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Description

This research project aims to shed light on the unique phenomenon of the Hot Wheels Red Line Club online forums and how the rhetorical interactions that take place there compare to other mainstream forums. To the uninitiated, Hot Wheels by Mattel, introduced in 1968, is the best-selling toy, even outperforming Barbie, who debuted a decade earlier. To begin, a rhetorical analysis of conversations on the online discussion forum was conducted. In addition, a survey was distributed to students asking about their online forum experiences, and an interview was conducted with an expert on online forums to gain their knowledge and insight. What we find is that these forums for Hot Wheels aficionados, despite being locked behind the exclusivity of a paywall, are similar in many ways to popular mainstream forums, while also having their own unique differences.

Publication Date

12-9-2021

City

Logan, UT

Keywords

online forums, Hot Wheels, toy history

Disciplines

English Language and Literature

A Hot Wheeler's Heaven or Hell? A Rhetorical Analysis of the Hot Wheels Red Line Club Online Forums and How They Compare to Other Online Mediums

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