Exploring ‘Entechno’ Fans' Engagement on Instagram Examining Its Influence on their Concert Attendance Intentions

In the context of Greek music, the ‘entechno’ genre plays a significant role, embodying Greek culture, serving as a living heritage, and strengthening Greek identity. Concerts are a key aspect of ‘entechno’, where the unique character of its songs integrated into Greek society creates an emotionally charged atmosphere characterized by the celebration of shared values and vivid social interactions. This environment fosters strong bonds among attendees and community identities, evident in the emergence of fans. In the realm of Web 2.0, fans can express their dedication to their favorite artist, easily connect with each other, transcend geographical boundaries, and create online fandoms. These online fandoms serve as active communities where fans interact with each other, and express their enthusiasm and admiration for their favorite artists, either by creating innovative content or engaging with existing content made by other fans, reinforcing a participatory environment. Fans intentionally participate in these pages to satisfy personal and social needs with the gratifications perceived online sometimes encouraging real-world activities. However, research on the online interactions of ‘entechno’ fans within online fandoms is lacking, as well as research on the influence of this engagement on their concert attendance decisions. Focusing on Instagram due to its popularity in Greece and the presence of various ‘entechno’ fan pages, this thesis conducted in- depth interviews with 15 ‘entechno’ fans to explore how they interact with Instagram ‘entechno’ fan pages and the extent to which this engagement influences their decisions to attend ‘entechno’ concerts. Reception theory, Uses and Gratifications Theory, and the concept of participatory culture were employed to understand ‘entechno’ fans’ online engagement with fan pages and the influence of this engagement on their decisions to attend concerts. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis; identifying two themes that describe -how ‘entechno’ fans interact with fan pages- and one theme that outline -the extent that this engagement influences their concert attendance decisions-. The first theme revealed several gratifications perceived by ‘entechno’ fans, including their need for information about future concerts, enjoyment from concert content that builds their anticipation for future concerts and deepens their connection with ‘entechno’. Additionally, it highlighted the empowerment of their sense to belonging to fandom after viewing content depicting fans collectively. Furthermore, they obtain satisfaction and inspiration from the aesthetic design of these pages and feel closer to ‘entechno’ artists. The second theme showed that most of them interact with these pages daily; preferring to engage in small acts of engagement such as likes, comments, and reposts, rather than creating innovative content. Finally, it was observed that the gratifications perceived from the informative content about future concerts and entertaining content depicting past concerts, along with their positive experiences from previous concerts, have influenced ‘entechno’ fans to book their tickets through these pages and attend ‘entechno’ concerts.