Beyonce Fan Ethnography
QUEEN BEE AND THE BEYHIVE
A FAN ETHNOGRAPHY
Communication and Pop Culture | Dr. Dan Heaton Malcolm White 4-2-13
“BOW DOWN”
On March 18, 2013, Beyonce Knowles-Carter leaked a song called “Bow Down,” where she instructed all of her competitors to bow down before her. In her estimation, there was no competition, she was aware of it, and anybody practicing in her arena was aware of it too. More importantly, her legion of adoring fans knew it as well. The song leak served as a stark contrast to what Beyonce had recently become known for releasing. Instead of the ballads of romance, anthems of girl power, unity and triumph, or the militaristic pronunciation of confidence and ego, this track releases scathing criticism and pompous boast over all of her contemporaries. The deviance from what normally typifies Beyonce’s sound and message did not extend to her fan base; this is to say that the reaction was largely the same. Regarding anything that has to do with Beyonce, there was instant conversation started. As an outsider who does not consider myself as a “lover” or a “hater” of Beyonce, I saw artifacts and texts everywhere that I went. On social networks, there were links sharing the song. There were comparisons between the newest song and previous singles from her catalogue. There were images that exulted Beyonce to a place of worship and then there were parodies of these said images. Blogs dedicated special release posts to discuss the piece. In person, I heard the song emanating from
White |2
vehicles. When I came to work, I was lured into conversation by coworkers. Mind you, I couldn’t care less about anything to do with Beyonce, but I was exposed to it. Beyond the commercial reception to the record, the song had a lot of cultural implications as well. Culture commentators, such as radio DJ’s, online bloggers, and musical critics; all voiced opinions on the magnitude of the song. Some questioned whether or not Beyonce was right in putting out a record
A FAN ETHNOGRAPHY
Communication and Pop Culture | Dr. Dan Heaton Malcolm White 4-2-13
“BOW DOWN”
On March 18, 2013, Beyonce Knowles-Carter leaked a song called “Bow Down,” where she instructed all of her competitors to bow down before her. In her estimation, there was no competition, she was aware of it, and anybody practicing in her arena was aware of it too. More importantly, her legion of adoring fans knew it as well. The song leak served as a stark contrast to what Beyonce had recently become known for releasing. Instead of the ballads of romance, anthems of girl power, unity and triumph, or the militaristic pronunciation of confidence and ego, this track releases scathing criticism and pompous boast over all of her contemporaries. The deviance from what normally typifies Beyonce’s sound and message did not extend to her fan base; this is to say that the reaction was largely the same. Regarding anything that has to do with Beyonce, there was instant conversation started. As an outsider who does not consider myself as a “lover” or a “hater” of Beyonce, I saw artifacts and texts everywhere that I went. On social networks, there were links sharing the song. There were comparisons between the newest song and previous singles from her catalogue. There were images that exulted Beyonce to a place of worship and then there were parodies of these said images. Blogs dedicated special release posts to discuss the piece. In person, I heard the song emanating from
White |2
vehicles. When I came to work, I was lured into conversation by coworkers. Mind you, I couldn’t care less about anything to do with Beyonce, but I was exposed to it. Beyond the commercial reception to the record, the song had a lot of cultural implications as well. Culture commentators, such as radio DJ’s, online bloggers, and musical critics; all voiced opinions on the magnitude of the song. Some questioned whether or not Beyonce was right in putting out a record
Cited: "Beyonce Fandom: Are You In the Beyhive." E-mail Interview. Babbs, Makiah; Babbs, Vera; Butler, Brooke; Ford, Jameesha ; White, Andrea C.; 17 Mar. 2013. "Beyonce Super Bowl 2013 Halftime Show, Full 15 Min 2013 HD 720P." YouTube. YouTube, 04 Feb. 2013. Web. . Instagram. "#Beyhive." Web. . Instagram. "#Beyonce." Web. . Instagram. "#queenbey." Web. . Knowles-Carter, Beyonce. "Bow Down / I Been On - Beyonce©." YouTube. YouTube, 19 Mar. 2013. Web. . "Life Is But a Dream." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. . Twitter. "#Beyhive." Web. . Twitter. "#queenbey." Web. .s