Performative activism: the relevance and representation of the concept in contemporary Hungarian fan discourses
Abstract
The political dimensions of popular culture are a major research area, particularly in terms of the public engagement of artists and the political attitudes of fan communities. Our study analyzes the relevance of the concept of performative activism and its representation in contemporary Hungarian fan discourses, using the example of the band Carson Coma. As part of our qualitative research, we conducted two focus group interviews, two semi-structured individual interviews, and two paired interviews with youth aged 17 to 25. Our findings indicate that in fan discourses regarding Carson Coma, the issue of political engagement is closely linked to the question of authenticity. Participants primarily interpret the preservation of authenticity through personal involvement and consistent public presence, while critiques of performative activism mainly focus on the marketability of public statements and the lack of genuine risk-taking. Our results align with research emphasizing the mobilizing power of popular culture while also providing a more nuanced perspective by highlighting the tension between authenticity and market-driven logic. The example of Carson Coma suggests that political engagement in popular culture can be both a mobilising force and an object of criticism, depending on the extent to which audiences perceive it as sincere and consistent.
References
Abi-Karam, A. (2014): Speak Up: An interview with CeCe McDonald. The Media. http://www.fvckthemedia.com/issue49/frontpage
Amnå, E. – Ekman, J. (2014): Standby citizens: diverse faces of political passivity. European Political Science Review, 6 (2): 261–281. https://doi.org/10.1017/S175577391300009X
Anderson, B. R. O. (1983): Imagined communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. London – New York: Verso.
Barna, E. (2015): Lehet-e népszerű az alternatív? Legitimációs diskurzusok a 21. századi magyar alternatív zene körül. In Ignácz, Á. (szerk.): Műfajok, stílusok, szubkultúrák. Tanulmányok a magyar populáris zenéről. Budapest: Rózsavölgyi és Társa, 181–192.
Barna, E. – Madár, M. – Nagy, K. – Szarvas, M. (2019): Dinamikus hatalom. Kulturális termelés és politika Magyarországon 2010 után. Fordulat, (26): 225–251.
Barna, E. – Patakfalvi-Czirják, Á. (2024): Zene, haza, család. A zenehallgatás morális ökonómiája a 2010 utáni Magyarországon. In Barna, E. – Patakfalvi-Czirják, Á. (szerk.): Populáris kultúra és politika. Budapest: Typotex, 124–141.
Bicsák, B. (2024): „Most a magánéleti seggfejekről van szó” – dalbemutató titkos Carson Coma-koncerten jártunk. 24.hu. https://24.hu/kultura/2024/09/18/carson-coma-pop-up-koncert-dalpremier-plusz-egy-video/
Boulianne, S. – Theocharis, Y. (2020): Young People, Digital Media, and Engagement: A Meta-Analysis of Research. Social Science Computer Review, 38(2): 111–127. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439318814190
Brough, M. M. – Shresthova, S. (2012): Fandom meets activism: Rethinking civic and political participation. Transformative Works and Cultures, 10. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2012.0303
Bury, R. (2005): Cyberspaces of their own: female fandoms online. New York – Frankfurt am Main – Berlin – Bern – Vienna: Lang.
