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Crossing borders virtual and real: a transnational Internet-based community of Spaghetti Western fans finally meet each other face to face on the wild plains of Almeria, Spain

2011; Routledge; Volume: 11; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14708477.2011.613475

1747-759X

Lee Broughton,

Digital Games and Media

Abstract Since the rise of the Internet, the act of border crossing has become a pursuit that must necessarily be conceptualized in both real and virtual terms. By using theories connected to virtual communities, new technologies, fan cultures and tourism, this paper seeks to show that the culturally productive activities of a transnational virtual community of Spaghetti Western fans resulted in some of their number crossing real borders and meeting each other face-to-face. My findings are in part supported by evidence collected via a participant observation exercise and e-mail interviews. Abstract Com o avanço da Internet, o ato de se cruzar fronteiras tornou-se um projeto que deve necessariamente ser pensado tanto em tempo real quanto virtual. Recorrendo a teorias sobre comunidades virtuais, novas teconologias, fã-clubes e turismo, este trabalho irá mostrar que as atividades culturalmente produtivas da comunidade de fãs de Spaghetti Westerns, estabelecida num ambiente virtual e transnacional, fizeram com que vários de seus participantes cruzassem fronteiras reais e se encontrassem pessoalmente. Essa constatação é em parte baseada em evidência que obtive por intermédio de um exercício de observação participativa e entrevistas por e-mail. Keywords: border crossingvirtual communitytourismInternettravel writingtourism studies Spainmobilities Italyappropriation USAinteraction Internetethnographyfan culturesSpaghetti Westerns Acknowledgements I would like to thank the members of the Spaghetti Western Web Board (who kindly allowed me to record and quote their postings) and Franco Cleef and John Nudge (who both kindly agreed to be interviewed). Thanks also to Professor Paul Cooke, Professor Lance Pettitt and Language and Intercultural Communication's anonymous reviewer (for their helpful comments) and Professor Lucia Nagib (for providing a translation of my abstract).