Shepherd (1986) who stated, 'it quickly becomes apparent that no
one theoretical perspective and no one methodological approach will unlock the secrets of the
socio-musical world' (Shepherd, 1986: 305-306).
Citing the works of Cova (1997) and Willis (1974), Shankar (2000: 31) links his deep relationship
with music to be a more meaningful gateway to 'support social interaction' (Cova 1997: 307
cited by Shankar 2000: 31). This recognition of music being experienced and not simply
consumed has aided my research design. In approaching my thematic observations of
community, I will have a greater appreciation of what the fan is seeking in their community
presence.
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In this sense, music fandom is both a community experience but also an isolated and highly-
personal one, not easily quantifiable or measurable as a phenomenon (Lacher, 1989; Kruse,
1993). Furthermore, there is little evidence of research that acknowledges the psychological
music fan experience within a report focusing on online community and participatory culture.
This is a factor in my decision to employ a mixed methods approach to obtain quantitative and
qualitative data to evaluate Facebook music fandom.
Participatory culture
The work of Bannier (2011) outlines a definite shift in the levels of user-involvement noting
'...the importance of the user in the musical network influenced by web 2.0 or the musical
network 2.0' (Bannier, 2011: 275). In fact a commonality with all of the texts on this topic is the
blurring of boundaries between sociability, cultural values and technological worlds (Jones S.,
1995; Papacharissi, 2011; Turkle, 2011). Rapidly progressive internet based technologies have
remodelled human communication into a globally utilised format (Thurlow, Lengel & Tomic,
2004; Garde-Hansen, 2009; Bannier, 2011). Nowhere is this more evident than with social
media (O'Reilly, 2007; Baym 2007; Ellison, Steinfield & Lampe, 2007) where '2.6 billion minutes
are spent on Facebook each day' Shih (2009: 81). Contributing on social media has long been
considered a fundamental part of its use, facilitating an ‘architecture of participation' (O'Reilly,
2007). In fact, theories on user motivations to participate in computer mediated
communication (CMC) have concluded that its appeal can multi-dimensional; from facilitation
across time and space (Foster 1996, cited by Porter, 1997), identity forming (Miller, 2011;
Mallan, 2009) and entry to alternative communities (Thurlow, Lengel & Tomic, 2004).
Motives that are believed to drive membership to online social networks are complex and
divergent; to increase social capital (Donath, 2007, cited by Ellison et al, in Papacharissi, 2011),
to be a part of an exclusive community (Baym, 1995), being able to customise a more
attractive online identity (Wilkinson and Thelwall, 2010) or vying for personal attention (Keen
2007).
Participation studies have looked at frequency of user generated content, newcomer
assimilation/adjustment (Wenger 2000; Forzan et al 2012), silent observers/'lurkers' (Preece,
2000; Schultz & Beach, 2004) and concentration of spam (Parikka & Sampson, 2009; Brown et
al, 2008). The term ‘produsage’ (Bruns, 2007, cited by Bannier 2011: 27) has also be used to
define high-involvement internet users who may participate by commenting, rating and
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sharing and the term ‘prosumer’ applied by Lister et al (2003) to describe amateur media
creators of user generated content (cited by Bannier 2011: 33-34).
The power of creating illusory proximity between artist and fans is surely a key tool in music
industry marketing. From a broader communication theory perspective, Windahl (1942: 09)
notes that if a message is delivered by a ‘pseudo-communicator’ it would have less gravity
than if delivered by the organisation (artists) themselves. Similarly, the trust placed by fans in
these organisations can be affected if perceptions are that the message is insincere or
inauthentic.
However, contemporary social media research has debated the authenticity of the narrative
voice in social networks. In a study of the MySpace profile for singer Jarvis Cocker, Beer (2008)
explored whether the profile updates were misleading as they were indicative of not being
personally communicated by Jarvis himself. Interestingly, Beer posited that this was not a
major concern with today's social media music fans, with the 'potential' proximity being of
sufficient allure.
This apathetic view of communication was also observed by Turkle (2011) who identifies that
there is a surprising lack of emotion, and sometimes purpose, in electronic communication.
The activity replaces boredom, fills a void in time and keeps us momentarily occupied;
'But when I stand at the back of our wi-fi enabled lecture halls, students are on Facebook and
YouTube, and they are shopping, mostly for music' (Turkle 2011: 163).
In fact, historically it MySpace that has frequently been associated as the dominant social
platform for music fans in academic sources (Reich, 2010; Wilkinson & Thelwall 2010). Whilst
this is due in-part to the dates of these studies there is an absence of academic commentary
that notes its subsequent decline and Facebook’s enhanced musical footing (Shiels, 2010;
Carroll, 2012; Arrington, 2011; Constine, 2011).
A recent article by the NME discussed the value of social media with the Head of Marketing at
Beggars Group record label; 'Facebook is the most powerful platform at our disposal – Adele
has 18 million Likes. We get far more interaction than on Twitter, or via mailing lists. It’s
incredibly reactive '(Emery, date unknown, Beggars Group, 2012, cited by Lewis, NME, 2012).
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The evolutionary journey of Facebook has been observed academically (Miller, 2011; Lacy,
2009; Kirkpatrick, 2011) noting its ascent and subsequent influence on communications, time
vacuum discussions, manifestations on popular culture and the realness of ‘virtual friends’.
The notion of spatial dissonance was as covered by Keen (2007: 226) stating, 'Web 2.0 doesn’t
have a hard boundary, but rather, a gravitational core'. Facebook presents itself as a format for
users and businesses alike as an opportunity for intimacy and closeness not always achievable
in offline worlds. Research into the virtual-self and the concept of the digital trail has
attempted to unravel the complexities of online communities and the subsequent impact it
has on user identity (Garde-Hansen, 2009; Turkle, 2011; Reich, 2010; Castells, 2001).
Facebook enables users to 'Like', 'Comment [on]' or 'Share' acting as tools for community
interactivity but also self-expression and identity forming. These mechanisms are designed to
enable displays of support and endorsement within their networks, with Facebook acting as
the narrator (Rettberg, 2008). However, the audience is also the producer of textual, audio
and visual ‘multimedia’ content where users can tag and upload photographs as a ‘certificate
of presence’ (Barthes, 1980: 87). Facebook then, is both a medium and an internet tool; an
enabler of participation and sociality (Zollers, 2007: 06)
The commonality of these perspectives is that these user ‘clusters’ unite over a shared passion,
harnessing collective intelligence for a shared purpose (Wasko & Faraj, 2005), with Kierkegaard
(2010: 577) stating, 'Social media is gaining momentum as one of the most important tools for
people to lift their voices'. However, there certainly appears to be insufficient scholarly
research in the area of online music fandom occurring within the context of Facebook.
Evaluation of Literature
A key driver for my research appears to be that there are unanswered questions concerning
the participation and user motives/behaviours that operate on Facebook Pages for fans of
music artists.
Facebook sells itself on the premise of interactivity and mass connectivity (Miller, 2011; Lacy
2009) yet a literature review indicates that online groups and communities can encounter
spatial dissonance (Garde-Hansen, 2009; Turkle 2011) and issues around user identity. I wish
to explore whether Facebook Pages foster a genuine representation of fandom or if
conversely, the reality is an isolated, fractured and narrowed experience reflected by
distinguishable signs of 'community' absence.
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Music studies indicate that followers of the artists congregate over a shared passion, but the
motives are different - community engagement and artist proximity respectively (Bennett,
2001 & Beer, 2008). I am keen to establish whether the artist voice and the notion of intimacy
with the band are important to Facebook music fans.
I wish to analyse the participatory elements of Facebook. As opposed to any other cited social
network, Facebook is also academically unexplored terrain for online music fandom - which is
an added motivation for undertaking the project.
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Methodology
Section overview
In this chapter I will be discussing my paradigm approach, the positives and negatives of my
chosen methods, my research planning and subsequent implementation.
Working from an Interpretivist (Phenomenology) paradigm, I am adopting a mixed-method
analytical approach to gain an insight into the community and user activity on the Facebook
Pages of nine UK music artists.
I will be using a combination of content and thematic analysis chosen specifically for their ease
of use, researcher objectivity and greater affordances in enabling inferences from multimedia
content (Gunter, 2000; Berger, 1998; Kim & Kuljis, 2010). These methods suit the limited
resources at my disposal in terms of budget, sampling, ethical boundaries and associate
procurement. I was cautious of ensuring that my research was realistically achievable within
the proposed time frame and working without unnecessary restrictions in terms of
confidentiality and privacy permissions (The Association of Internet Researchers, ‘AOIR’ Ethics
Guide 2002; Sheffield Hallam University, Research Ethics Policies and Procedures 4th Edition,
2009; Baym, 2009)
In following the work the theoretical suggestions of Silverman (1993), Flick (2009) and
Krippendorf (1980), I adopted a stringent and systematic research plan. In this instance, I
supplemented the analysis by heavily drawing on the functionality of computer software
Microsoft Excel to collate and analyse the data sets (Meyer & Avery, 2009). Perhaps more
crucially, taking the opportunity to immerse myself into the research as an educational process
will aid my understanding of online fan cultures based on my own experiences of the Facebook
platform. My aim is to gain an insight of fan growth, Facebook-specific community behaviours
and the fan experience of membership as already explored by Baym (2007), Beer (2008) and
Wikstrom (2009).
In order to provide a comprehensive account of my research preparation, my rationale is
discussed under the following sub category headings; Paradigm, Mixed-Methods Approach,
Methods Applied, Research Design, Data Recording, Research Strategy, Issues Identified,
Ethical Considerations and Conclusion
Paradigm: Interpretivist
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My paradigm choice is Interpretivist and essentially Phenomenology is a more accurate and
accountable description of my research framework. This approach is defined by Haralambos
and Holborn (1995: 817) explaining; 'to phenomenologists, human beings make sense of the
world by imposing meanings and classifications upon it. These meanings and classifications
make up social reality. There is no objective reality beyond these subjective meanings'.
The notion of humans defining their reality and the world around them is in-keeping with my
literature review where I had explored the importance of communication and audience
models. My research framework recognises the historical relevance and origins of key media
themes such as commodity culture (Argenti and Forman, 2000), semiotics, (McLuhan, 1964)
and audience studies (Laughley, 2007) because 'meaning is created from the information
carried by signs' (Mingers, 1995: 286). This is where thematic observation will play a vital role
in unearthing concealed and hidden rhetorical devices (Knox, 2009 ; Rowley-Jolivet, 2004)
evident on Facebook Pages. More crucially, I recognise the value I bring from my own
experiences of fan communities and managing an artist Facebook Page, sincere to the
phenomenology approach (Lester, 1999: 01). A learned knowledge of mass media themes
ensures that my research inquiry is designed to look beyond the statistical data analyses.
At its core, Interpretivist approaches are qualitative and wish to explore meaning of actions,
purpose or intent (Gunter; 2000: 05). My research is focused on exploring whether a form of
fandom is visible within these Facebook music communities. In gauging these answers, I hope
to be in a better position to understand music industry motivations – and whether they are
right to inject so much trust and energy into Facebook.
Mixed-Methods Approach
It was noted by Denzin and Lincoln (2000: 21) that a researcher will inevitably encounter issues
regardless of method selection as 'no single method can grasp all the subtle variations in
ongoing human experience'.
Therefore, I was keen to adopt a mixed-method approach which has been supported by
Creswell (2007), Morgan (2007) and Onwuegbuzie and Leech (2004; 787) with the latter
stating that the 'use of mixed-methods data-analytical techniques should be seen as the real
gold standard for achieving verstehen’.
Mixed-method research is closely in-keeping with my paradigm approach as I have a pre-
established agenda formed from my own experiences of managing my bands Facebook Page
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(Mackenzie & Knipe, 2006; Westhues et al, 2008; Haralambos and Holborn, 1995: ibid). My
theoretic drive (Morse, 1991: 196) will be tested whilst simultaneously motivating my research
journey. I believe this enhances the credibility of the study in conducting a piece of work with
personal significance (Shankar, 2000).
I believe a mixed-methods approach will provide rich, detailed findings by incorporating
qualitative viewpoints and observations combined with quantifiable patterns (Jick, 1979;
Kracauer, 1952-53). This is supported by Greene and Caracelli (1997: 07) who state, 'Mixed-
method inquiry intentionally combines different methods - that is, methods meant to gather
different kinds of information'. Similarly, the view of Mason (2006: 19) recognises how mixed-
methods is a justifiable means of studying a social science phenomena that is both complex
and changeable: 'There cannot be one singular, universally applicable and unvarying ‘context’
whose salience can be known through a definitive specification... different social science
disciplines and sub-groupings, and different research philosophies and methodologies, paint
context in different ways across a micromacro canvas'.
Methods applied
Having investigated various qualitative and quantitative methods, I settled upon a mix of
Content analysis (quantitative and qualitative data) and thematic analysis (qualitative data).