Butler, J. (1988): Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory. Theatre Journal, 40(4): 519–531. https://doi.org/10.2307/3207893
Chow, Y. F. – de Kloet, J. (2008): The production of locality in global pop: a comparative study of pop fans in the Netherlands and Hong Kong. Particip@tions, 5. https://dare.uva.nl/search?identifier=fe20dc49-99ae-4fde-b651-976866e65e7c
Cohen, C. – Kahne, J. – Bowyer, B. – Middaugh, E. – Rogowski, J. (2012): Participatory politics: New media and youth political action. MacArthur Research Network on Youth and Participatory Politics. https://ypp.dmlcentral.net/sites/default/files/publications/Participatory_Politics_New_Media_and_Youth_Political_Action.2012.pdf
Conge, P. J. – Barnes, S. H. – Kaase, M. – Nelson, J. M. – Booth, J. H. – Seligson, M. A. (1988): The Concept of Political Participation: Toward a Definition. Comparative Politics, 20(2): 241. https://doi.org/10.2307/421669
Cuervo, H. – Wyn, J. (2017): A Longitudinal Analysis of Belonging: Temporal, Performative and Relational Practices by Young People in Rural Australia. YOUNG, 25(3): 219–234. https://doi.org/10.1177/1103308816669463
D’Addario, D. (2024): If Taylor Swift doesn’t endorse Kamala Harris, she’d be entering a new era. Variety. https://variety.com/2024/music/opinion/taylor-swift-kamala-harris-1236138123/
Déri, A. – Szabó, A. (2024): A politikai részvétel diskurzusai a magyar fiatalok körében. Pólusok, 5(1): 95–118. https://doi.org/10.15170/PSK.2024.05.01.07
Dienes, G. (2024): Zavartalanul zajlott le a 29. Budapest Pride felvonulás. 24.hu. https://24.hu/kozelet/2024/06/22/budapest-pride-felvonulas-partok-lmbtq-kozosseg/
Driessen, S. (2020): Taylor Swift, political power, and the challenge of affect in popular music fandom. Transformative Works and Cultures, 32. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2020.1843
Driessen, S. (2022a): Campaign Problems: How Fans React to Taylor Swift’s Controversial Political Awakening. American Behavioral Scientist, 66(8): 1060–1074. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027642211042295
Driessen, S. (2022b): Look what you made them do: understanding fans’ affective responses to Taylor Swift’s political coming-out. Celebrity Studies, 13(1): 93–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2021.2023851
Dyer, R. (1979): Stars. London: British Film Institute.
Feischmidt, M. – Pulay, G. (2014): Élmény és ideológia a nacionalista popkultúrában. In Feischmidt, M. (szerk.): Nemzet a mindennapokban. Az újnacionalizmus populáris kultúrája. Budapest: L’Harmattan – MTA Társadalomtudományi Kutatóközpont, 249–289.
Fogarty, M. – Arnold, G. (2021): Are You Ready for It? Re-Evaluating Taylor Swift. Contemporary Music Review, 40(1): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/07494467.2021.1976586
Fornäs, J. (1995): Cultural theory and late modernity. London: Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Franssen, G. (2022): Policing the celebrity of Taylor Swift: introduction. Celebrity Studies, 13(1): 90–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2022.2026148
Frith, S. (1996a): Music and identity. In Questions of cultural identity. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 108–127.
Frith, S. (1996b): Performing rites: on the value of popular music. 1. Harvard Univ. Press pb. ed., 3. print. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press.
Gábor, K. (2004): Globalizáció és ifjúsági korszakváltás. In Gábor, K. – Jancsák, Cs. (szerk.): Ifjúsági korszakváltás – Ifjúság az új évezredben. Belvedere. https://doi.org/10.14232/belvbook.2004.58496.e
Grossberg, L. (1992): We Gotta Get Out of This Place. Popular Conservatism and Postmodern Culture. Routledge.
Gyorgyovich, M. – Déri, A. (2024): Kérdőjelek és a válaszok: A magyar ifjúság életvitel-csoportjai. In Papházi, V. – Oross, D. – Szabó, A. (szerk.): Csendes? Mozgalmi? Miként jellemezhető a magyar ifjúság a 21. században. Nemzeti Ifjúsági Tanács, 19–53.
Haile, H. (2017): Hey hey, ho ho, white performative allyship has got to go. Columbia Daily Spectator. https://www.columbiaspectator.com/opinion/2017/10/17/hey-hey-ho-ho-white-performative-allyship-has-got-to-go/
Hall, S. (1997): A kulturális identitásról. In Feischmidt, M. (szerk.): Multikulturalizmus. Osiris, 60–85.
