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Journals / Medya ve Kültürel Çalışmalar Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 8 Sayı: 2

Intergenerational Media and Fandom Culture: A Qualitative Study on Star Wars

Kuşaklararası Medya ve Hayranlık Kültürü: Star Wars Üzerinden Nitel Bir İnceleme

Oğuz Turan Yayla(İSTANBUL TİCARET ÜNİVERSİTESİ, SOSYAL BİLİMLER ENSTİTÜSÜ, MEDYA VE İLETİŞİM ÇALIŞMALARI ANABİLİM DALI (DİSİPLİNLERARASI), MEDYA VE İLETİŞİM ÇALIŞMALARI (DR))0000-0003-0568-3173
Pages
233–249
Publication Date
2026-10-28
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Digital environments were found to increase participation while also producing forms of algorithmic steering, conflict, and distancing.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:The transformation of digital media environments is reshaping how different generations engage with media content and practice fandom.
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Key Findings & Data:Adopting a qualitative and interpretive approach, the study conducted semi-structured group interviews with 24 participants, eight from each generation.
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Conclusion & Impact:Digital environments were found to increase participation while also producing forms of algorithmic steering, conflict, and distancing.
🔬Design:Modeling & Simulation
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:: Kuşaklararası medya · hayranlık kültürü · dijital medya

Abstract

The transformation of digital media environments is reshaping how different generations engage with media content and practice fandom. This study examines the media use and fandom experiences of participants from Generations X, Y, and Z through the case of Star Wars. Adopting a qualitative and interpretive approach, the study conducted semi-structured group interviews with 24 participants, eight from each generation. The data were coded in MAXQDA and analyzed through qualitative content analysis. Themes generated from the data were subsequently interpreted through the Generation-Centric/Medium-Centric (GC/MC) model. The findings suggest that participants’ encounters with Star Wars and their understandings of fandom cannot be explained solely by age or year of birth. Among the Generation X participants, television, cinema, and nostalgic media experiences were prominent; among Generation Y participants, analog and digital media experiences intersected; and among Generation Z participants, games, digital platforms, and online circulation were more visible. Sharing within the family, cultural transmission, and engagement with a shared narrative universe also emerged as points of intergenerational continuity. Digital environments were found to increase participation while also producing forms of algorithmic steering, conflict, and distancing.

Özet

Dijital medya ortamlarının dönüşümü farklı kuşakların medya içerikleriyle kurdukları ilişkileri ve hayranlık pratiklerini yeniden biçimlendirmektedir. Bu çalışma X, Y ve Z kuşaklarından katılımcıların medya kullanımı ve hayranlık deneyimlerini Star Wars örneği üzerinden incelemektedir. Araştırma nitel ve yorumlayıcı bir yaklaşımla yürütülmüştür ve her kuşaktan sekiz olmak üzere toplam 24 katılımcıyla yarı yapılandırılmış grup görüşmeleri gerçekleştirilmiştir. Veriler MAXQDA aracılığıyla kodlanarak nitel içerik analiziyle çözümlenmiştir. Oluşturulan temalar Generation-Centric (Kuşak Merkezli) / Medium-Centric (Medya Merkezli) modeli çerçevesinde yorumlanmıştır. Bulgular katılımcıların Star Wars’la karşılaşma ve hayranlığı anlamlandırma biçimlerinin yalnızca yaş veya doğum yılıyla açıklanamayacağını düşündürmektedir. Bu araştırmadaki X kuşağı katılımcılarının anlatılarında televizyon, sinema ve nostaljik medya deneyimleri; Y kuşağı katılımcılarında analog ve dijital ortamların kesişimi; Z kuşağı katılımcılarında ise oyunlar, dijital platformlar ve çevrim içi dolaşım öne çıkmıştır. Bunun yanında aile içi paylaşım, kültürel aktarım ve ortak anlatı evreni kuşakları birbirine bağlayan unsurlar olarak belirlenmiştir. Dijital ortamların ise katılımı artırmanın yanında algoritmik yönlendirme, çatışma ve mesafelenme biçimleri de üretebildiği görülmüştür.

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Cite This Article

Yayla, O. T. (2026). Intergenerational Media and Fandom Culture: A Qualitative Study on Star Wars. Medya ve Kültürel Çalışmalar Dergisi, Cilt: 8 Sayı: 2, 233–249. https://doi.org/10.55055/mekcad.2036288

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