Fan entusiasti dell’ideologia. Il fandom ideologico nell’influ-attivismo

This study introduces the concept of «ideological fandom» to investigate contemporary forms of political affiliation and participation within the digital public sphere. Moving beyond traditional political fandom frameworks that focus on individual leaders or personalized politics, this concept describes a commitment to ideologies, political causes, or value systems structured around four core dimensions that mirror the dynamics of fan communities: identity performance, affective investment, media consumption and productivity, and collective belonging. Empirically, the study employs a digital ethnographic approach to examine the online controversy surrounding the 2024 Più Libri Più Liberi book fair on Instagram and Facebook. Through a qualitative analysis of 274 posts, the research focuses on the communication practices of influ-activists, who combine influencer culture with a commitment to specific ideologies or political causes. The findings reveal that these actors represent the productive and enthusiastic expression of ideological fandom. Intertwined with influencer culture and algorithmic logic, the expression of ideological affiliation assumes a productive, systematic, and strategic form that allows influ-activists to position themselves as credible intermediaries and accumulate influence capital to mobilize audiences and irritate the public sphere around the issues they promote.