My specific method choices were based upon on my core aims measuring; the nature of
fandom within each Facebook Page, fan growth and the user experience. Content analysis will
measure numerical data sets such frequency occurrences and numerical tallies. Thematic
observations will enable for the formation of my own perspectives based on experiences both
within and outside of the research project.
Content Analysis
The content analyses will record data to measure the frequency of occurrences of artist and
fan community activity. This includes artist created content (frequency of post updates,
authorship, highest daily recorded ‘likes’, ‘comments’ and ‘shares’) but also fan posts
(including fan-to-fan interactions, highest daily thread count and highest daily recorded ‘likes’
/‘comments’). The upcoming section on Data Recording elaborates fully on the coding schema.
Content analysis is 'a method of analysing written, verbal or visual communication messages'
(Cole 1988, cited in Elo & Kyngas, 2007:107). My preference for using this method is primarily
based upon affordances in flexibility, ease of application and allows for data of both a
22
quantitative and qualitative nature to be monitored and recorded (Berger, 1998; White &
Marsh, 2006; Stemler, 2001). Further advantages with this method are that it is both
inexpensive and unobtrusive for sampling purposes whilst retaining functionality to scrutinise
numerical data sets. Similarly, Gunter (2000: 57) purports that content analysis is a valuable
tool in measuring cause-effect principles. In application to this study, I am measuring the
nature of community on Facebook and measuring the subsequent effects it has on the
intensity of the fan experience.
Moreover, I also selected this method because it compliments the study of online
communications. According to Kim & Kuljis (2010: 287-288) content analysis lends itself ably
to identify emergent trends of online-specific observables; 'we found that applying the content
analysis to Web based content is a relatively easy process that allows researchers to perform
and prepare data at their convenience without the need for lengthy ethics approval
procedures. The method provides a rich opportunity to study users’ styles, patterns or
preferences that does not necessitate the researcher getting involved with them.'
Finally, I was drawn to using content analysis based upon other examples where it has been
applied to the study of online communities. However, there appeared to be little evidence of
applying content analysis on Facebook as the contexts are all outside of music such as research
on support groups (Bender, 2011), successful global business enterprises (McCorkindale, 2010)
and online dating (Finkel et al, 2012).
Content analysis has previously been applied to social media but in the examination of user
profiles on MySpace platform (Jones et al, 2008). However, the studies revealed more about
self identity and social capital rather than music fandom per se. On the occasions that content
analysis has been applied to studies related to music is semiotics such as frequency of
potentially negative symbolism (such as cigarettes, sexual images, violence) occurring in video
or audio releases (DuRant et al, 1997; Armstrong, 2001).
Primarily I will be recording data to illustrate how often fans post on the respective Facebook
Pages. I also wish to scrutinize the data beyond the totals. Again, measuring relative growth
patterns regarding new fan accumulation was also identified as being a key indicator of
community strength and user experience.
Content analysis has some identified weaknesses and limitations which have been cited as
representativeness of sampling and its subsequent impact on validity (Weber, 1990; Wilson,
2011). However, my sampling decision to analyse a cross-section of bands, nine in total,
23
attempts to enhance validity by including bands of varying popularity including major,
emerging and local artists. Whilst it would be naive to say this eradicates the issue fully, I
maintain that using a cross-section of three artists per category will hopefully enhance validity
considering the level and scope of the project.
Whilst highlighting many positives with the method, Weber (1990) also raised concerns over
translation and interpretation. Indeed, it is fair to acknowledge that the method is also subject
to the organisational ability of the researcher. Markham (2003: 154, cited by Johns, Chen, Hall
2004), suggests sense-making is crucial in accurately recounting the reality of social life but
one that is ultimately governed by the choices we make as researchers.
However, I would counteract such claims by suggesting this is true of any research. At some
analytical juncture, a researcher is duty-bound to make sense of data sets and present them in
the way they see fit – I see no difference in how I will approach this task. This view has been
shaped by Blaxter, Hughes and Tight (2006: 219) who encourage a similar attitude in stating
'this is partly about asserting ownership, and partly about recognising the possible limitations,
influences and biases of your own perspective'.
The second cited drawback is the impact of using loose coding practices because 'when the
analysis is too flexible, the research becomes impossible to replicate' (Wilson, 2011). The
neutralising measure to increase trustworthiness will be to accurately document my coding
choices (such as my definitions of spam) and ensure that I am transparent with limitations.
However, the bulk of my documentation is based upon statistical data of total counts, averages
and relational values. In this sense, the data is less about coding as about documenting a valid
picture of the phenomena taking place. I am undertaking this project from a single researcher
perspective which means that I am unable to address issues of replication which might be
conceded weaknesses of the method (Krippendorff, 2004).
Essentially, credibility of using content analysis is pivoted towards the researcher extrapolating
the 'broader meanings present in the data' (Hsieh and Shannon, 2005: 1285)'.
One of my key objectives will be to ensure that I do not give equal weight to all the findings.
My role is to determine which of the findings are academically significant within the research
field of online fandom and community.
The content analyses will record data that account for artist created content (frequency of
post updates, authorship, highest daily recorded ‘likes’, ‘comments’ and ‘shares’) but also fan
24
community posts (including fan-to-fan interactions, highest daily thread count and highest
daily recorded ‘likes’ /‘comments’).
The later section on Data Recording elaborates fully on the coding schema.
Thematic Analysis
In order to supplement my quantitative data results, I also intend to analyse data that did not
correspond with quantifiable methods. As discussed in my Paradigm section, observational
notes based upon areas of interest felt important to report so as to ‘support the numbers’.
Thematic data is being used to give insight into the user experience of following an artist on
Facebook; (commenting on) narrative voice of artist posts, interpretations of spam and junk
posts and also the variety of attachments that fans often use to draw attention to their posts
(to ‘stand out’). I will also be capturing screen-shots to enhance and support the statistical and
thematic observations.
Thematic research is the process of identifying emergent trends by reporting 'experiences,
meanings and the reality of participants' (Braun & Clarke, 2008: 81). It is defined by (Boyatzis
1998: preface VII) who notes 'a theme is a pattern found in the information that at minimum
describes and organises the possible observations and at maximum interprets aspects of the
phenomena'. Of the many benefits of using qualitative data, the ability to identify and hone in
on intricacies and texture within data findings (including anomalies) is certainly a key reason
for use (Carr, 1994; Kirk & Miller, 1986). These scholarly reports identify that thematic
research relies on a competent coding measurement system and one that I have taken steps to
address in the Data Recording section.
Arguments for upholding validity by Alvesson & Sköldber (2009: 99) have also aided my efforts
in designing a data collection method that is context-aware (social media, Facebook, artist
Pages) and builds this into my reporting. This should nullify any unsupported inferences or
preconceptions I may be inclined to make based on isolated instances (i.e. non-emergent
trends). This responsibility of making self-judgments in identifying thematic trends should also
function to support the quantitative data. I will report thematic findings by written
commentary, visual screenshots or inferences from the data sets.
The thematic data I have chosen to analyse includes observation of types and frequency of
spam and junk posts, screenshots of Facebook Pages (to be used to support statistical
inferences) and attachments (used by fans accompanying comments).
25
The above was selected at a thematic level, as opposed to another quantifiable method, to
ensure that I was absorbing phenomena as it happened for post-study analysis. I felt that
authentic phenomenology was in-part achieved by capturing the diversity of wall posts and
then reviewing and reflecting on them as a collective entity.
Furthermore, in approaching this study in an ongoing evaluative mode, frequent re-
assessment, reflection and appraisal becomes a fundamental part of the researcher role
(Walliman, 2006). The theorising process is elaborated by Coffey and Atkinson (1996: 141)
where this acknowledgment of rumination during a research project is considered an essential
component on making sense of the data, stating; 'We select our data, our research problems,
what strikes us as interesting, and what to focus on...the sort of data we collect and what we
do with them, and our hypotheses about what our data are telling us, pervade the conduct of
research. That is, in essence, what using theory is.'
Debates around the cited drawbacks with thematic observations tend to focus on data
interpretation with it being recounted from a single human perspective (Fereday & Muir-
Cochrane (2006; Pawson, 1995).
This formed the basis of a paper in its own right for Sandelowski (2000) who opines that the
narrative version of events is a process that can uphold the credibility and validity of a study. In
essence, once interpretation enters the fold the findings can be compromised. Further
refinements might be to use more than one researcher, almost as a collaboration project, in
the coding of data sets. That said, this issue could be criticised as it becomes less about
interpretation and more about scientific inquiry, which noted earlier, is contrary to my
paradigm approach.
Whilst these criticisms of a phenomenological and thematic approach may appear justifiable, I
would concede that this does not significantly impact upon the validity of this study. The
content analysis will collate quantifiable statistical data such as posting trends regarding
frequency and recurrence. I would contest such criticisms on the grounds that the findings are
based on quantitative data rather than qualitative interpretation (only). I believe the benefits
of this method, over alternatives like surveys or interviews, ensures that my interpretation can
actually add value to the findings. Thematic compliance and ease of use means it can be
applied to 'many kinds of data' and that historically it is part of 'a long history in qualitative
inquiry' (Riessman, 2008; 74).
26
Although this will form a separate section within the data recording process, the writing up
stages will see the thematic data placed in either the Artist or Fan Community sections. This
will be performed depending on suitability towards the narrative insofar as validating or
falsifying the pre-existing theory discussed.
Research Design
Microsoft Excel became the primary data management system for the analysis. A bespoke
workbook was created to undertake this project with due consideration given to my coding
schema and categories of interest. Excel was chosen because of its familiarity, storage
capacity, in-built analytical functions and ability to hold a broad range of numerical data,
including images and text, where appropriate (Meyer & Avery, 2009).
The research was conducted daily between the hours of 11am – 1pm over seven days (Friday
9th - Friday 16th March). Artists were strictly of UK origin, a ‘group’ (not solo artists) and within
the indie/alternative music genre. The decision to revise to a smaller sample of nine acts was
based upon a desire to protect the validity (running out of time to complete within the
designated time frame) and my own motivational wellbeing (if too time consuming this might
lead to fatigue). Initially, I intended to cross-examine fifteen acts within my three popularity
groupings but due to resource constraints, I was unable to fulfil this obligation. It quickly
became apparent that this was over ambitious and overly time consuming. Furthermore, the
sample was also selected that were still operating outside of the newly implemented Facebook
Timeline design. As this was a new software implementation by Facebook, I was keen to
undertake research within a Facebook design that I was more familiar with.
Data Recording
The next phase of my Research Design involved creating separate tabs for each of the acts in
my sample. I ensured a consistent approach to the data management by copying these three
data capture tables into each tab. In short, each of the nine tabs (one for each music act)
comprised of three tables recording:
(A) ARTIST# - Artist data:
To record and measure reactivity of fans from artists posts
Counts for the most popular daily 'likes', 'shares' and 'comments' artists posts
Recording what that post was about in verbatim, stored as an ‘Insert Comment’
within the cell to augment my thematic analysis.
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New fan totals (daily accumulation)
Table Headings Measure__________________________________________
Band posts (total) Number of updates the band made*
Most commented link (with details) Most popular band update amongst fans who commented*
Most ‘liked’ link (with details) Band update amongst fans who ‘Liked’ it*
Most shared link (with details) Band update amongst fans who went on to share it*
Public band-to-fan exchanges (totals) Occasions band responded directly via Wall to fan
comments*
New ‘Likes’ (fans) since start Number of new fans/’Likes’ for band*
*Within twenty four hours
(B) FAN# - Fan community data:
To record and measure the fan-to-fan engagement levels and activity that operates
outside of official band updates
Recording most popular daily fan posts for 'comments' and 'likes'
Recording what that post was about in verbatim, stored as an ‘Insert Comment’ within
the cell to augment my thematic analysis.
Recording highest ‘thread count’ of the day with the number of people involved in
that thread as a measure of engagement
Table Headings Measure_____________________________________
Number of fan posts Number of updates by fans*
Unique posts per person Unique times a fan commented, if more than once*
Most commented on link (with details) Most popular fan post amongst fans who commented*
Most ‘liked’ link (with details) Most acknowledged fan post amongst fans who ‘Liked’ it*
Number of fan-to-fan interactions Number of fans involved in highest fan thread count*
*Within twenty four hours
(C) THEMES# - Thematic data:
Recorded numerically but with potential to draw commentary post-research
Number of ‘first person’ updates by the band
Use of fan attachments/multimedia (types, varieties and reasoning)
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Visual screenshots captured in Microsoft Word for particular noteworthy occurrences
from the Wall during this period.
