Stories and Audiences 5 changing demographics in the United States are informing the choice to include more spoken Spanish on tele­ vi ­sion dramas. Finally, “ASD on TV” summarizes the pre­sen­ta­tion of, and reaction to, repre­sen­ta­tions of one widespread contemporary concern, autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), on tele­vi­sion. Storytelling in the Age of Convergence Culture Beginning in the second season of the popu­lar vampire drama True Blood (2008–2014), interested readers could check out the weekly updated blog titled “Baby Vamp Jessica: Confessions of a Good Girl Gone Vampire” at babyvamp​-­jessica​.­com. On True Blood, Jessica becomes a vampire at age 17 on her blog, she expresses her feelings as she adjusts to her new existence and manages relationships in the ever-­changing supernatural world she inhabits in Bon Temps, LA. Her blog entries vary—she ­ poses questions to readers, shares photos and videos of herself and other char- acters, and she reflects about aspects of her life in vlog format, directly addressing viewers. The blog includes a comment feature and many read- ers play along, writing to Jessica and sometimes eliciting a response. For example, in her vlog entry titled “A House is not a Home,” Jessica shares her concerns about her inability to cook and make a comfortable home and wonders what to do saying at one point: “If you can think of any- thing that might help, you know, ­ house­hold tips or what­ever, with me not having to do anything too nauseating, please share them?”9 Viewers of this vlog responded with a number of suggestions, prompting Jessica to write the following week: “Hey folks. First, I’d like to thank y’all for your generous input. I ­didn’t realize I had so many friends out ­there! This is a lot easier than just googling ‘how to be a vampire ­ house­wife’ and sifting through all the crap on the Internet. So many of you—including Lisa Cheli, R.J., Andrew, and bite me—came up with the brilliant idea of microwavable dinners. Why ­didn’t I think of that?!”10 Jessica also noted, “I might have to try amber’s[sic] suggestion: Bringing home leftovers from Merlotte’s” and “we just ­ don’t have a crock pot like Melinda and Dana Hilton suggested.”11 The Baby Vamp Jessica blog is just one example of how developments in technology and the evolution of convergence culture have changed the landscape of tele­vi­sion storytelling and audience engagement. Tele­vi­sion dramas do not simply exist in a single form creators produce ancillary content connected to their shows including web sites, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, blogs, video games, comic books, and webisodes. Fans also produce materials that explore or extend elements of the tele­ vi ­ sion
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