Digital Fandom Overseas

Abstract

This study deals with Latin American fans of Turkish television series within the context of digital fandom and convergence culture. With the rise of internet technologies, the spread of the television series has become easier on a global scale, and this process leads to a rather more multifaceted world where Latin American audiences are not compelled to Latin American telenovelas anymore; they can even become devoted fans of Turkish television series that are quite successful worldwide. In this chapter, the transformation of television series fandom is analyzed through the case study of Latin American fans of Turkish television series. The way they become fans and contribute to the sustainability of the success of Turkish television series in the region and worldwide through fan labor is studied in detail. Since Turkey has become the second exporter of television series right after the United States, such a study aims to come up with a roadmap on the transformation of fandom presenting future directions for further study.