Fandom’s Intimate Nexus in the Digital Matrix

For a number, some musical experiences afford indescribable, unlocatable sensations – even enchantment (as defined by Bennett 2001: 5 and employed by Redmond: 2014: 126). Such musical experiences might happen in the presence of the star performer, or in their absence, as in the case of live or recorded music. An increasingly important aspect of stardom and celebrity in contemporary societies finds now that there are important ‘new’ spaces for discussion and commentary about popular music, its star performers and the various affects of fandom itself. In this context, certain interpretations and understandings of “real” space and place are less definitive, allowing for “special encounters”. In the digital sphere, the increased ubiquity of distribution platforms such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook and imaging devices on mobile screens afford increased fan interactions whereby stars and celebrities plausibly act as a “culture medium” in which, through imagination, one’s identity might be assembled, realised or formed.