Chapter 5 Believe the hype? The impact of the Internet on sport-related subcultures

Online Community or Electronic Tribe? Exploring the Social Characteristics and Spatial Production of an Internet Hockey Fan Culture

“…This is a concern for many Internet research projects, for as Wilson (2008) notes, many studies of online groups fail to "fully [attend] to the ways that Internet-associated experiences . .…”

Women, Sport and New Media Technologies: Derby Grrrls Online

“…There has been a plethora of research into the everyday cultural meanings, practices and deployment of digital technologies that have accompanied the growth of the Internet. Since the early 1990s researchers working in the areas of sport (MacKay & Dallaire, 2012;Ruddock, Hutchins, & Rowe, 2010;Wilson, 2008), feminism (Driscoll, 1999;Luckman, 1999), media, and subcultures (Gibson, 1999;Hodkinson, 2003;Kahn & Kellner, 2003Williams, 2003) have brought 'virtual' spaces and representations to the fore of their work. Initially a site for 'consumption', the Internet now enables users to produce as well as consume text, ideas, images, sounds, and narratives (Castells, 2003;Manovich, 2009).…”

“…In the more specific area of sport sociology research has begun to examine how the Internet figures within individual and collective identity formation, and most of this research utilizes a [post]subcultural studies framework (Wilson, 2008).…”

“…Leonard writes, 'sports studies continues to lag behind in terms of analysis and critical interrogation of new media ' (2009, p. 2). This 'lag' is being addressed on several fronts, including examinations of 'traditional' masculine sports (Dart, 2009;Oates, 2009), 'lifestyle'/'subcultural' sports (Wilson, 2008) and, more recently, (re)presentations of gender and sport online (MacKay & Dallaire, 2012). Women in sport are given dramatically less coverage within mainstream media as compared to men (7% compared to 86%) (Lumby, et al, 2009).…”

Skateboarding Women

“…Our research of Skirtboarders.com heeds Wilson's (2007Wilson's ( , 2008 invitation for sports scholars to explore how interactive media platforms, such as the Internet, affect sport cultures and sport identities. Like Wilson (2007Wilson ( , 2008, feminist media scholars (e.g., Bury, 2005;Consalvo & Paasonen, 2002;Gajjalla, 2004;Harcourt, 1999;Passonen, 2005) are also appealing for research that specifically explores the impact of the Internet on women's identities.…”