Table Headings Measure__________________________________________
Linked' media posts (total) Number of multimedia posts by band*
Content categories A breakdown of those multimedia posts into descriptive categories*
First person band posts Number of times band used first person prose e.g. I, we and us*
Sticky Example Observations of note from the Wall about that particular day*
*Within twenty four hours
Research Strategy
Data recording started at 11am, on Friday 9 March 2012, working to a predetermined data
collection ‘window’ of 11am – 1pm to ensure validity and consistency of findings. This specific
time-frame was selected as an appropriate and workable time based around my personal
working commitments.
The timeframe also acted as an incentive to work quickly and methodically to make the
exercise a habitual part of data capture. At no point did my analysis overrun or did I forget to
collect data on any of the days. Had I opted for a more relaxed or indistinct timeframe it is less
likely to have aided my systematic approach to data capture.
I routinely performed the analysis by Artist category, working by order of most popular, akin to
an analytical ‘sweep’ so as to maintain the validity. The only step outside of this linear process
was collating the number of new Likes (fans). These were collected at the start of each session
for all Artists as a precursory measure to record growth figures.
Issues Identified
There are two main issues with the data collection process; restrictions caused by the
analytical window (in terms of gathering extended user-interactivity/engagement on posts
above twenty four hours) and also issues of incompatibility when copying and pasting Wall
threads into Excel.
My analysis was conducted at one single daily time-frame which meant any further
'Comments', ' Shares' or 'Likes' occurring after the time frame were not included in the results.
Whilst this might not appear to impact on the findings, I understand from experience that Wall
post can sometimes occur many days after the initial post was generated. However, I felt that
29
it would be too problematic in terms of time and documentation, to analyse posts beyond the
designated data collection period. In this sense, figures that show a lack of posts for the bands
do not perhaps account for activity that might have occurred.
My approach to use manual content analysis instead of a software tool was to harmonise with
the thematic analyses but also to get around technical incompatibilities in using the Wall
feature. Having initially explored copying and pasting sections into a spreadsheet, the data
mining method was flawed as it did not expand threads that were longer in length (that had
been reduced in space on the Wall). I also felt that it added a textured layer to which my
observations at that point in time would be valuable beyond commentaries about the
numerical data. However, I also ensured that when verifying the data I was analysing that I
would work towards manually imposed ‘markers’ so that the interval period did not simply
run over into posts that could be interpreted as a day ‘old’ or indeed a day ‘early’
A reassuring argument for these limitations is provided by Baym (2009: 175) who surmises, 'As
a practical matter, one has no choice but to bound the project and offer a reasonably tidy
interpretation of a modest slice of a research field, sacrificing other interesting and integral
routes of study along the way'.
Ethical Considerations
Conducting internet-based research opens a range of discussions concerning confidentiality,
privacy and anonymity. It was important to maintain the privacy of the subjects involved in
order to uphold research integrity.
Whilst my study has not explicitly involved any direct communication with Facebook users,
there is certainly an element of the covert observer that presents issues concerning data use
without consent.
Having closely examined Sheffield Hallam University’s Research Ethics Policies and Procedures
(4th Edition, November 2009), I was able to ensure that my study was designed within the
parameters cited as Beneficence and Non-Malfeasance, Integrity, Informed Consent,
Confidentiality/Anonymity and Independence and impartiality. Furthermore, I am aware that it
is the sole responsibility of the researcher to safeguard and protecting anonymity of public
Facebook users in accordance with the guidelines on Authority.
This means that I have given due forethought into the integrity and authorisation of data use
relating to any potential issues around misuse or possible misconduct.
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The second phase of my ethical checklist involved verifying the privacy policies of Facebook.
The Statement of Rights and Responsibilities section on the website provides user expectations
and guidance pertaining to data use and storage. Section 5 was particularly noteworthy, titled
Protecting Other People's Rights, with Point 7 asserting that: 'If you collect information from
users, you will: obtain their consent, make it clear you (and not Facebook) are the one
collecting their information, and post a privacy policy explaining what information you collect
and how you will use it' (Statement of Rights and Responsibilities: Facebook, 2011).
To ensure that my data protects the anonymity of the Facebook Wall users, I wish to
document my reasoning further. Essentially, this protects the identity and confidentiality of
public users who contribute to Wall posts. However, the bands themselves fall outside of such
parameters
Facebook has devised terms directly applicable to Pages (used by music artists), all of which
safeguard the data use of the band posts themselves in the Facebook Pages Terms (Facebook
2012). Under the General conditions, point 5 notes that, 'Content posted to a Page is public
and viewable by everyone who can see the Page'.
Thus, in examples that include band comments, I feel it is important to have the identity
clearly presented of the band – as it is ethically abiding by the Facebook privacy policies and
also crucial to my study.
The Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) Ethics Guide was also consulted. Elgesem (no
date, cited in Ess and the AoIR ethics working committee, 2002: 18) produced an ethical
‘checklist’ model that guides ethical discussions. Having applied this model to my own
research, the answer was ‘Yes’ to all the steps within this framework this refutes any potential
negative impact in the areas of ‘only minimal risk of harm’, ‘the integrity and the autonomy for
research subjects adequately secured’, recording ‘method adequate’ and finally ‘the knowledge
produced is relevant enough’. This ensures that I have duly considered the Facebook users
prior to conducting research.
Conclusion
Whilst acknowledging limitations regarding the manual elements of my content analysis and
the subjectivity of my thematic observations, I believe I have also demonstrated rigour in my
research design.
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Having decided on a mixed-method approach to gather qualitative and quantitative data I will
be able to produce statistics, commentary and visual screenshots to illustrate my findings.
Furthermore, using computer software to manage my data analysis should reinforce my
attempts to produce valid and trustworthy results. I believe I have also demonstrated
adherence towards the criteria outlined by Sheffield Hallam University’s Research Ethics
Policies and Procedures.
An exploration of communication research illustrates that content and thematic analysis has
previously been used within an academic framework, and I see my study as a means of
progression in studying Facebook music fandoms and filling a knowledge gap.
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Findings
Introduction
This chapter is divided into two key sections: ‘Artists’ and ‘Fan Community’. The first section
looks at growth and new fan accumulation, artist updates, public wall replies with fans and
artist voice. The second section focuses on evidence of fandom, fan inclination to interact with
artists, overview of community activity and contribution, attachments - user generated media
amongst fans, fan community, reciprocal engagement and user integration, fan motivation to
post, spam and junk posts – classification, frequency and community experience.
I will make reference to theory discussed in my Literature Review within the mini sub-sections
titled Debate. These will act as discussion points where notable correlations or dissimilarities
are presented.
1. Artists
Initial aims of section: One of the most interesting findings from my data was the respective
rates of growth between the artist categories. I was genuinely intrigued to learn of the scale
and momentum that drives Facebook users to ‘Like’ an artist page and ultimately become a
fan.
Growth and new fan accumulation
Summary: In this section I will be discussing how the rate of growth appears to vary
significantly between the Emerging Artists and the Major/Local Artists.
Table 1 indicates that at surface level, the Major Artists accumulate fans at a rapid rate. Over
the course of seven days they collectively accumulated 99,340 fans. However, if we delve
deeper into the analytical side, the proportionate value of new fans suggests that Emerging
Artists are seeing an advanced rate of growth over their counterparts. Indeed, this is reflected
in Table 2 where growth is shown as a percentage.
During this research period, we can see how Emerging Artists are growing at triple the rate of
the Major and Local artists. To put this into context, I applied a quarterly projection to see how
close this was to the actual rate of growth. Taking a reading of new fans on 16 June 2012, I was
able to compare these figures. It was with some surprise that the Emerging Artists were
growing at an accelerated rate, beyond the projected. In short, this suggests that as fan
numbers swell, so does the rate of growth. It would be interesting to learn at what point this
33
declines. Further study may look to question the decline point at which growth deteriorates,
and for enhanced validity, using a broader cross-section of artists. Clearly once a band
becomes an established Major Artist the rate of new fans drops to a level more comparable
with the unsigned Local Artists (without a record label).
It is worth pointing out that the artist's off-line commercial activity would also be a
contributory factor to fan growth. It is not possible to comment on the artists collectively by
category due to their unique different circumstances. However, there were differences with
some playing one-off shows such as Oblong (Local Artist), others touring such as Dry the River
(Emerging Artist) and some experiencing relative inactivity like Muse (Major Artist). Further
research might look to attempt a measure of off-line endeavours within social media fan
growth.
Discussion
I found that the concept of fan accumulation on Facebook platform to be of personal
importance throughout the study. I note from managing my own band’s Facebook Page that
with 407 fans (as of August 2012) building a fanbase can appear complex and uncertain. It was
noteworthy then that Local Artists with comparably sized followings to my band had
Growth - Accumulation of new fans
Numbers
BY CATEGORY Number of fans start- 09/03/2012
Number of new fans gained
Number of fans end - 16/03/2012
Major Artists 21670856 99340 21770196
Emerging Artists 331286 5061 336347
Local Artists 4784 23 4807
Totals 22006926 104424 22111350
Table 1 - illustrates the number of new fans acquired within seven-day research period
Rates - of growth
As a percentage
BY CATEGORY Weekly Growth (%)
Projected Quarterly Growth (%)
Actual Quarterly Growth (%)
Major Artists 0.46 5.96 6.54
Emerging Artists 1.53 19.86 34.48
Local Artists 0.48 6.25 5.97
Table 2 - shows rates of growth between the artist categories
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experienced a similar rate of growth. However, it is noteworthy that Local Artists experienced
a relative rate of growth comparable with Major Artists - that gain thousands of new fans daily.
I believe this particular finding reinforces the relevance of studying Facebook with its ever-
growing associations with music fandom. It has caught the eye of the news-media (BBC News,
TechCrunch and Mashable) but there is a seeming absence of academic inquiry concerning
Facebook and online music fandoms. This might benefit from further study to ascertain
whether music fan accumulation is comparable with competing social networks such as
Twitter or Last.fm.
How would Emerging Artists explain the differences between actual and projected rates of
growth? It is questionable whether this coincides with other musical activities outside of the
online sphere such as touring, playing festivals, television appearances or word-of-mouth
referrals. These findings appear to align with the viewpoint of Keen (2007: 226) who had noted
the concept of the 'gravitational core'. It seems Facebook users are also being drawn in large
numbers, and in some cases accelerated beyond projections, into these online fandoms.
Artist updates
Summary: This section investigates the link between rates of growth and the frequency of
Artist post updates. This will also consider the variances in subject matter amongst the sample.
Table 3 illustrates that Emerging Artists posted twenty-six times comparatively far higher than
their counterparts. Reasonable inferences on these figures could be that the Emerging Artists
are working more intensely on their Facebook presence in an attempt to break into the
mainstream, and in time, become a 'Major Artist' themselves. The correlation with growth
indicates that fan-followers will receive plenty of updates in their respective News Feeds (such
as the latest gigging and commercial activities). In short, the fan’s appetite for new content is
satisfied. Moreover, it is feasible that, in turn, these same fans will then communicate stories
about their direct contact with the artists amongst friends in both their online and offline
networks.
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Discussion
My findings are in-keeping with suppositions that growth momentum is accelerated by a
combination of the software sophistication and enhanced functionality provided by social
media (Rettberg; 2008). However, evidently there is a correlation with online fandoms and
appeasing fans’ 'hunger' for content and contact from the bands.
A second element of this finding is what is being updated by the Artists. Thematically, the
Major Artists’ updates tend to be in the form of updating their gig calendar and infrequent
promotion of specific shows and merchandise (particularly true for Muse and Radiohead).
However, Kasabian (Major Artist) proved to be an exception where demonstrable variety was
illustrated extending to jokes/humour 'Slabbuteo' (09/03/2012) and attempts at 'mass' fan
engagement 'Tom: Back on track for US tour, overwhelmed by the support from fans...'
(12/03/2012). In fact, not only did the band show a diverse range of update styles they also
contributed to eleven out of sixteen total posts within the Major Artist category.
Emerging Artists, Dry the River, updated their Facebook Page nineteen times which equates to
38% of the total Artist posts throughout the research period. Moreover, on one day alone,
09/03/2012, they made five updates. This suggests that some Artists, like Dry the River, see
Facebook as a tool that is crucial in nurturing a fanbase, such as when they posted: '27k likes!
Thanks guys' (11/03/2012) or to aid promotion 'MASSIVE THANKS to you all for getting
'Shallow Bed' to #28 in the chart. Such a result!! ^DtR' (13/03/2012).
These examples indicate that Facebook artists have different post frequency and update
composition styles. Communication theory and audience effects models (Katz and Lazarsfeld,
1955; Livingstone, 2006) are applicable to these findings where Facebook is seemingly used by
artists to motivate fan behaviours. This is achieved both online and offline through platform
Artist posts - gauging artist update activity and style
Numbers
BY CATEGORY Total Band Posts
Total Replies to Fans (Band thread)
First person
Major Artists 16 0 2
Emerging Artists 26 6 22
Local Artists 8 5 5
Table 3 - shows artist post update frequency, interaction with fans and narrative tone of replies
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engagement, merchandising and driving fandom. This appears to compliment existing research
by David (2010) who observed how social media can be used to strengthen artist-fan
relationships.
