“The real Goncharov was the fandom we made along the way”: Goncharov (1973) as information creation

Purpose This paper aims to explore the information creation process of the fictional Scorsese movie, Goncharov (1973), on the social media platform Tumblr. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, mixed methods were employed – a literature review and a semi-structured questionnaire with quantitative and qualitative components. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, and Campbell-Meier and Krtalic’s (2022) tattoo information creation framework was used as a framework. Findings Five information-related phases were identified, which participants engaged in – information encountering, information seeking, communication, transformation and pluralising. From this, a fan information creation framework was developed. The information-creation processes of Goncharov fans were shown to be complex, creative and digitally social. Research limitations/implications The study focused on the Goncharov phenomenon on Tumblr and did not collect demographic data. For a more holistic view of the Goncharov phenomenon, further research on how it manifested on other social media platforms, as well as the demographic impacts of participants, is recommended. The fan information creation framework developed from this research should also be tested in further studies. Originality/value This paper is the first to explore Goncharov – a unique phenomenon where a fictional piece of media was collaboratively created by online fans – from an information science perspective.