Harff, D. – Schmuck, D. (2023): Influencers as Empowering Agents? Following Political Influencers, Internal Political Efficacy and Participation among Youth. Political Communication, 40(2): 147–172. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2023.2166631
Hill, R. L. (2016): Women Fans and the Myth of the Groupie. In Hill, R. L. (szerk.): Gender, Metal and the Media. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 83–104.
Hill, R. L. – Hesmondhalgh, D. – Megson, M. (2020): Sexual violence at live music events: Experiences, responses and prevention. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 23(3): 368–384. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877919891730
Hódi, B. – Barkász, D. A. – Buvár, Á. (2022): „Mindegy, mit reklámoz; lényeg, hogy szeretem”: A paraszociális kapcsolat és az influenszer-márka kongruencia együttes hatása a szponzorált közösségi posztok hatékonyságára. Marketing & Menedzsment, 56 (EMOK-különszám), 7–17. https://doi.org/10.15170/MM.2022.56.KSZ.01.01
Holmes, O. H. (2020): Police brutality and four other ways racism kills Black people. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 39(7): 803–809. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-06-2020-0151
hvg.hu (2023): „Akinek van szeme, látja, akinek van füle, hallja” – kommentálta a Carson Coma, miért nem léphettek fel a brüsszeli Liszt Ferenc Intézetben. https://hvg.hu/elet/20230601_kommentalta_a_Carson_Coma_brusszeli_Liszt_Ferenc_Intezet
Ignácz, Á. (2013): A populáris zene megítélésének változásai a kádári Magyarország ifjúsági sajtójában – az első 15 év (1957–1972). Médiakutató, 4, 7–17.
ihartericka (2018): Performative activism: the co-opting of social justice movement, rhetoric or stance for personal and or economic gain while also being complicit in the very problem your pretending you want to absolve Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/BpmslZHAFZe/
Inglehart, R. – Welzel, C. (2001): Modernization, Cultural Change, and Democracy: The Human Development Sequence. 1. kiad. Cambridge University Press.
Ito, M. – Baumer, S. – Bittanti, M. – Boyd, D. – Cody, R. – Herr-Stephenson, B. – Horst, H. – Lange, P. – Mahendran, D. – Martínez, K. – Pascoe, C. J. – Perkel, D. – Robinson, L. – Sims, C. – Tripp, L. (2013): Hanging out, messing around, and geeking out: Kids living and learning with new media. MIT Press.
Jackson, S. C. – Eaton, A. A. (2024): Stop the Show: A Call to End Performative Activism. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 36(3): 159–161. https://doi.org/10.1177/19394225241279581
Kalina, P. (2020): Performative Allyship. Technium Social Sciences Journal, 11, 478–481. https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v11i1.1518
Kanicsár, Á. (2021): A Carson Coma és mi barátok vagyunk. Humen Online. https://humenonline.hu/a-carson-coma-es-mi-baratok-vagyunk/
Keightley, K. (2001): Reconsidering rock. In Frith, S. – Straw, W. – Street, J. (szerk.): The Cambridge Companion to Pop and Rock. 1. kiad. Cambridge University Press, 109–142.
Kelly, L. (1988): Surviving sexual violence. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Krebs, N. D. (2014): Confidently (Non)cognizant of Neoliberalism: Kanye West and the Interruption of Taylor Swift. In Bailey, J. (szerk.): The Cultural Impact of Kanye West. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 195–208.
Kurze, A. (2016): #WarCrimes #PostConflictJustice #Balkans: Youth, Performance Activism and the Politics of Memory. International Journal of Transitional Justice. https://doi.org/DOI10.1093/ijtj/ijw014
Kutlaca, M. – Radke, H. R. M. (2023): Towards an understanding of performative allyship: Definition, antecedents and consequences. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 17(2): e12724. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12724
Lanzalonga, F. – Chmet, F. – Petrolo, B. – Brescia, V. (2023): Exploring Diversity Management to Avoid Social Washing and Pinkwashing: Using Bibliometric Analysis to Shape Future Research Directions. Journal of Intercultural Management, 15(1): 41–65. https://doi.org/10.2478/joim-2023-0002
Lindholm, C. (2008): Culture and authenticity. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publ.