Public Wall Replies with Fans
Summary: I will discuss how artist-fan engagement correlates with growth for those that take
a more active approach.
Table 3 shows that both Emerging and Local Artists are more likely to respond to fans that
have engaged with the Wall updates than Major Artists. Another notable finding is the lack of
public replies by any of the Major Artists. This could be a purposeful approach used to lower
fan expectancy. Perhaps maintaining such a strict boundary relinquishes the artist from
feelings of responsibility about directly connecting at an individual level. In contrast, it could be
true that Local Artists have personal connections with their Facebook fans outside of Facebook
due to the size and locality of their fanbase.
A thematic observation was a tendency for the artists that did engage publicly was to address
fans by their first name. Local Artist, Dead Sons, illustrate as such; 'Plans are being formulated
Peter [name changed for privacy], we'll keep you informed' (09/03/2012) and ‘[in response to a
fan asking they come to Paris] we’re working on it Anders [name changed for privacy], keep
telling all your friends and we'll be there soon enough’ (14/03/2012). A direct reply is at once
an affectionate and respectful address to a fan and likely to make them feel more valued (than
if it was merely generically greeted).
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Figure 1 - Emerging Artist (Dry the River) replying to a fan initiated wall post.
Discussion
Immediacy of opportunity for fan contact broadens artist's global communication. This bears a
likeness with Borland's (2007, cited by Bannier, 2011) vision of a 'web 3.0' where fans can
obtain quick, direct responses from the bands facilitated by this technology. The only
malfunction with this vision is it fails to account for the (lack of) motivations amongst reluctant
repliers. Therefore, if Major Artists choose not to reply publicly to fans the impact is
questionable. For example, does implied proximity frustrate fans that do make an attempt (but
get no response) or is, conversely, is this an explanation for an apparent silent (unexpectant)
fan majority.
Artists that provide public Wall replies to followers may yield increased Page sign-up as they
are giving 'more of themselves' to the fans.
It is logical to presume that the curious music fan may feel more inclined to join a Facebook
Page regularly demonstrating artist-to-fan engagement, more so, than those with silent
communities. The appeal of being part of a two-way community, with less restrictive
communication barriers between artists and fans infers that artist displays of commonality are
appreciated.
Moreover, Facebook ‘Pages’ are publicly viewable in web search engines, so there is
potentially added kudos of obtaining a direct Wall reply from the artists. We can assume that
38
this could be a key driver in the choice between becoming a Facebook ‘fan’ as opposed to
being a background follower or ‘lurker' (Preece, 2000).
Preece (2000, 2001:351) was one of the pioneering researchers regarding community
participation and we can see how the concept of the lurker is still evident in these expansive
online fan groups. My findings seem to bear a resemblance with Preece's own findings in that
larger groupings can exist even with minimal contributions by relying heavily on an active
minority, sometimes as little as 10%. Similarly, the lurker can have a 'devastating' effect on
smaller collectives when there is insufficient contribution towards new content. This indicates
a silent majority exists that do not always feel the need or motivation to post. It seems
Facebook music fandoms are built upon a similar blend of people. This is not to say that their
commitment to the group is any less intense than regular contributors. However, it would be
interesting to conduct interviews with a small (random) sample from each category to learn of
their internal motives/perspectives on what they value most in belonging to these groups.
Indeed, it became clear that there was a seeming lack of interaction between artists and fans
on a general individual level. This forms the next part of my analysis where I discuss band
personality.
Artist Voice
Summary: I will be evaluating whether the narrative voice of the artist bears any impact on
rates of growth and how message composition differs as a result.
The first-person narrative voice was displayed in 85% of the total posts by Emerging Artists.
Whether growth is impacted by a combination of narrative voice, direct (and public) replies to
fans or through their frequency of updates, there is a substantial body of evidence that
suggests Emerging Artists use Facebook in a way that encourages the acquisition of new fans.
Discussion
By way of comparison and to give a sense of the difference in tone, consider these opening
paragraphs for the artist posts recorded on 14th March 2012 for Muse (Major) and Spector
(Emerging):
Check out the new gallery of pictures of the band in the recording studio
over on www.muse.mu These photos have been taken over the past few
months while they are busy working on the new album... (Muse,
Facebook Wall, 14/03/2012)
39
Thank you Glasgow and Birmingham for showing us your arenas. We'll be
back to play our own shows in May as part of Spectour III, so if you liked
what you saw, come see some more?... (Spector, Facebook Wall,
14/03/2012).
In many ways, Major Artist's posts are an extension of their overall marketing campaigns,
reading much like mini press-releases. However, Emerging Artists are displaying a more
affectionate and engaging tone to updates which seemingly attracts new users with
considerable success. It would be logical to assume that Major Artists do not personally
update their Facebook pages. On the contrary, both Emerging and Local Artists appear to
manually update themselves, the former presumable for a multitude of reasons and criteria,
the latter because there is no-one else to do this for them (as they all remain unsigned).
Where Beer (2008) had observed apparent fan indifference over whether it was the artist or a
representative updating the social media profile, I would say this is inconclusive. Growth could
be attributed in-part to a personal approach to artist updates so there is equally a body of
evidence indicating that it is not essential. This is because Local Artists adopt a personal
approach but have a steady relative growth akin to Major Artists.
Certainly for some of the Major, and to a lesser extent Emerging Artists, the selling of
proximity and contact is part of the draw. The aforementioned examples of Kasabian show
updates are carefully composed when they wish to illustrate it is a personal message from (one
of) the band. This is evidence of the value places on authorship when an artist member is
mentioned by name rather than a pseudo-communicator (as noted by Windahl, 1942).
40
Figure 2 - Example of the jovial and personal tone employed by an Emerging Artist (Spector)
41
Figure 3 - Example of the Major Artist (Kasabian) with their dual authoring styles.
2. Fan community
Initial aims of section: To make broader inferences on the data, I recorded 'most liked', 'most
commented' and 'most shared' daily post for all of the artists and then compiled averages (per
category). Essentially this data is a measure of post popularity and gauging fan reaction levels
and responses.
Evidence of Fandom
Summary: I will investigate whether the fans show equal appreciation to all the artists and
whether this correlates with a band that posts frequent updates.
42
It is perhaps unsurprising to witness fans of globally successful artists are more inclined to
show their adoration of Major Artists on Facebook than those for comparatively less popular
artists (see Table 4). However, perhaps what is startling is the significant differences between
the categories of fan appreciation. Moreover, this is irrespective of the lack of contact made by
the Major Artists. In short, Major Artists are giving the fans little but seeing high levels of fan
membership.
Discussion
Facebook artists harbour similarities with Katz and Lazerfeld's 'two-step flow' model. The
artists (opinion leaders) provide updates to their fans (audience) who they anticipate will in
turn then communicate their influence within their own personal networks - including those
outside of music. Essentially, we can see that the Major Artists utilise their popularity to steer
commercial objectives but with a distinct lack of attempts to foster engagement (see Figure 4).
Fandom - fans reaction to 'popular' band posts
Based on 'averages'
BY CATEGORY Most Commented post
Most Liked post
Most Shared post
Major Artists 340 3269 182
Emerging Artists 36 305 9
Local Artists 13 11 0
Table 4 - shows fan interactivity with 'popular' artist posts
43
Figure 4 - Example of Major Artist (Muse) who obtain high numbers of fan activity following a band update. However there was no evidence of a direct Wall reply to a single fan throughout the research period
However, in the cases of the Emerging and Local Artists there is more texture and flexibility in
getting their messages across. In fact, the Major Artists exhibit a sense of instant gratification
(Wikstrom, 2009; Borland 2007, cited by Bannier, 2011) towards fans highlighting posts about
latest releases, tickets and promotional material.
44
Similarly, the 'most commented' post gives an insight into how a community relies on building
a critical mass to ignite member motivations to engage and interact (Barkan, 2008; Geddes,
2011). Here, Local Artists are exposed as having fragile communities not always robust to
generate enough new topics of conversation. In one instance, there was evidence of negative
growth for Local Artists (Violet May, Saturday 10th March) who actually lost five fans compared
with the previous day. That said, it would have been interesting to witness a Local Artist that
did update with high frequency (e.g. at least once a day) to see the subsequent impact on fan
engagement and intermingling. This is also closely associated with Rushkoff (2000) who had
said that there is 'currency' in holding information which people (and certainly fans) can use
for popularity gains. From experience, updating my own band's social media content can be
difficult when also in full-time (or indeed part-time) employment. This might explain why some
of the Local Artists do not always have the capacity to post more regularly. On the flip-side,
updating social media also relies heavily on having new activity to share (gig announcements,
music reviews, feature interviews etc). With Local Artists not having the backing of press
teams, labels or publishers they inevitably secure fewer opportunities than their Major or
Emerging counterparts.
One of the central aspects of fandom is being able to share and experience happenings
together (Hanna, Rohm & Crittenden, 2011; Wall & Dubber, 2010). Figure 5 shows fans
seemingly bonding over a ticketing issue. In this example, Radiohead use their Facebook Page
as a communication channel by mass address where the fans, in-turn, communicate their joys
and disappointments on the Wall feature. Pages also seem to facilitate an inner ring of 'insider'
information' which is duly shared for the benefit of others. These displays of interactivity
support views by Miller (2011), Farzan et al (2012) and O'Reilly (2007) who acknowledge that
participation and contribution are fundamental aspects of social media use - a core component
of online communities.
45
Figure 5 - screenshot of Major Artist (Radiohead) band update attempting to address a ticket sales issue (11/03/2012)
Table 4 highlights fan acknowledgements of artist updates which surmount to being motivated
by; working as a form of social currency, appearing trendy or 'in-the-know' and publicly
highlighting they are a member of an exclusive network. This closely aligns with Wasko & Faraj
(2005) concerning the notion of 'clusters' drawn to a community that fulfils a common shared
interest. This certainly appears true of liking posts where the highest levels of fan
engagement occurred (see Table 4). We could deduce that this is because it takes the least
time and effort compared to a 'comment' or a 'share', of which they require a certain amount
of forethought or compositional effort. However, whilst the activity of liking a post is perhaps
the easiest, it would still be considered as a sign of ‘sociality’ (Zollers, 2007) as it is a public
endorsement of a Facebook wall post.
Table 4 also highlights the similarities in 'Most Liked' and 'Most Commented' posts for the
Local Artists. We are able to see that these fan communities are equally likely to 'Comment' as
46
they are to 'Like' Local Artist updates, which is not applicable to either Major or Emerging
Artists - there is a reversed trend here. Inevitably, whilst smaller fanbases experience a less
interactive community, it could be argued that the members devote more time and effort into
showing their appreciation of the band. A further rationale could be a less competitive
'ultimate fan' population, often a coveted prize amongst fan communities (Murray, 2012;
Zimmerman, 2011). This brings me into briefly discussing the ratio of fan acknowledgments
upon band updates.
Fan inclination to interact with artists
Summary: I will be evaluating whether the size of the fanbase has any impact on relative
inclination to make an active contribution to a band update.
Having realised that band-to-fan contact could also be measured by the likelihood of fans
contributing to discussion (by ratio against community total), these nominal values reflect the
proportion of total fanbase likely to respond to the bands ‘most interesting' post.
Where Table 4 indicated numerical values, closer examination of the figures in Table 5
presents an outwardly visible sense of absence in 'reactionary' contribution across the sample.
Furthermore, this is irrespective of fan-base size, intensity of Facebook use or artist popularity.
Discussion
These findings support research conducted by Reich (2010) and Baym (2007) where a sense of
‘networked individualism’ appears to exist.
However, it had been noted by Baxter (2012) that this might be a consequence of Facebook
actually limiting the potential reach of the Page updates. As we had learnt in the Literature
Review, the platform has taken measures to ensure that not all artist updates reach their
Fandom - fans reaction to popular band posts
Based on 'averages'
BY CATEGORY Total Fans (16 June 2012)
Ratio of Comments
Ratio of Likes
Ratio of Shares
Major Artists 21770196 0.000016 0.000150 0.000008
Emerging Artists 336347 0.000107 0.000907 0.000027
Local Artists 4807 0.002704 0.002288 0.000000
Table 5 - highlights relational contributory values against total fanbase for 'most popular' posts of that day; likes, commented-on and shared
47
entire fanbase. Perhaps this deliberate concealment is an explanation of why a minority of
fans appear active and not as engaging as the artists might hope.
