Legofied: building blocks as mediaoffers a multi-faceted exploration of lego fandom addressing a blindspot in current accounts of lego and an emerging area of interest to media scholars: namely the role of hobbyist enthusiasts and content producers in lego s emergence as a ubiquitous transmedia franchise. This book examines a range of lego hobbyism and their attendant forms of mediated self-expression and identity their technicities : artists aspiring master builders collectors and entrepreneurs who refashion lego bricks into new commodities sets tchotchkes and minifigures . The practices and perspectives that constitute this diverse scene lie at the intersection of multiple transformations in contemporary culture including the shifting relationships between culture industries and the audiences that form their most ardent consumer base but also the emerging forms of entrepreneurialism professionalization and globalization that characterize the burgeoning diy movement. The major aim of this edited volume and what makes it a compelling project for media scholars is its rigorous mutli-dimensional articulation of how lego functions not just as toy as cultural icon or as transmedia franchise but as a media platform. Legofiedis centered around their shared experiences qualitative observations and semi-structured interviews at a number of lego hobbyist conventions. Working outwards from these conventions each chapter of the book engages additional modes of inquiry -- media archa...
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