ABSTRACT
It introduces the results of a quantitative sociological study conducted in 2010-11 among
438 international Take That fans who participated in this all-female “penpal scene” and
explores the mechanisms underlying their system of exchanging band-related letters and
packages. Two communicative subsystems receive particular attention. First, I introduce a
pre-digital networking tool employed by the scene: “friendship books” or FBs. These were
little stapled booklets inside which the originator would write her name, address, age,
likes, and bartering interests, before passing them on to a penfriend who would do the
same, and so on, until the booklet was full, by which time it had usually travelled around
the globe. Second, I focus on the most popular exchange item within the penpal
community: “offstage” photos taken by fans who had gotten close to the band. Here,
I discuss the process of bartering and producers’ efforts to preserve the “uniqueness,”
“aura,” and “exclusivity” of their pictures by trying to enforce a “no copies” policy.
