Tune In, Log On: Soaps, Fandom, and Online Community

by Nancy K. Baym

Tune In, Log Out is an ethnographic study of an Internet soap opera fan group. Bridging the fields of computer-mediated communication and audience studies, the book shows how verbal and non verbal communicative practices create collaborative interpretations and criticism, group humor, interpersonal relationships, group norms and individual identity. While much has been written about problems and inequities women have encountered online, Nancy K Baym's analysis of a female-dominated group in which female communication styles prevail demonstrates that women can build successful online communities while still welcoming male participation. In addition, a longitudinal look at the development of fan group allows an examination of the endurance of the group's social structure in the face of the Internet's tremendous growth. Lively and engaging, Tune In, Log Out provides an entertaining introduction to issues of online and audience community.

Genres: Fandom, Nonfiction, Academic

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 1999

About the author

Nancy K. Baym is a Principal Researcher at Microsoft in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is the author and co-editor of four books about audiences, relationships, and the internet, including Personal Connections in the Digital Age. More information, most of her articles, and some of her talks are available at nancybaym.com.

(Biography adapted from NYU Press, https://nyupress.org/books/9781479821...)

Reviews

[John Carter McKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the very best works on online community I've read. Very strong methodologically, and her critique of online research methods still holds. This study of a soap-fan community on Usenet has it all: outstanding analysis, detailed observation, and some righteous smackdowns on academic foolishness. Awesome.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baym undertook a study into a soap fans' Usenet community, looking at its norms of practice and the sense of community felt by the members.

Very interesting investigation of online community.