
doi: 10.16997/book4.d
This chapter investigates the social reading and writing platform Wattpad as a site of collaborative production and consumption. I consider Wattpad as a community of readers and writers engaging in a process of creative dialogue and collaborative production of a shared commons and also as a transactional marketplace in which these readers and writers engage in the creation and circulation of value and exchange of services. I then go on to examine the various ways in which Wattpad, as both community and marketplace, articulates with the world of traditional publishing and the wider field of commerce: providing a launch pad for fledgling writers, an audience development opportunity for established writers and a marketing service for brands. Having considered these aspects, I argue that Wattpad’s fan community represents an emerging economic force and model within publishing. Furthermore, drawing on the work of Berlant and Arvidsson, I consider the extent to which this community might have the potential to function as a ‘productive consumer public’ and to exercise social and political as well as economic influence.
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| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 8 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