Lőrincz, B. – Antal-Fekete, E. (2022): Oktatási egyenlőtlenségek, iskolai mobilitás és az oktatási rendszer átalakulása Magyarországon az 1980-as évektől napjainkig. In Kolosi, T. – Tóth, I. Gy. – Szelényi, I. (szerk.): Társadalmi Riport 2022. Budapest: TÁRKI, 207–223.
Mészáros, J. (2023): Fekete Giorgio, a Carson Coma énekese a kecskeméti Photoshop-katasztrófáról: Milyen kibaszott ország ez? 444.hu. https://444.hu/2023/05/21/fekete-giorgio-a-carson-coma-enekese-a-kecskemeti-photoshop-katasztrofarol-milyen-kibaszott-orszag-ez
Middleton, R. (1990): Studying popular music. Milton Keynes Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Open University Press.
Mikecz, D. (2020): Semmit rólunk nélkülünk: Tüntetések, politikai, aktivizmus az Orbán-rezsim idején. Budapest: Napvilág Kiadó.
Moore, A. (2002): Authenticity as authentication. Popular Music, 21(02), 173–183. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261143002002131
Morimoto, L. H. – Chin, B. (2017): Reimagining the imagined community: online media fandoms in the age of global convergence. In Fandom. Second Ed. New York University Press, 174–188.
Morozov, E. (2009): From slacktivism to activism. Foreign Policy. https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/09/05/from-slacktivism-to-activism/
Nagy, Á. – Boros, L. – Folmeg, B. – Trencsényi, L. (2017): Az ifjúságügyi gondolkodás diszciplináris előtörténete. Kultúra és Közösség, (1): 51–89.
Nisbett, G. S. (2018): Don’t Mess with My Happy Place: Understanding Misogyny in Fandom Communities. In Vickery, J. R. – Everbach, T. (szerk.): Mediating Misogyny: Gender, Technology, and Harassment. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 171–188.
Oberst, C. (2024): “Shade Never Made Anybody Less Gay”: Taylor Swift’s Performance of Allyship and the Neoliberalization of Activism. Popular Music and Society, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/03007766.2024.2407998
Oross, D. – Szabó, A. (2019): Aktív és fiatal = magyar egyetemista? In Szabó, A. – Oross, D. – Susánszky, P. (szerk.): Mások vagy ugyanolyanok? A hallgatók politikai aktivitása, politikai orientációja Magyarországon. Belvedere Meridionale – MTA Társadalomtudományi Kutatóközpont Politikatudományi Intézet, 35–66.
Paavolainen, T. (2022): On the ‘Doing’ of ‘Something’: A theoretical defence of ‘performative protest’. Performance Research, 27(3–4): 38–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/13528165.2022.2155394
Pickard, S. (2016): Finding the Gaps, Minding the Gaps, Filling the Gaps: Cross-disciplinary Studies of Young People and Political Participation. In Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship. McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Pickard, S. (2019): Defining and Measuring Political Participation and Young People. In Pickard, S. (szerk.): Politics, Protest and Young People. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 57–87.
