The Audience in Everyday Life
by S. Elizabeth Bird · S. Elizabeth Bird
Ethnographic study of how people actually use media in ordinary life, drawing on fieldwork with fans, tabloid readers, and Native American audiences. Shows why audience behaviour resists text-centred analysis and how to research it instead.
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More resources on Audience Studies
International Journal of Audience Research
Peer-reviewed open-access journal from USC Annenberg publishing communication research, including empirical work on media audiences, reception, and fan practices. Useful for tracking current methods and findings rather than for structured introductory study.
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Henry Jenkins's website serves as the online hub for the renowned media scholar, featuring his essays, blog posts, and project updates on media studies, participatory culture, fan practices, and digital literacy. It also showcases his books, talks, and ongoing research projects across media, education, and policy.
fanstudies.org
FanStudies.org is an academic resource hub for fan studies, offering scholarly articles, bibliographies, and information on conferences and research projects related to fan cultures, fan labor, and participatory media.
Fandom
Edited collection marking the third wave of fan studies, with essays on fan spaces, global fandom, technology, and legal disputes. Gives a map of the field's central debates and the methods scholars use to study fans.