Furthermore, I accept that a limitation of my study is that there is no account of whether these
contributors are a 'frequent few' or whether indeed it is reflection of random infrequent users
that engage with these Facebook Pages at some point. This admittedly does impact on the
validity where in hindsight a log of the individual users might have painted a more accurate
representation of Page culture. This is closely associated with the cited criticism of the method
as noted by Wilson (2011) and Weber (1990) where the broader allowances of researcher
interpretation is at odds with the available resources. Indeed, I had purposefully omitted this
task from my content analysis as it would have demanded additional resource (time,
assistance of associates etc) to the data collection/analytical period, stretching the daily data
window of 11am-1pm - and out of the distinguished time frame proportion.
However, there is certainly cause to merit further investigation into fanbase participation on
Pages regardless of the noted issues concerning definable 'unique' visitors and restrictive
Facebook. Evidently there is a very small relational value, sometimes insignificant, where
fanbase engagement and interactivity with artist posts is not indicative of a thriving, active and
participatory online culture.
Overview of community activity and contribution
Summary: I will give details about the proportion of artist and fan community contributions to
assess if this differs according to size of total fanbase.
Table 6 shows the totals for Facebook wall posts amongst the three artist categories. It is
divided into fan-to-fan Wall posts (not to be confused with band replies to fan posts) and also
the artist’s updates.
The numbers for Major and Emerging Artists indicate a higher level of involvement in user
generated activity. This is an evident scalable trend whereby the more popular the artist, the
fewer posts will be made.
In contrast, we can see that Local Artists have a more balanced community when it comes to
fan and artist initiated Wall posts. It is debateable whether the data is presenting a false sense
of user harmony. Conversely, a more critical (and perhaps accurate) perspective would be that
it is actually a representation of a barely-functioning community that is yearning for any
48
activity. This could be summarised as less motivation to discuss band activities and goings-on
with fellow fans. This is another sign that these small communities are lacking the critical mass,
as discussed, in order to achieve a self-sufficient level of activity. In other words, the band
posts are a necessity acting as drivers for fan-to-fan engagement.
.
Discussion
The music industry views of Emery at Beggars Group record label (cited by Lewis, NME, 2012)
and Justice of Yep Roc Music Group (cited by Blau, Mashable, 2012) noted how social media
has assumed importance within marketing campaigns
Fundamentally, Major Artist posts prove popular with the fans (in terms of reaction via
'Comments' and 'Likes' particularly). The smaller fan communities are far less inclined to
initiate new posts.
Similarly, this is closely correlated with McLean, Oliver and Wainwright's (2010) views on how
technological developments, such as social media and online marketing tools (e.g. BandCamp),
had been marketed as equalising power and control within the music industry. Whilst
Facebook is an enabler of communication, Local Artists are still inhibited from building a fan
base. Simply put, Major and Emerging Artists are budgeted for extensive touring and press
campaigns (Fixmer & Satariano, Bloomberg.com, 2011; Preston & Rogers, 2011). My findings
would suggest that the affordances of social media are not true 'levellers' for the unsigned
Local Artists (Lam & Tan, 2001). In fact, combined with the possible restrictions on audience
reach imposed by Facebook, in which it purposefully limits artist updates to a smaller
proportion of the fan News Feeds (Baxter, 2012), means that this is a further obstacle and
gatekeeper within the medium.
Comparison of activity - fan and band posts
Numbers
BY CATEGORY Fan Posts Band Posts
Major Artists 1857 16
Emerging Artists 314 26
Local Artists 9 8
Totals 2180 50
Table 6 - provides a comparison of artist and fan updates respectively
49
This correlates with my original suspicions of the Facebook platform and its marketing of Pages
lobbied on the success of mass connectivity of its general user networks. The study of the
platform, aside from the nature of the fandom itself, appears ever more valid (McLuhan,
1964).
Figure 6 - Local Artist (Oblong) updates show a lack of fan engagement with the band despite their best efforts - a strained community lacking in critical mass.
50
Attachments - user generated media amongst fans
Summary: This section provides an insight into the nature and usage of media attachments
which are becoming an ever-prevalent part of fan contributions to Facebook Wall posts. It will
recount the diversity that is evident across the communities. Please note this does not account
for the total number of fan, only those with attachments.
The linking of attachments is now commonplace amongst fans who, in addition to adding a
written comment, will also attach a link to an online source to supplement, individualise and
draw attention to their post.
Table 7 shows the most common linked media attachment was Official Artist Videos (song
videos, TV footage or interviews) and blog sites (reviews, features and gig promos). The table
gives insight into notions of user generated content with 29% being fan-created media
content. Attachments in this genre include song remixes, photographs, amateur video footage,
fan MP3 cover-versions, video cover-versions and promotions of alternative fan-group
platforms).
The variation of attachments and their cross-purposes would hint at a fandom not necessarily
pulling in the same direction. In application to the theories of Wenger (2000), we might
conclude that there is little evidence of shared/norms and values (as fans rarely congregate
together), a noticeable indifference to assimilation of newcomers and very little evidence in
the way of mutual trust or respect for other users Facebook 'fan' experience - evident in the
high levels of spam and non-artist related posts.
Attachments - within fan posts
As a percentage
BY CATEGORY
Fan cover- version videos
Official Artist videos
Amateur Footage
Blogs Tickets Artist events
Artist Mp3's
Mp3 covers
Remixes Photo Fan groups
Net Radio
Major Artists 5 18 3 18 4 7 1 1 1 11 2 2
Emerging Artists 0 9 1 7 1 3 0 0 0 4 0 1
Local Artists 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Percentage 5% 27% 3% 26 4 10 2 1 1 16 2 3
Table 7 - shows various categories of attachments used on Facebook Pages
51
Discussion
There is a striking similarity to the work of Knox (2009) as users identity is often reflected by
their choice of media attachment, incidentally, often unrelated to the accompanying post text.
Knox suggested the use of thumbnails on news sites acted as broader communication tools to
appeal, entice and condense news items into the briefest possible 'space'. In this way, the use
of attachments on Facebook could be fan attempts at conveying their message in the briefest
possible way. In some ways, this is appears a logical approach considering the restrictive text
format. This could be interpreted as Facebook 'falling short' of offering suitable options to
customise and individualise posts in any other way which is cited as a stimulant of membership
sign-up in online networks (Wilkinson & Thelwall 2010).
Furthermore, attachment use also analysed if fans were creating and adding amateur footage
to Facebook Pages. The academic sources cited in my Literature Review suggested that
modern social media users are fast becoming high involvement ‘produsage’ internet users
(Bruns 2007, cited by Bannier 2011: 27; Burgess & Green, 2009). The findings here support
such theoretical claims. Parallels with the work of Barthes (1980) about motives for
photography alluded to capturing proof of 'existence'. In fandom terms, the 'certificate of
presence' is simply a form of flaunting. For example, a fan exhibiting they attended a gig or
met/saw the artist. Within a social media network, this display of fandom can be potent in
encouraging other acts of 'produsage'. The high percentages of amateur video and
photographs suggest there are like-minded users searching for an authentic and meaningful
fan experience (Shankar 2000).
52
Figure 7 - Major Artist (Kasabian) with fan photo uploads
53
Figure 8 - Example of attachment usage on Facebook (Kasabian Wall, Major Artist)
Fan community, reciprocal engagement and user integration
Summary: I will discussing the nature and intensity of fandom on the Facebook Wall. This will
be through varying measures of fan-to-fan engagement.
A key consideration of my research was to attempt to measure the cohesiveness of the fan
communities across Facebook within these artist categories.
Central to theoretical debates that investigate fandom and online communities are the
variances in user motivations for membership (Jones et al, 2008; Beer, 2008; Reich, 2010;
Wilkinson & Thelwall 2010). I was interested to see whether fans were interested in fellow fan
generated activity.
54
In Table 7, a comparison of the total fanbase against the number of fans posting indicates a
seeming indifference towards member liaison. Out of 22,111,350 artist fans (accumulatively)
only 2180 were inclined to generate a new post in a seven-day period. Strikingly, the figures
for the numbers of fan-to-fan Likes and Comments infers that there is no desire to engage with
fan generated Facebook Wall content.
To develop this point further, where Facebook is widely perceived as a hub for social activity,
Table 7 shows there are relatively low numbers of fan-to-fan conversations and subsequent
integration. It is questionable why fans are not getting involved in fan initiated conversational
threads.
Discussion
There is the notion that the online user experience benefits from the 'harnessing of collective
intelligence' achieved by creating an 'architecture of participation' (O'Reilly, 2007) and much is
true here in these communities. Facebook facilitates the ability to ‘Like’, ‘Share’ and
‘Comment’ on posts. However, the users are proportionally not engaging with this technology
en masse, plus the high levels of spam (to be discussed) and the general lack of integration
across all the sample music communities indicates that participation is an isolated process. It
appears that participation and membership of Pages is geared towards self-identity and
connection with an artist - not especially other fans.
For example, if we consider the fan integration amongst Major Artists we can see the extent of
low-level interaction. On an average day, the Major Artists are seeing in the region of 77 new
posts added to their respective Walls. However, the number(s) of unique people involved in
highest daily thread counts averages just four. Therefore, the notion that Facebook is reviving
Fan-to-Fan engagement monitoring
Based on category 'averages'
BY CATEGORY
Total Fans (16 June 2012)
Total Fan Posts (not averages)
Daily Fan post
Most Liked post
Most Replied-to post
Unique people involved in 'most replied' – thread count
Major Artists 21770196 1857 77 16 11 4
Emerging Artists 336347 314 14 6 6 2
Local Artists 4807 9 0 0 1 0
Table 8 - indicates levels of fan-to-fan interactivity and user engagement
55
and expanding our understanding of community (Miller 2011: 182) is certainly incongruent
with this perspective.
Similarly, the concept of Baym's (2007) ‘network collectivism’ appears to be demonstrated in
these Facebook communities. These geographically dispersed fandom groups, particularly
with Major Artists, are perhaps bound on their shared Facebook presence but it remains
unclear whether these fans interact outside of the social media network. It could be argued
that these Facebook fanbases are united in their support for the artists, but not necessarily
interested in communication with other fans beyond expressing a shared interest via ‘liking’ a
page.
This is evident in Figure 10 where typically Facebook Pages are populated with individual Wall
posts to a greater extent than communicational threads. In the instances where a thread had
been started by a fan, the highest recorded number of unique individuals was seven fans
(Radiohead, 09/03/2012 and 14/03/2012). Such low levels of interactivity find it hard to
support definitions that a Page harbours a functioning (and worthwhile) online community.
Put simply, fans may enjoy creating a post more than reciprocal engagement with others. This
would support the literature by Turkle (2011) and Reich (2010) who had noted that there is not
always a motivation to use social media other than to fill a lull in user’s daily activities.
56
Figure 9 - Evidence of fans posting more than once in succession and of a thread involving one person (originator)
57
Figure 10 – illustrating a day when seven fans ingratiated over a communication thread. Evidence of fandom but out over a community with over eight million Facebook fans it is a lowly figure.
Fan motivation to post
Summary: This section of my inquiry focuses on whether fan inclination to contribute bears
any correlation with the size of the community.
Table 8 illustrates the actual number of posts and the relational likelihood of artist fans to
generate a new Wall post within these Facebook Page communities. As with Table 5 the lowly
58
figures for contribution, both relational and numerical infer that Facebook Pages experience
low levels of inter-community engagement. Therefore, there appears to be low levels of
'reactionary' activity to 'most popular artist posts but moreover an overriding sense of isolated
being within these communities, again of 'networked individualism'.
Community interaction Based on category 'ratios'
BY CATEGORY Total Fans (16 June 2012)
Total Fan Posts (not averages)
Fan inclination to post
Major Artists 21770196 1857 0.000085
Emerging Artists 336347 314 0.000934
Local Artists 4807 9 0.001872
Table 9 - shows proportionate value of fans from each artist category likely to post within their respective communities
Discussion
These findings indicate that social capital is possible not high on users’ agendas when joining a
Facebook Page. In-keeping with findings by Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe (2007), Facebook is
perhaps still, first and foremost, a platform for offline friends to converge in a shared online
space - not the broadening of social groupings.
This is also closely connected with McCourt & Bukart (2007: 268) who had identified that
marketing practices related to online commercialism (merchandising, event promotion etc)
had been perceived as a mutually beneficial for both consumer and creator. However,
McCourt & Bukart note that a consequence of online music and the tailoring of services, such
as data mining, recommendations and indeed social media actually isolates the user. So rather
adding to gratification and deriving instant pleasure, it eliminates the community element of
fandom to an audience of one (Goldberg 2000, cited by McCourt & Bukart, 2007).
Similarly, there is evidence in these findings that indicates a perceivable ignorance from
Facebook, but also the artists that use this platform, about cultivating a meaningful fandom
experience. Existing research on music fandom had focused on the psychological 'emotional'
draw of music (Lacher, 1989; Kruse, 1993; Shepherd, 1986: 305-306).
