Jane Austen e seu fandom digital: emergências e propiciamentos em um Sistema Adaptativo Complexo

Abstract

Conducted as a netnographic study, this thesis analyzes the community of Jane Austen Society of Brazil (JASBRA) as a complex adaptive system, whose interaction in Facebook allows the emergence of multiple genres, such as: memes, publicity and discussion boards. Stimulated by networked communication, the members of this community can be considered a digital, active and productive fandom. In order to analyze the interactions among the members, the following theoretical references were used: the characteristics of social networks (RECUERO, 2006, 2009b), communities of practice (WENGER, 2000, 2012), the complex adaptive systems (LARSEN-FREEMAN; CAMERON, 2008; HOLLAND, 1995, PAIVA, 2006, 2011), the conditions for complex emergence (DAVIS AND SUMARA, 2006), the emergent intelligence (JOHNSON, 2003), affordances theory (GIBLSON, 1979, GAVER, 1991; NORMAN, 1999) and the theory of social capital (RECUERO, 2012b). The main goal of this study is to analyze the textual productions as emerging genres in the digital context (MARCUSCHI, 2005). For this purpose there are six specific goals: 1) to describe the interactions in JASBRAs community using the perspective of the complex adaptive systems; 2) to identify and analyze emergent behaviors in the group; 3) to identify and analyze the genres emerged in this group; 4) to identify and analyze affordances and how they affect and are affected by the behavior patterns of this complex system; 5) to analyze the interactions from the social capital theory; and, 6) to understand the phenomenon of Jane Austen's popularity on the Internet. The methodology followed four stages: 1) data collection via questionnaire, Facebook and Sociograph; 2) data analysis based on the theoretical framework; 3) selection and analysis of emerging genres in the community; and, 4) contrast and analysis of all data collected. The results indicate that the theoretical bases confirm the complex nature of the community; the affordances and emergencies allow the construction of multiple genres that form the groups social capital and strengthen the popularity of Jane Austen.