Th e networked reception of transmedial universes an experience - centered approach

Building upon ten years of empirical work, this paper refl ects on how to study increasingly complex user engagement with transmedial worlds. We examine our own analytical evolution from an initial aesthetic orientation to our current eff ort to incorporate the useŕ s own perspective through qualitative and quantitative studies. We argue that mapping user experience requires a sophisticated and holistic analytical approach – particularly, due to the popularity of social media platforms. We conclude the article by developing the concept of “networked reception” to characterize new kinds of transmedial world experience aff orded by social media, which allow users to distribute and communicate not only the content of media texts but also their own experience and reception of transmedial world “texts”. Introduction: Transmedial worlds and communication across media Th is paper is a methodological elaboration of more than ten years of sustained work on transmedial worlds, which began in 2004 when we published our paper on how to approach the study of transmedial worlds analytically (Klastrup & Tosca, 2004). Th e media ecology has changed dramatically since then, with increasing levels of user online participation across multiple platforms. Accordingly, our approach has evolved from a focus on aesthetic understanding and reception to an interest in capturing user experiences through