Abstract In the age of media convergence, transmedia storytelling – the distribution of story

elements across multiple media platforms in the service of crafting an overarching narrative –
is increasingly prevalent. This dissertation examines transmedia engagement through a focus
on Lost’s transmedia storytelling franchise and a confluence of technological, industrial, and
cultural shifts, including the advent of podcast technologies, the rise of alternate reality game
storytelling, and increasing producer-audience communication. Taken together, these
transformations create new terrain on which normative understandings of producer-text-
audience relationships are continually challenged, reconfigured, and even reinforced. This
dissertation views these relationships through the concept of “viewsing” (Harries, 2002) – a
hybrid form of engagement encouraged by transmedia storytelling franchises in which the
qualities of “viewing” and “computer use” merge. Although viewsing provides an important
conceptual framework, previous scholarship stops short of applying to concept to the
producer-audience and audience-audience relationships. Using a thematic analysis
methodology, this study examines the fan cultures surrounding two podcasts dedicated to Lost
– The Official Lost Podcast and The Transmission – and expands the concept of viewsing to
include text-audience interactivity, producer-audience participatory storytelling, and audience-
audience collaboration and antagonism. It concludes that transmedia storytelling franchises
encourage viewsing – interactive, participatory, and communicative multi-platform
engagement. iv Acknowledgments I received an incredible outpouring of support throughout
my doctoral studies. First, my sincere gratitude goes to my advisor, Dr. Tamara Falicov, for
granting me the opportunity to work with her. It was a privilege to draw on her intellectual
guidance, and I am immensely thankful for her advice and encouragement. In addition, I thank
my committee members – Dr. Nancy Baym, Dr. Chuck Berg, Dr. Catherine Preston, and Dr.
John Tibbetts – for their input and enthusiasm. It was also my great pleasure and good fortune
to work with the insightful and adept dissertation-writing tutors Dr. Rebecca Barrett-Fox, Dr.
Ron Wilson, and Dr. Elizabeth Yeager. I was also fortunate to have wonderful friends and
colleagues who provided me with encouragement during the writing process. I am grateful for
the emotional support and intellectual assistance of Jared Cartier, Dr. Bruce Frey, Dr. Bonnie
Johnson, Henderson Jones, Dr. Novotny Lawrence, Vinny Scevola, Greg Schaeffer, Mike Turner,
Dr. Mark von Schlemmer, Corey Williger, Mary Beth Woodson, and many others. This project
would not have been possible without the love and support of my family. I thank my brother
J.D. Graves, my mother Elizabeth Graves, and my grandmother Florence Graves for their
unyielding belief in me. The unspoken support of my companion animal, Ripley, was also a
significant factor as our long walks together provided much-needed stress relief. I owe a
special debt of gratitude to my wife, Dr. JaeYoon Park, for putting up with me as I completed
my dissertation. She was a tireless advocate, motivator, and partner. Simply put, this
dissertation would not exist without her love and understanding. Finally, I thank my father,
James L. Graves, for being my greatest teacher. I dedicate this work to him.