Perhaps on the contrary to the notion of networked individualism were the rare occasions
where fandom offered mutual support. At the time of the study, Major Artist Radiohead were
59
undergoing a ticketing issue that was frustrating many fans (see Figure 11). Again, there was
no evidence that Radiohead or any representatives had looked to assist fans with these issues.
Whilst mutual support and help were fairly rare throughout the study across these networked
fandoms, I did find occasions and more frequently on Radiohead’s site of fan-to-fan
engagement hinting on evidence of intimacy and shared norms/values (Baym, 2010: 82-86).
Over a longer duration of time it would be interesting to measure whether this type of fan
support surfaces in times of ‘crises’ which in these instances would be gig incidents, tragedies
or ticketing issues akin to this one.
Overall, with Facebook facilitating the commercial activities of the artists, rather than the
nurturing of sociable (loyal) fan groups, these findings support the fact that the contributory
motivations amongst the fan populations is very low.
Whilst it is acknowledgeable that Facebook Pages perhaps are not used directly as a tool to
populate fan communities, there is ample reason for artists to question the value, over more
'reactive' and community-focused alternatives.
60
Figure 11 - a rare example of mutual support offered amongst the fans over a ticketing issue
on Major Artist Radiohead’s Page (09/03/2012)
Spam and junk posts – classification, frequency and community experience
Summary: I will be exploring the nature of spam and junk posts evident across artist Facebook
Pages by elaborating on the process of definition and categorisation. Findings will be presented
that quantify the extent of spam and extraneous junk posts, examining where it presents a
more noticeable impact on the user experience..
The task of identifying spam and junk posts was based on a thematic ongoing observation of
the Facebook Pages. In quantifying the findings, I approached this task by classifying spam
posts after the research period was completed. This involved closely monitoring fan post types
61
and recording these into loosely defined categories (e.g. official band video link, fan
photograph, spyware etc). It offered flexibility in negotiating the definition of spam/junk posts
but also in accurately recounting the diversity in posts of this nature.
Naturally, these classifications were narrowed as the study progressed (see Tables 9 and 10).
The analytical process involved defining (and dividing) from the genuine contributory fan
posts. Genuine posts were recognisable from spam/junk as they often had a comment (to
accompany an attachment) with a message of support or band related towards the artist or
fellow community members.
Spam and junk posts were thematically classified to include unknown music artists obsessively
marketing their own act, (without introduction or shared locality), political and activist posts
unrelated to music visibly ‘out of place’, online shopping circulars (possible phishing scams)
and fake profiles (likely to be malicious and/or not genuine).
Whilst I acknowledge the spam classification process is subject to questions on reliability, I am
confident that the systematic approach adopted provides a valid picture of the phenomena.
If we consider Table 9, I have identified that of the 2180 total fan posts in this weekly period,
182 of these were classified as spam and junk. We can clearly see that the majority of these
occurrences were for the Major Artists which we might have expected considering their larger
populations.
Table 10 provides an overview of the various spam classifications applied and the frequency of
which they occurred (showing most to least frequent by theme). It is noteworthy and perhaps
unsurprising that many of the non-artist related posts featured bands insistently plugging their
own music. From a definition perspective, I found that these posts rarely named/or sounded
like the artist (whose Wall it was posted on) and, moreover, posted multiple times during the
research period – even in rapid succession on many occasions. I found these posts were
lacking in engagement and were more akin to sales or self-promotion of an overly forceful
nature. More tellingly, they were posted irrespective of comments or lack of comments
received (often none). The second highest recorded spam classification was of spyware and
overtly junk postings. At a technical level, this could be directly attributed to user accounts
being hacked. Even so, I was surprised to see insufficient evidence of Administrator quality
control or any signs of moderation across the sample. From experience of moderating my own
bands Facebook Page, it is possible to delete overt spam posts. It would be interesting to
62
develop research in this area to see how spam and junk post frequency compares across other
creative industries on Facebook, including those outside of music.
Discussion
In many ways this is where Parikka & Sampson (2009) may have had an alternative view of the
process of spam filtering to which they cite junk can add to the digital landscape – irrespective
of function or usefulness. However, I would argue that the spam and junk that occupies
Facebook is not considered to be adding value to either the fan experience (within a
community) nor to the artists desired functionality of Facebook. For example, why would the
artists welcome posts that look muddled, present a threat of virus or break the discursive flow
of the ‘fandom’ narrative? I contest, the definitions here grapple with clear instances of
exceptions to the fandom experience and likely of a surreptitious risky nature. In this sense,
my findings are closer to Freitas & Levene (2006: 554) who cite three definitions of illegitimate
posting being direct marketers (bulk posting), criminal enterprises and lastly disaffected
individuals ‘crackers’ who want to disrupt Internet services.
The classification of spam was also based around my own experiences of managing my band’s
Facebook Page and previous experience of moderating a previous fan-forum. Experience as
both a user and moderator has enabled self-taught methods of quickly indentifying potentially
Spam occurrences Numbers
BY CATEGORY Fan Posts Spam Total
Major Artists 1857 174
Emerging Artists 314 7
Local Artists 9 1
Totals 2180 182
Table 10 - shows the saturation of spam and junk posts within the total number of posts during research period
Spam variations - across entire sample
As a percentage
BY CATEGORY
User 'add request' adverts
Political Other band self-promotion
Shop/Adverts (non band related)
Junk/bots Unclassified/non music related
Percentages 12% 5% 42% 10% 24% 7%
Table 11 - shows percentage values of the various spam posts evident across research sample collectively
63
harmful spam and unwarranted junk posts. It is difficult to establish if the Pages are fully
moderated (and if so to what degree). Further study might be of merit to investigate this in
more detail on Facebook.
Returning to the findings, spam occurrences were more frequent on Major Artist Pages but at
a statistical level, it is potentially more damaging to the overall quality of the ‘genuine’ user
experience on Local Artist Pages (see Table 9).
Further to this, Table 10 presents a less common narrative of Facebook Pages. Recalling
Warren (2011) and Schaffer (2010) Facebook has growing associations with spam culture in
which they attempt to protect their reputation and overall user satisfaction. This is evident
from the functionality Facebook affords to all users who can self-certify and identify junk posts
using the function 'Report story or spam'. Interestingly, the overt cases of spam such as
pornography and spyware/bots remain. This means that both the Page Administrators of
artists and the fans both have opportunities to take action but choose not to.
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Figure 12 - overt spam evident on Muse (Major Artist) Wall
Summary of Findings
I believe that I have provided a number of findings that raise important questions about the
function and suitability of Facebook Pages as a platform to encourage music fandoms. I am of
the opinion that these findings broaden and develop research in the field of audience
participation, music fandom and social media. I wish to quickly recap on the broader points of
my findings.
Artists illustrates that Emerging Artists are intently maintaining their Facebook Pages (to a
greater extent than Major or Local Artists) and more aware that fan engagement has a positive
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effect on expanding audiences. Adopting a first-person narrative, making regular news updates
and replying directly to fans aids fan acquisition, evidenced by the actual rate of growth
exceeding projections.
Fan Community reveals a far more complex and disjointed story of Facebook fandom and
community participation. At a surface level, the largest fan communities compete for
significance and self-identity in an ocean of fan activity, notwithstanding the fact that Major
Artists do not publicly engage with users. Further evidence of this complexity is in measuring
fellow-fan integration where there is little or no evidence that shows Pages foster group
harmony - only a shared appreciation over a common cause (the artist). Further to this, smaller
fan groups on Pages see a more balanced level of updates between fans and bands where the
vulnerability in having an insufficient critical mass is duly exposed. The findings suggest that
8% of the total number of fan posts are either spam or junk –perhaps not previously
associated with Facebook music Pages. It is noteworthy that there are no strict moderation or
filtering methods indicating a lack of care or consideration for the fan experience.
The overriding impression from the findings is that Facebook Pages serve as a vehicle for
commercial activity and not (fan) community. Where growth is obviously a desired result of
delivering an active and attentive Facebook Page, the evidence provided here suggests that all
the artists, irrespective of size, had promotional interests at heart - namely increasing
awareness of brand, selling merchandise and promoting their musical activities.
In the final section of this Dissertation I will conclude by contemplating how the findings sit
within music industry expectations of social media use and fan accumulation and concepts of
fandom.
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Conclusion
Overview
My dissertation, 'Music fandom on Facebook Pages: a mixed-methods analysis of artist use and
fan activity', explored the complex relationships between fans, artists and Facebook. This was
to assess whether fan growth and fandom behaviours have a symbiotic relationship or if they
are separate and independent entities.
Principally, my study aims was to see how my own band might benefit from a better
understanding of the platform. The measure was to gauge fan growth and how the artist’s
communicated with their Facebook followers.
I will now review my pre-established aims and motives, appraise key findings, and reflect on
my overall impressions of the research undertaken. This will be followed by my future
recommendations noting the remaining research gaps. I will conclude by citing my own
personal learning outcomes.
Aims and motives
The initial aim was to see whether fan growth is linked to artist update approach. The initial
motive for the research was to see how I might benefit, as a musician, from understanding
growth and its subsequent impact on fandom behaviours. Specifically, I was motivated to
examine whether nurturing a following on Facebook resulted in active fan discussions, online
participations and fans befriending fellow members. Ultimately this was an assessment of
whether growth influenced fandom or vice versa.
Appraisal of key findings
The findings indicate Facebook fan growth is dependent on a number of variables including
artist's narrative style, the frequency of Wall updates and inclination to publicly reply to fans.
Evidence of fandom is inconclusive and substantiated by an apparent lack of fan-to-fan
integration across the entire sample. Admittedly, off-line activities such as touring, festival
appearances, radio/television spots and the popularity of the musical artistry are certainly
major contributing factors towards fan membership. However, the findings imply that fans are
predominantly only interested in artist-created activity and are individually expressive rather
than reciprocal. Furthermore, my findings are also oppositional to the views of Kruse (1993)
and Hills (2002) who had seen emergent fandoms forming sub-cultural manifestations around
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a shared taste of music. On the contrary, I found that Facebook fandom, at a relative level, is
describable as passive.
My results infer that that there is a visible link between rates of growth and artist’s use of the
platform. Artists demonstrating charm or wit when posting updates, or a readiness to reply to
fans via the Facebook Wall, appear to see an accelerated (relative) rate of growth.
However, if artists using Facebook Pages are hoping that fans will pro-actively ruminate on
gigs, talk about music purchases or take an active role in promotion this may not be achieved -
certainly not on any grand scale using Facebook. In short, a ‘Like’ is not necessarily an
embodiment of fan status. This raises questions over platform suitability in developing
cohesive fanbases.
Indeed the sheer numbers of new ‘Likes’, especially for Major and Emerging Artists, illustrates
social capital appears to be a reason why users may ‘Like’ a band but not necessarily
contribute to the Page Wall (Donath, 2007, cited by Ellison et al, in Papacharissi, 2011).
Similarly, fans that ‘Comment’ on a band update illustrates of an act of self expression
(Wilkinson and Thelwall, 2010). Fans that post Wall attachments of video cover-versions
demonstrate ‘produsage’ (Bruns, 2007, cited by Bannier 2011: 27).
There are further parallels with scholarly understanding of participatory culture evident in this
study. I found similarities including inactive majorities akin to ‘lurkers’ (Preece, 2000), high
proportions of fan generated media ‘produsage’ (Bruns, 2007, cited by Bannier 2011: 27) but
also a visible sense of ‘networked individualism’ (Reich: 2010; Baym, 2007).
That said, there are also conflicting findings that do not support my literature review. Artist
voice authenticity (Beer, 2008) did seem to be of importance to the fans which was reflected in
the actual rates of growth exceeding projected assumptions for the Emerging Artists. Tellingly,
it also appeared to be of importance to the artists themselves. This was shown in cases where
artists used dual-voice narratives to post the remarks of a genuine band member (such as
Kasabian). This is not to say that artist post activity informed the behaviours of the fandom
within my sample. In fact, I observed that bands active and personal approach to Facebook
updates did not appear to be a motivating factor for fans to create their own posts. This is
contradictory to findings by David (2010) where robust online communities and fandoms had
arisen from bands that displayed an intimate and active social media presence.
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Consequently, my findings hint that to ‘Like’ and follow a band on Facebook becomes an
isolating experience for the user not necessarily tied-in with participation or companionship.
I also remain unconvinced following this research of the theory that all posts, irrespective of
purpose or authenticity, should be held in equal regard (Parikka & Sampson, 2009). I adopted a
subjective positioning in defining the spam and junk posts on Facebook Pages. For example,
my definition included dubious ‘fan’ posts publicising pornographic images of celebrities. In my
opinion, this is a valid measure of spam and junk posting, and not enriching or contributing to
the quality of the digital experience. I would argue that this is a component that many
Facebook users would be keen to remove.
