Club Culture in the Time of Coronavirus: The Online Transformation of an Embodied Experience

This thesis was conducted during the unsettling period of the coronavirus crisis, aiming to find out how the electronic music scene, as an industry that was completely shut down by the preventive measures against the COVID-19 spread, found ways to survive and renegotiate its nature by moving to the online environment. Based on previous research that approached club culture as an embodied experience that creates feelings of effervescence, spiritual transformation and different levels and types of solidarity, this qualitative inquiry sought out to identify the new experience and relationships created in the club culture context, during lockdowns and through social media platforms and online events. In order to achieve this, unobtrusive online methods were employed for the data collection, that was formed by thousands of comments posted online by users that watched live-streamings through recognized and established platforms representing and promoting electronic music. These comments were interpreted using thematic analysis and as a result four different themes were identified concerning the experiences and relationships that emerge through the online transformation of club culture. Regarding the experience aspect, this research shows that people are still able to enjoy and sometimes re-create powerful moments even though their bodies are not in the center of the experience as they used to be. Also, it is evident though the data collection that this online activity is beneficial for the state of their mental health and has healing effects and generates hope and positivity. From the relationships’ perspective, the findings point to a deconstruction of the DJ’s dominant role and to a less hierarchical interaction with the audience. Solidarity continues to be fostered inside the electronic music scene even via social media and online comments, but it is a new type of anonymous and global solidarity that is not inclusive and based on physical presence. All in all, some basic elements of club culture like the feelings of effervescence, the ecstatic experience, the sense of belonging to a community and the relief from everyday burdens continue to exist in a similar but not identical way, while other elements like the DJ – audience relationship seem to change. The online version of club culture is still a new born and evolving phenomenon that is intertwined with its past version of being present and dancing in the nightclub and as time passes we will see if it could dominate, continue to exist in parallel or disappear when the old, established club culture rituals re-emerge.