ABSTRACT

Worldwide, people use mediated communication to follow and engage with global celebrities’ lives almost in real time, while local communities create their own celebrities, of great local fame and adored by local fans, but unknown internationally. Not highly visible in the global popular culture arena, local fandom nevertheless has considerable significance and relevance in the lives of millions. For instance, when Flemish singer and gay icon, Yasmine, died by her own hand on 2 June 2009, the regard of local media, audiences and fans far outweighed attention paid to global musical icon Michael Jackson, who died that same day (Van den Bulck & Claessens 2013a). Years later, the anniversary of Yasmine’s death still evokes fan reactions on social media, underlining her relevance in people’s lives, while Michael Jackson’s death seems forgotten. Moreover, in dealing with local celebrities, fans find significance and meaning that appears to go beyond experiences of fans of global celebrities. As an analysis of fan reactions to Flemish schlager singer, Jo Vally’s, staged divorce reveals (Van den Bulck & Van Gorp 2011), the situated nature of a local celebrity allows for exchanges with the fan text that move beyond the parasocial into the social and from the virtual and mediated into the real, creating additional meanings for fans.