Prins, A. (2020): From awkward teen girl to aryan goddess meme: Taylor Swift and the hijacking of star texts. Celebrity Studies, 11(1): 144–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2020.1704431
Puar, J. (2013): Rethinking Homonationalism. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 45(2): 336–339. https://doi.org/10.1017/S002074381300007X
Rarity, E. C. – Leitao, M. R. – Rutchick, A. M. (2022): Identification with characters in parasocial relationships predicts sharing their personality traits. Psychology of Popular Media, 11(2): 111–116. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000389
Sajó, D. (2022): Elérkeztünk a magyar popzene legújabb generációváltásához. Telex. https://telex.hu/komplex/2022/09/22/magyar-konnyuzene-popzene-dzsudlo-beton-hofi-azahriah-carson-coma-1
Sajó, D. – Fazekas, G. (2024): Mi ellen tud még lázadni a rockzene? https://open.spotify.com/episode/0HrytEoOvP1Zdij1Fs5XyV?si=5a47c5763f1d443e
Shayne, J. (2014): Taking Risks: Feminist Activism and Research in the Americas. State University of New York Press.
Spaniol, M. J. – Danilova-Jensen, E. – Nielsen, M. – Rosdahl, C. G. – Schmidt, C. J. (2024): Defining Greenwashing: A Concept Analysis. Sustainability, 16(20): 9055. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16209055
Stehr, P. – Rössler, P. – Schönhardt, F. – Leissner, L. (2015): Parasocial Opinion Leadership - Media Personalities’ Influence within Parasocial Relations: Theoretical Conceptualization and Preliminary Results. International Journal of Communication, 9: 982–1001.https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/2717/1350
Street, J. – Inthorn, S. – Scott, M. (2012): Playing at Politics? Popular Culture as Political Engagement. Parliamentary Affairs, 65(2): 338–358. https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsr037
Szabó, A. – Déri, A. (2023): Talk or something more? COVID-19 and youth discourses of participation. Qualitative Research Journal, 23(5): 485–500. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRJ-02-2023-0031
Theocharis, Y. – Van Deth, J. W. (2018): The continuous expansion of citizen participation: a new taxonomy. European Political Science Review, 10(1): 139–163. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755773916000230
Thimsen, A. F. (2022): What Is Performative Activism? Philosophy & Rhetoric, 55(1): 83–89. https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/2/article/855141
Tófalvy, T. – Barna, E. (2020): Nem csak egy playlist: Hogyan termelik újra a társadalmi egyenlőtlenségeket a humán és algoritmikus ajánlórendszerek a digitális zeneiparban? In Tófalvy, T. – Barna, E. (szerk.): Kulturális iparágak, kánonok és filterbuborékok. Typotex, 91–109.
Vajna, T. (2024): Az egész világon egyedülálló tüntetést tartottak péntek este a Hősök terén. Qubit. https://qubit.hu/2024/02/17/az-egesz-vilagon-egyedulallo-tuntetest-tartottak-pentek-este-a-hosok-teren
Vargas-Bianchi, L. (2022): Pursuing belonging through consumption: refining the belonging process framework. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 25(4): 469–491. https://doi.org/10.1108/QMR-11-2021-0134
Vida, K. (2024): A zseniális Krúbi és a beletörődésipar. Mérce. https://merce.hu/2024/03/30/a-zsenialis-krubi-es-a-beletorodesipar/
Weiler, V. (2023): Bayer Zsolt szerint ő nem azért homofób, mert buzi, Fekete Giorgio pedig egy hülye fasz. Telex. https://telex.hu/zacc/2023/08/14/bayer-zsolt-fekete-giorgio-homofob
Willoughby, V. (2016): 5 Ways to ACT on Being an Ally Beyond Wearing a Safety Pin. Teen Vogue. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/take-action-election-beyond-wearing-safety-pin
Wyrick, M. (1998): Dramatic Protest and Activist Visual Art in Teacher Preparation. Teaching Education, 9(2): 3–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.1998.10335489
Yuval-Davis, N. (2011): The politics of belonging: intersectional contestations. London: Sage.
Zimmermann, D. – Noll, C. – Gräßer, L. – Hugger, K.-U. – Braun, L. M. – Nowak, T. – Kaspar, K. (2022): Influencers on YouTube: a quantitative study on young people’s use and perception of videos about political and societal topics. Current Psychology, 41(10): 6808–6824. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01164-7
