“I Feel Very Attacked!”: RuPaul’s Drag Race Fans’ Perception on Fandom Toxicity An exploration of fans’ attitudes towards the relationship between reality television’s structured narrative and online hate speech

Due to the evolution of social media and participatory culture, television audiences have been encouraged to constantly engage with media content by contributing opinions and preferences to influence shows. Though the rising format of social television benefited the renowned drag competition show RuPaul’s Drag Race, it simultaneously increased the amount of hate speech circulating within the fandom, especially when combined with the notorious “villain edits” the show has been called out for. This phenomenon demands immediate attention as drag queens’ mental well-being and career are constantly put at high risk. Despite scholarly efforts dissecting the encoding process of production, and questioning minority representations on the show, there has been a lack of research from the audience perspective. To fill the gap, this research approaches the issue from the lens of the audience by answering the question: “How do RuPaul’s Drag Race fans perceive the online toxicity in the fandom”. Through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 10 RuPaul’s Drag Race fans, the researcher discovers audience insights on the “realness” of the reality television format, classification of different articulations of speech, and the dilemma for the production to prioritize social responsibility or entertainment. The researcher argues that despite obtaining mixed attitudes towards production intervention, all interviewees showcased concern for fellow fans that lack media literacy and television criticism skills. With increasing production manipulation, viewers that fail to differentiate the produced reality and the audiences’ situated reality often fall victim to overtly intense emotions and the dangerous urge to seek validation. These feelings often stimulate impulsive and unconsidered messages that are easily disseminated publicly through the help of the Internet, spreading hate and negatively influencing reality television personas’ lives. In spite of the emphasis on the viewers’ ability to appropriately decode media text, interviewees also acknowledged the difficulty to educate the whole fandom. As a result, solutions for the production to eliminate fandom toxicity while maintaining the entertaining value are suggested, including censoring social platforms, incorporating disclaimers or reconciliation scenes in the show, and proper guidance for the contestants. Contestants are also encouraged to speak up for their fellow drag queens when in need. Additionally, fans’ personal definitions of “shade/reads”, critiques, and hate speech are provided to help create a safer playground for a healthier discussion.