Over the past century of technology driven storytelling, pop-culture has taken the most popular stories and stretched them across multiple platforms. From page, to screen, to online forum, the entertainment industry and audience’s interest in these transmedia and adapted properties have risen in the past two decades, as seen most evidently by the rise of expanded franchises and universes, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Harry Potter (Heick, 2017). These transmedia properties have taken over newsfeeds, with audiences clamoring online to discuss the newest plot twists that happened in the most recent episode. What was once just a cinematic event, has become a daily part of pop culture. Bennett explains, “It’s just as important to acknowledge the wonder of that as it is to honor what happens when the experience gets messy” (Bennett, 2019). In an age of 24/7 connection, fandoms are a microcosm of how audiences engage with pop-culture, specifically transmedia properties. Some are blissfully just enjoying good television and others are passionate to the point of action and investment. However, in the age of constant communication, fans are more passionate than ever about the stories that they have a specific and undeniable relationship to, and the corporate industry is well aware of it.

Read More