Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This conceptual paper argues that parafandom offers a potentially useful framework to make sense of fannish forms of dis- or misinformation. To support this argument, I first provide an overview of dis- and misinformation and the ways that it has been studied within LIS and fan studies, respectively. From this scholarship, I identify several existing frameworks for studying atypical fan(dom)s, including research on ‘fans’ of QAnon. Finally, I offer a working definition of parafandom, concluding with several possibilities for its application in future FanLIS research.
Author: Melissa Nelson
Institution: University of British Columbia
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4413881323