Not a sociologist but it’s quite clear that the internet contributes to the rise in popularity in recent years. I feel like childhood exposure to media also contributes to the interest. Anthropomorphic animal characters are everywhere from movies to series to video games.
In addition to all that, the fandom has a very inclusive and accepting culture, so it’s easy to get a sense of community within, which will make people more likely to stay.
From what I read in the thesis linked above, it’s mostly about creating queer identities through communities. The acceptance of the sub-culture is clearly a factor as well. This is very foreign to me, but also super fascinating from a cultural perspective
Not a sociologist but it’s quite clear that the internet contributes to the rise in popularity in recent years. I feel like childhood exposure to media also contributes to the interest. Anthropomorphic animal characters are everywhere from movies to series to video games.
In addition to all that, the fandom has a very inclusive and accepting culture, so it’s easy to get a sense of community within, which will make people more likely to stay.
From what I read in the thesis linked above, it’s mostly about creating queer identities through communities. The acceptance of the sub-culture is clearly a factor as well. This is very foreign to me, but also super fascinating from a cultural perspective