ProfessorEquine

My name is Samuel Miller. I am communication PhD student from the University of North Dakota. My current research focuses on the Brony fandom and I am conducting an anonymous online survey. The survey asks questions related to demographics, media consumption, and fandom behaviors. This is an extension of my previous work that sought out some of the same data, but this one has an emphasis on the growing issue of Brony bullying. With the recent media stories of Mike Morones and Grayson Bruce, this matter of harassment becomes more important to understand. Recently, there have been a number of videos produced by big name fans like SaberSpark that discuss how a Brony should handle relationships between their fandom and their family and how Bronies should conduct themselves at McDonalds while asking for the "girl's" toy that generate a number of gender based questions. Because of this latest trend, I am also concerned with the notion of the "private" Brony and how they monitor themselves to reduce the risk of being "discovered" and putting their masculinity at risk. The reason that I am researching all of this is to hopefully understand what this fandom may mean for masculinity and gender studies because it is one of the first popular movements in which men are openly embracing perceived "girly" imagery and the consequences that it may bring. I am looking to gather as much data as I possibly can and the survey will be open until the end of the year. There is also an incentive for individuals to participate by offering them a chance to win a pony plushie. A plushie maker by the name of Xsjado78 has agreed to make a pony plushie for the random winner. I have enclosed all of the links associated with this study and I hope that your forum as well as other fans will share all of this information with with other fans. The more information that I can gather, especially from the fans who are too shy to outwardly express themselves due to these external pressures will be a great contribution. The Study: https://und.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3KuRmxbP3ML7STj Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UNDbronystudy Twitter: @UNDBronyStudy #UNDBronyStudy Plushie Maker: http://xsjado78.deviantart.com/ Thank you for help and support in this project. Samuel Miller University of North Dakota Communication Program