Appraisal of study
Certainly, Facebook does facilitate opportunities for artists to build and cultivate fanbases.
Specifically, there is the functionality to perform artist-fan exchanges on a mass or
individualised scale. It is increasingly recognised as one of the leading music platforms on the
internet (Halliday, The Guardian Online, 2011; Segall and Milian, CNN Money, 2011, Trevis
Team, Forbes Online, 2011) and has the functionality to offer both intimate and mass fan
communication experiences (Lacy, 2009; Kirkpatrick, 2011; Locker, 2012).
Major Artists appear to use Facebook as a one-way communication channel (Katz and
Lazarsfeld, 1955) to publicise their latest news and events (evidenced with Muse &
Radiohead). However, there are certainly exceptions to this (Kasabian) where intimacy and
exclusive content is shared with fans. Moreover, when noting when it is or is not a member of
the band posting this exemplifies an acknowledgment that authenticity of the author is
important to share with fans (Windahl, 1942). In terms of numbers, the swell of new fans
continues irrespective of how much or little effort is made by the artist in communication
(Wikstrom, 2009).
Emerging Artists experience a rapid rate of fan growth that triples its Major and Local
counterparts. My inferences suggest that the personal touches to updates such as addressing
fans on first name terms and the sheer frequency of updating support the evidence related to
growth. These findings support the views within the music industry in placing value and
importance in artist-fan communications (Emery, date unknown, of Beggars Group cited by
Lewis, NME, 2012; Justice of Yep Roc Music Group cited by Blau, Mashable, 2012).
69
Local Artists share a similar relational rate of growth to the Major Artists. However, the
inability to nurture a critical mass (Barkan, 2008) means fan initiated content is low. However,
the artists demonstrate that public and personal touches to updates could be a factor in their
growth nonetheless. However, with fewer opportunities to promote to wider audiences as
experienced by the Major and Emerging Artists, there is always an uphill battle to gain
audience attention. Therefore, it is inconclusive whether Facebook is a ‘true leveller’ (Lam &
Tan, 2001).
These varying user experiences within each artist’s category, or on a collective level, imply that
Facebook Pages primary function remains unclear. As a result, this becomes its central
weakness in appearing to partly resemble a hybrid of a fan forum, newsletter, mailing list and
artist blog.
Recommendations and remaining questions
It is questionable in how music, in its various uses and formats (fandom, marketing and the
sensory experience) fits within the rhetoric of the Facebook platform whose 'mission is to
make the world more open and connected…to discover what’s going on in the world, and to
share and express what matters to them' (Facebook Newsroom, 2012).
My dissertation indicates there are legitimate doubts of Facebook Pages being the most
suitable choice of platform to meet and engage with other music fans. The findings suggest
the number of artist 'Likes' is quite often an invalid representation of the scale of fandom. This
closely correlates with Preece's (2000, 2011) definitions of a silent majority 'lurkers', Barkan's
(2008) advocacy of building a sustainable 'community' or critical mass and Baym's (2007)
advice not to quantify fandom based upon only one context/platform.
Future research might seek to employ interviewing and qualitative surveying of a cross-section
of Facebook music fan's to ascertain motives for Page membership and to enhance validity
(Weber, 1990; Krippendorff, 2004). Questions loom over whether a Facebook fan is rightly
positioned alongside the popular understanding of the term 'fan' (Jenkins, 2006; Shankar,
2000). If a user chooses to 'Like' an artist does this constitute a profession of fandom or merely
certifying a casual interest? Is the act of becoming a Facebook fan fleeting or expression of
yearning for popularity within peer networks for social capital gains (Donath, 2007, cited by
Ellison et al, in Papacharissi, 2011) or is it a desire for artist proximity? These are all areas that
would ascertain the value of chasing Facebook fans for music artists.
70
It is also debateable whether Facebook purposefully crafted the term 'Like' as an
acknowledgment of user nonchalance towards fandom. Is Facebook facilitating it’s users in a
quick-fix digital culture by way of enabling casual associations? This is in-keeping with Reich
(2010) and Turkle (2011) who had noted a seeming ambivalence towards the use of internet
technology. The ‘Like’ perhaps not always necessarily matching any expression of fandom, but
moreover, linked towards relieving boredom or appease brief curiosity.
Conclusion
Following this research, I aim to explore how my band can utilise the elements of Facebook
which appear to work for artists. The findings suggest these are direct contact with fans, the
ability to promote events within a popular pre-established network and the usability (ease of
use in updating news to fan followers). Furthermore, and despite my initial concerns, there is
still the potential to build a fanbase. Therefore, my band will continue to use our Facebook
Page as a central hub for online representation
In addition, I aim to address the possible limitations of using Facebook for my band by
exploration of competing social media sites or off-line activities. Competing social media sites,
such as Twitter or MailChimp, can potentially be utilised to develop a fandom based around a
community rather than a passive or fleeting interest. This may involve a more proactive
approach to our offline pursuits such as forming a Street-team or an official fan-group that has
regular physical meetings. In remaining open to other forms of promotion and marketing, my
band may feel more flexibility and freedom rather than accepting the parameters of Facebook.
Social media will undoubtedly remain a key part of all our future fan communications.
However, Facebook’s ambiguity of purpose remains a central issue. Whilst there is potential
and the tools to grow fan numbers, I remain sceptical over its ability to grow a fanbase that is
able to be meaningful and valuable for an unsigned artist such as ourselves.
71
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Appendices
Screenshots
See USB for exhaustive collection of screenshots
(A1) Major Artists
Muse www.facebook.com/muse
9 March 2012
Note: = fan video uploads
83
11 March 2012
Note: Muse ‘everyone’ else wall – lots of spammy posts
14 March 2012
Note: muse's first post is greeted with adoring fandom
84
Note: people on Muse's wall sometimes post more than one comment on any one day
March Timeline Overview (ALL)
85
(A2) Major Artists
Radiohead http://www.facebook.com/radiohead
9 March 2012
Note: =comments on ticketmaster (fan-to-fan) 7 individuals
11 March 2012
Note -fans comments to Radiohead update (re tickets)
86
12 March 2012
Note: more 'fan' posts about the band (les spammy than Muse!)
14 March 2012
Fans-to-fans communication re best album involving 7 people
87
16 March 2012
Note: pockets of real fans, communities integrating….
March Timeline Overview (ALL)
88
(A3) Major Artists
Kasabian http://www.facebook.com/kasabian
9 March 2012
Note: Kasabian post
Fan uploads
89
13 March 2012
Note: fan commenting on own post (happens a lot with big bands)
Note: ATTACHMENTS blogs posting on their wall
90
14 March 2012
Note: Band posts - both personalised and non (see examples)
16 March 2012
Note: band don’t event comment - they share a post as their daily update to great reaction/buzz
91
March Timeline Overview (ALL)
(B1) Emerging Artists
Bombay Bicycle Club www.facebook.com/bombaybicycleclub
9 March 2012
Note: comments re gig news
92
12 March 2012
Note: more personalised comments by fans re the band
14 March 2012
Note: fans posts are about the band, not so spammy
93
16 March 2012
Note: first noted direct band-to-fan response, in a week
March Timeline Overview (fans)
94
(B2) Emerging Artists
Dry the River www.facebook.com/drytheriver
9 March 2012
Note: band photo upload, recorded most ‘likes’
10 March 2012
Band-to-fan direct interaction
95
11 March 2012
Note: Band acknowledge hitting 27,000 likes
12 March 2012
Note: Band interesting say they have a Twitter addiction and apologise for not updating FB 'in a while' despite daily updates
96
13 March 2012
Note: low fellow fan engagement
Note: band respond to fan query
97
16 March 2012
Note: FB page altered to Timeline view
(B3) Emerging Artists
Spector www.facebook.com/spector
9 March 2012
Note: comments on Spector’s post re gig event
98
12 March 2012
Note: Band official posting - long, witty and full of info
13 March 2012
Note: band replied to query post from fan re stage time
99
14 March 2012
Note: the band reply to a fan query (if in NME this wk). Image also shows the lack of media/linked posts the wall tends to have
15 March 2012
Note: Band upload photo of a recent shopping trip
100
Note: same fan uploads 3 sets of photos
March Timeline Overview (All)
101
(C1) Local Artists
Dead Sons www.facebook.com/deadsonsmusic
12 March 2012 + 13 March 2012
Note: band responding to fan query + Note: Lack of activity on their wall
15 March 2012
Note: small bands have international fans too!
102
16 March 2012
Note: band respond to 2 posts in one reply !
March Timeline Overview (ALL)
103
(C2) Local Artists
The Violet May www.facebook.com/TheVioletMay
10 March 2012
Note: Violet May band-to-fan interaction example
12 March 2012
Note: lack of activity on wall - lots of comments on old posts but not new content by band or fans
104
March Timeline Overview (ALL)
(C3) Local Artists
Oblong http://www.facebook.com/www.oblong.co.uk
10 March 2012
Note: band post example
105
14 March 2012
Note: lack of responses to bands posts, a few but not many, despite regular nearly daily updates
MARCH TIMELINE - ALL posts (overview)
106
D : About Facebook Pages
http://www.facebook.com/pages/
July 2012
E : About my band
Low Duo www.facebook.com/lowduo
Formed in August 2010, Low Duo consists of brothers Leigh (vocals) and Adam Greenwood
(guitar) based in Sheffield, UK. The music has been described as 'soaringly ambitious folk
music, with an understated charm and a downbeat intensity' (The Fly, 2011).
To date, three EP’s have been released which have received plaudits including:
The Guardian ‘new band of the day’
MySpace front page ‘featured artist’
A three-song and interview session for BBC6 Music Tom Robinson
Steve Lamacq airplay (BBC6 Music)
Low Duo have played many shows across the UK, predominately in Sheffield but also in
London, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds. They have supported touring acts including Anna
Calvi, Courtney Pine, Various Cruelties, Edwyn Collins/ Vic Goddard and The Subway Sect and
The Smoke Fairies.
107
F : Graphs
Excel Workbook
Overview Tab
Charts Tab
Please see USB for full chart display
'ARTIST#' Tab
Overview of statistics for findings
Major artists Likes
1 Muse 12,476,788 Details Pilot - issues identified
2 Radiohead 8,189,460 Research start date 11:00am, 09/03/2012 Too many bands to cross analyse
Arctic Monkeys 2,522,185 Band origins UK (only) Troubles analysing language barriers
3 Kasabian 1,004,608 Genre alternative/indie genre New formatting of bands
Biffy Clyro 650,296 Platform FB (only), Wall feature Time of analysis
Emerging artists Checking interval for new 'Likes' daily between 11am -1pm People commenting on old Band posts
4 Bombay Bicycle Club 292,648 3 month check 5:25pm, 16/06/2012 Permissions - not all allow 'everyone else' posts to be viewable
The Horrors 76,787 NOTEPAD5 Dry the River 26,701 Like' all bands I am researching
Tribes 18,060
6 Spector 11,937
Set phone reminder to
carry out the research at
designated times Analysis IdeasRegional Tables - by day of week
7 Dead Sons 2,533 Stacked bars - indicate accumulaive values across a defined period
8 The Violet May 1,590 Don't rely on the chart wizard - make the data appear individualized + unique
Mad Colours 542
Cats for Peru 362
9 Oblong 661
Notes KEY COMMENTS
Public band replies to fans GROWTH BAND PERSONALITY
Averages for posting (bands and fans) BAND UPDATES BAND INCLINATION TO POST (AMONGST SAMPLE)
BAND REPLIES
IllustratesGROWTH growth in findings
BY CATEGORY
Number of fans start-
09/03/2012
Number of new fans
gained
Number of fans
end - 16/03/2012 Growth scale of growth in numbers between categories
major 21670856 99340 21770196 Band updates
emerging 331286 5061 336347 Band personality local 4784 23 4807
totals 22006926 104424 22111350
RATE OF GROWTH (domino effect) growth in findings
BY CATEGORY Weekly Growth (%)
Projected Quarterly
Growth (%)
Actual Quarterly
Growth (%) rates of growth - projected (based on research period) and actual
major 0.46 5.96 6.54
emerging 1.53 19.86 34.48
local 0.48 6.25 5.97
in findings
BAND UPDATE ACTIVITY band updates public band replies band personality activity of band and their personality
BY CATEGORY Total Band Posts Total Replies to Fans First person
major 16 0 2
emerging 26 6 22
local 8 5 5
Areas still to cover
shares, post 'likes' and comments from Band posts by category - WALL ACTIVITY
Summary - Key areas of interest and discussion TAB
· Bands that reply publicly to fans ARTISTS#
· Growth irrespective of (lack of) FB activity ARTISTS#
· Personality of band posts - and if ‘no’ personality then why it seems of little matter to the fansARTISTS#
· Lack of fan-to-fan interaction (generally speaking) FAN#
· High thread counts involving literally 2-3 people (indicative of poorly integrated community)FAN#
· Levels of spam and non-band related posts THEMES#
· Variety of media choices in fan posts (and their motivations) THEMES#
· The user experience (affected by all of the above) THEMES#
(1) Growth and accumulation of FB fans Illustrated by: new of new 'likes' accumulated since start date, cross analysis with the activity of the wall - cross examination against band posts and whether this has any influence on their growth (or not). Whether emerging acts are growing more rapidly than established major acts
108
'FAN#' Tab
Overview of statistics for findings
KEY COMMENTS
Fan promotion FANS INTERACTION LEVELS WITH OTHERS - AVERAGES
Fan-to-fan posts COMPARISON OF BAND Vs FAN UPDATES
Fan-to-fan engagement FANDOM - REACTION LEVELS OF 'THE MOST POPULAR' BAND POSTS
FAN INCLINATION TO POST AMONGST SAMPLE
FAN POSTING REACTION - OF FAN POSTS AVERAGES levels of fan interaction and 'fandom' (promoting the band, sharing etc).
