And the Story Goes:

the comments of fans on House of the Dragon Instagram account as a form of narrative absorption

Authors

Keywords:

House of the Dragon, narrative absorption, narrative engagement, Instagram, team versus team

Abstract

The ‘team versus team’ narrative formula in films prompts fans to extend the rivalry through social media comments, often by referencing the story or role-playing characters. This raises the question of whether such comments constitute narrative absorption. We argue they do. To examine this, we analyzed House of the Dragon’s official Instagram account and its fan comments using narrative absorption theories (Kuijpers et al., 2014), transmedia engagement (Jenkins, Ford & Green, 2013), and peritextual engagement (Evans, 2020). This qualitative study, employing Spradley’s method, reveals fans’ absorption through character role-play and story references. From these findings, we propose a typology of narrative absorption in ‘team versus team’ contexts: impersonating, miming, caricaturing, spoofing, and mirroring. This typology offers filmmakers insights into strategies for eliciting audience and fan engagement.

 

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Author Biographies

Muhammad Rizal, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta

Muhammad Rizal is senior lecturer at the Faculty of Cultures and Languages, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta. His research interests include media and cultural studies, film studies, and English literature, with a focus on cyber literature and pop culture.

Luthfie Arguby Purnomo, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta

Luthfie Arguby Purnomo is professor at the Faculty of Cultures and Languages, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta. He specializes in new media studies with concerns over video games studies.

 

Yustin Sartika, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta

Yustin Sartika is assistant professor at the Faculty of Cultures and Languages, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta. Her research interests include pop culture, travel literature, and time travel literature.

Wildi Adila, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta

Wildi Adila is assistant professor at the Faculty of Cultures and Languages, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta. He is determined to explore how colloquial languages and cultural norms are adapted in today's modern digital advertising – brand and product naming, tagline, copywriting, and gender representation.

Arkin Haris, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta

Arkin Haris is assistant professor at the Faculty of Cultures and Languages, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta. His expertise lies in ecolinguistics, with a distinct focus on the dynamic interplay between ecological narratives and digital media.

Shabrina An Adzhani, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta

Shabrina An Adzhani is senior lecturer at the Faculty of Cultures and Languages, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta. She has published some articles about postcolonialism, feminism, and literary adaptations.

Lukfianka Sanjaya Purnama, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta

Lukfianka Sanjaya Purnama is assistant professor at the Faculty of Cultures and Languages, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta. His research interests include Translation Studies, Linguistics, American Studies, and Popular Culture.

Robith Khoiril Umam, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta

Robith Khoiril Umam is assistant professor at the Faculty of Cultures and Languages, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Mas Said Surakarta. He obtained his degrees in English literature and linguistics. His research areas include media studies, translation, and linguistics.

 

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Published

2026-01-19

How to Cite

Rizal, M., Purnomo, L. A., Sartika, Y., Adila, W., Haris, A., Adzhani, S. A., … Umam, R. K. (2026). And the Story Goes: : the comments of fans on House of the Dragon Instagram account as a form of narrative absorption. Comunicação Mídia E Consumo, 22(65). Retrieved from https://revistacmc.espm.br/revistacmc/article/view/3054

Issue

Vol. 22 No. 65 (2025): SET/DEZ

Section

Artigos

License

Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right to first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License that allows the work sharing with acknowledgment of authorship and initial publication in this magazine.