Considering Collaborative Creativity

This article develops a framework for understanding the creation of online content on social media sites. Focusing on creativity and its social context, the study is narrowed to the field of fanfiction and fanfiction sites. Using the Systems Model of Creativity by Csikszentmihalyi as a template, this article analyses roles, processes, and products found in fanfiction communities and on fanfiction sites. The specific needs for motivation and support of especially the writer and the collective (Thomas & Brown, 2011) surrounding them are looked upon and compared to the present functionality and usability of the fanfiction sites in question. Further, I elaborate on how the infrastructure of the different sites, as well as their possibilities for interaction, encourage or discourage collaborative creativity, as well as participation in the development of the stories. Finally, a modified Systems Model is presented, containing the preliminary findings.