BY CATEGORY Most 'liked'
Most 'replied
to'
No of unique people
involved in 'most
replied'
fan engagement -
reaction of
'popular' fellow fan
posts in findingsMajor 16 11 4
Emerging 6 6 2
Local 0 1 0
TOTALS
COMPARISON - BAND to FAN Fan Posts Band Posts Total fans (end)
PROPORTION OF
FANS TO POST IN A
WEEK in findings a view of the bands inclination to post compared against the fans
Major 1857 16 21770196 0.0001
Emerging 314 26 336347 0.0009
Local 9 8 4807 0.0019
TOTALS 2180 50
AVERAGES in findings
Fandom - fans reaction to 'popular' band
posts
Most
commented post Most Liked post Most Shared post Fans (end)
Ratio of
comments fan integration levels
Major 340 3269 182 21770196 0.0000156177
Emerging 36 305 9 336347 0.0001070323
Local 13 11 0 4807 0.0027043894
Fan-to-Fan engagement
Total Fans Total
Unique people
involved in in findings
(16 June 2012)Fan Posts (not
averages)
'most replied' –
thread count (TOP)
Major 21770196 1857 77 16 11 4
Emerging 336347 314 14 6 6 2
Local 4807 9 0 0 1 0
Community interaction
Total Fans Total
(16 June 2012)Fan Posts (not
averages)
Major 21770196 1857 0.000085
Emerging 336347 314 0.000934
Local 4807 9 0.001872
BASED ON
AVERAGES
at the height of
fandom in a
weekly period in findings
Fandom - fans reaction to 'popular' band
postsFans (end)
Ratio of
commentsRatio of Likes Ratio of Shares
Major 21770196 0.000016 0.000150 0.000008
Emerging 336347 0.000107 0.000907 0.000027
Local 4807 0.002704 0.002288 0.000000 *fans x Ratio = 'Most…'
RELATIVE
FREQUENY OF A
FAN POSTING
AMONGST
SAMPLE
RELATIVE
FREQUENY OF A
BAND POSTING
AMONGST
SAMPLE
likelihood of fan
updating (amongst
sample the likelihood of which fan category is more inclined to post amongst sample
BY CATEGORY Percentage BY CATEGORY
major 85 32
emerging 14 52
local 1 16
Areas covered
fan-to-fan
engagement/acknowledgements
fans reaction to
bands number of fan posts
Summary - Key areas of interest and discussion TAB
· Bands that reply publicly to fans ARTIST#
· Growth irrespective of (lack of) FB activity ARTIST#
· Personality of band posts - and if ‘no’ personality then why it seems of little matter to the fansARTIST#
· Lack of fan-to-fan interaction (generally speaking) FAN#
· High thread counts involving literally 2-3 people (indicative of poorly integrated community)FAN#
· Levels of spam and non-band related posts THEMES#
· Variety of media choices in fan posts (and their motivations) THEMES#
· The user experience (affected by all of the above) THEMES#
Based on category RATIOS
BY CATEGORY
Fan inclination to
post
Based on category AVERAGES
BY CATEGORY Daily Fan post Most Liked post
Most Replied-to
post
(1) Strength of community – scale of fandom
Illustrated by: number of fans posts, acknowledgment of fan posts (by band/fellow fans)
109
'THEMES#' Tab
Overview of statistics for findings
KEY COMMENTS
SPAMDOM
FRAGMENTED NATURE OF POSTS - SPAM
FRAGMENTED NATURE OF POSTS - NON SPAM
THEMATIC OBSERVATIONS - use cell data (comments/specifics)
spam
SPAM LEVELS
User 'add
request' adverts Political
Other band self-
promotion
Shop/Adverts
(non band
related)
Junk/bots
unclassified/
non music
related
TOTALS
levels and types of spam
major 20 10 70 18 43 13 174
emerging 1 0 5 1 0 0 7 in findingslocal 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
spam totals 21 10 76 19 43 13 182
(as percentage) 12 5 42 10 24 7 100
SPAM LEVELS -
occurences
BY CATEGORY Fan Posts Spam Total SPAM RATIO SPAM IN THEIR CATEGORY in findingsmajor 1857 174 95.6 9.4
emerging 314 7 3.8 2.2
local 9 1 0.5 11.1 table of %
Percentage of total
spam posts 2180 182 8
SPAM LEVELS - ratios As a percentage
BY CATEGORY Of total spam
Of the posts within
their category in findings
major 95.6 9.4
emerging 3.8 2.2
local 0.5 11.1
Variance in fan posts
BY CATEGORY Fan cover vids Artist vids Amateur Footage Blogs Tickets Artist events
Artist
Mp3's Mp3 covers Remixes Photos
Fan
communi
tities
Net
Radio nos %
major 24 90 13 90 18 32 7 3 4 56 12 10 359 73.71663
emerging 2 43 4 36 3 15 0 0 0 20 0 3 126 25.87269
local 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0.410678
26 133 17 126 21 47 8 3 4 77 12 13
487
Variance in fan post links
BY CATEGORY
Fan cover-
version videos
Official Artist
videos Amateur Footage Blogs Tickets Artist events
Artist
Mp3's Mp3 covers Remixes Photo
Fan
groups
Net
Radio
Percentage 5 27 3 26 4 10 2 1 1 16 2 3
Variance in fan post links
BY CATEGORY Fan cover vids Artist vids Amateur Footage Blogs Tickets Artist events
Artist
Mp3's Mp3 covers Remixes Photos
Fan
communi
tities
Net
Radio
major 5 18 3 18 4 7 1 1 1 11 2 2
emerging 0 9 1 7 1 3 0 0 0 4 0 1
local 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Percentage 5 27 3 26 4 10 2 1 1 16 2 3
thematic observations and commentary based upon user perceptions, experience and screenshots
to include:
fragmented types of post - array of different media used
Areas covered
fan integration (thread counts) unique posts by fans (daily)
Summary - Key areas of interest and discussion TAB
· Bands that reply publicly to fans ARTIST#
· Growth irrespective of (lack of) FB activity ARTIST#
· Personality of band posts - and if ‘no’ personality then why it seems of l ittle matter to the fansARTIST#
· Lack of fan-to-fan interaction (generally speaking) FAN#
· High thread counts involving l iterally 2-3 people (indicative of poorly integrated community)FAN#
· Levels of spam and non-band related posts THEMES#
· Variety of media choices in fan posts (and their motivations) THEMES#
· The user experience (affected by all of the above) THEMES#
(1) Fan experience Illustrated by: acknowledgements from band, new posts, content, wall 'quality' (measuring spam, superfluous posts by other bands) community bonding
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'muse' Tab - *Statistics for Muse - (Major Artist) *please see USB to read the comments containing the Facebook data and post text
'radiohead Tab - *Statistics for Radiohead - (Major Artist) *please see USB to read the comments containing the Facebook data and post text
'kasabian' Tab - *Statistics for Kasabian (Major Artist) *please see USB to read the comments containing the Facebook data and post text
'bombay bicycle club' Tab - *Statistics for Bombay Bicycle Club (Emerging Artist) *please see USB to read the comments containing the Facebook data and post text
'dry the river' Tab - *Statistics for Dry The River (Emerging Artist)
*please see USB to read the comments containing the Facebook data and post text
'spector' Tab - *Statistics for Spector (Emerging Artist)
*please see USB to read the comments containing the Facebook data and post text
'dead sons' Tab - *Statistics for Dead Sons (Local Artist)
*please see USB to read the comments containing the Facebook data and post text
'the violet may' Tab - *Statistics for The Violet May (Local Artist)
*please see USB to read the comments containing the Facebook data and post text
'oblong' Tab - *Statistics for Oblong (Local Artist)
*please see USB to read the comments containing the Facebook data and post text
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RESEARCH ETHICS CHECKLIST
This form is designed to help students and staff completes an ethical scrutiny of their proposed research. It also enables the University and Faculty to keep a record of research conducted that has been subjected to ethical scrutiny.
Name of student or principal investigator
Adam Greenwood
Name of supervisor (if applicable) Ruth Deller
Title of research proposal Music fandom on Facebook Pages: a mixed-methods analysis of artist use and fan activity
Outline of methodology1
Mixed-methods analysis.
Content analysis and thematic analysis of Facebook Pages 'Wall' feature.
This for 9 UK music acts of various scale and popularity.
What are the anticipated outcomes, impacts and benefits of the research?
What are the plans for dissemination, and feedback to participants in the research/project?
I hope that the research will benefit my personal ambitions in making headway into being a professional musician. I think the research itself will add value to current understanding of fandom and community studies
1 If the research has a number of distinctive phases where the full methodology or research subjects are not clear at the outset, a separate ethical approval may needed for each phase. In this case, the outline of methodology should make clear if approval is only being sought for an initial phase of work. Normally this requirement would only relate to Doctoral Students at the RF1 and RF2 stages of their research.
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concerning social networks.
If able, I would welcome opportunities to have the research featured in (interested) journals.
Question Yes/No
1. Does the research involve human participants? yes
If NO please go to question No. 6.
If YES, then please answer the following questions No. 2 - 5:
2. Will any of the participants be vulnerable?
(E.g. Young people under 18, people with learning disabilities, people who may be limited by age or sickness or disability from understanding the research, people who are limited by knowledge of language, and people whose livelihood may be in jeopardy as a result of the research etc.)
no
3. Is there any reasonable and foreseeable risk of physical or emotional harm to any of the participants? (E.g. Distressing interview questions, experiments involving participants, asking participants to consume samples etc.)
no
4. Will anyone be taking part without giving their informed consent? (E.g. Research involving covert study, coercion of subjects, where subjects have not properly understood the research etc.)
yes,
Relating to the nine UK music acts themselves. However
this is publicly accessible material and is in accordance with Facebook policies concerning disclosure.
Under the General conditions, point 5 notes that, “Content posted to a Page is public and viewable by everyone who can see the Page”.
Facebook Pages Terms (Facebook 2012).
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5. Will the research output allow identification of any individual who has not given express consent to be identified?
No
If the answer to any of the questions 2 - 5 is YES then the research proposal should be submitted to the FREC for approval unless it falls into a category/programme of research that has already received category approval. (See Section Three)
6. Does the research require approval from any external ethics committee, e.g. the NHS? For NHS research, this includes any work using NHS Patients (including tissues, organs, or data), NHS staff, volunteers, carers, NHS premises or facilities.
no
If the answer to question 6 is YES then the research proposal should be submitted to the relevant external body. For NHS Research Ethics Committees please refer to http://www.corec.org.uk
What are the possible benefits of this research to participants in it?
The research does not require participants to be involved at an individual level so above not applicable.
If the research proposal does not require submission to either the FREC or an NHS or other external REC then standard approval applies.
If the research proposal requires submission to the FREC please refer to the Faculty Research Ethics Policy, or contact a member of the committee for more information. Approval awaited applies until the proposal has been considered by the FREC.
ETHICAL APPROVAL (please tick):
□ (Standard approval) This project does not require specific ethical approval.
□ (Category approval) In my opinion this work falls within the category
Of......................................... projects which has been previously approved by
the FREC and it does not therefore need individual approval (See Section 3)
□ (Approval awaited) This project should be referred to the FREC for individual
consideration – the work should not proceed unless and until the FREC gives
approval.
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I can confirm that I have read the Sheffield Hallam University Research Ethics Policy and Procedures document and agree to abide by its principles (please tick). □
Name......... Adam Greenwood Date...22/08/2012
Student / Researcher/Principal Investigator (as applicable)
Name..... Ruth Deller Date.....22/08/2012
Supervisor or other person giving ethical sign-off (as defined by O&M Research Ethics Procedures)
Note: University Research Ethics policy available from the following web link:
http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/ethics.html
Students - If standard approval applies, please return this form at the same time you submit your research project proposal form to your supervisor.