A blog post from conference speaker and Academic Archers royalty, Claire Astbury, of her presentation, ‘Fans, Flouncers, Fundamentalists: Navigating the subcultures of online Archers fan spaces.’
When I want to comment on The Archers, although I am one of those lucky fans who do know fellow listeners in real life, I usually choose to say something online. I might tweet using the hashtag #TheArchers, I might leave a message for the Archers fan podcast DumTeeDum, or I might add to a message thread on one of the Archers Facebook groups I am a member of.
What drives people to set up, join, or leave a fan group? I surveyed over 1000 Archers fans who engage online and also asked questions of group moderators. Over half of the moderators who responded to my questionnaire had established an online group to meet a need they didn’t feel was met elsewhere in cyberspace, Perhaps that's why 30% of those who engage online said they had left a group because of the atmosphere or tone. The role of moderators in setting the rules and tone for their group was commented on by members and moderators alike.
Archers fans congregate online to talk about the programme but also to talk about completely different things; their pets, their knitting, their politics, their menopause. My survey identified over 70 separate Facebook groups, alongside Archers discussion threads on other message boards and dedicated websites. One respondent commented: “There is a wide variety of options which means any fan should be able to find a group/groups they feel suits their needs” whilst others mentioned feeling part of a family, finding their tribe and the life changing impact of finding fellow listeners online.
When it comes to slang, euphemisms and favourite characters, there are many similarities across Archers fans regardless of what platform they use or group they belong to. The most commonly recognised terms that I tested related to nicknames for key characters. Some terms such as “Flouncing” emerged not from the programme, but in online fan spaces. “Flouncing” – leaving a group or announcing the intention to leave, often accompanied by a photo of an ostentatious flouncing frock, has now become a well-established custom across a range of platforms. Other customs are specific to certain groups – the fundamentalist beliefs of the Archers Anarchists for example, who refuse to accept it is a scripted drama with actors. Borchester Asylum, a subgroup of Archers Anarchists, was mentioned by several people and is an example of one of the subgroups and subcultures which have emerged from longer-established fan forums.
When people find the group or groups that are right for them, they are loyal and enthusiastic about their online experience.
I asked fans about the benefits of their engagement with online communities and several themes emerged. Firstly it's clear that talking about The Archers online enhances listeners experience of the programme and encourages people to listen at all, especially during difficult storylines.
For listeners outside of the UK, the ability to talk to someone about the programme online was significant. Three quarters of non-British listeners outside of the UK did not know anyone else who listens, except for people online, a figure which was only true for one sixth of UK based British listeners.
The friendships and support of fellow online fans was commented on by many people and was especially valued by older respondents. Nearly half of the fans aged over 70 said they had made friends and had emotional or practical support from among an online fan community.
One in ten of the people responding to the survey had been involved in a pre-internet Archers fan group, mainly via post, but only about one in a hundred were still engaged in those off-line groups.
Overall the research I have done shows that Archers fans value meeting in an online space to meet each other, to talk about the program or indeed anything else. Online groups develop their own language, rituals and atmosphere although many of the nicknames and euphemisms used by fans are common across the fan space. This may be because, with such a wide variety of groups, individual Archers listeners can join multiple groups for different discussions. New groups spring up to meet changing needs and The Archers fan multiverse continues to develop.