The rise of the machinic fan: Deep mediatization and spatiotemporal experience in soccer

This article explores how deep mediatization reshapes the spatiotemporal experience of soccer spectatorship and media production in Brazil. Drawing on Henri Bergson's concept of durée and contemporary theories of machinic subjectivity, we conducted qualitative narrative analysis based on interviews with fans and media professionals, supported by historical and institutional sources. Findings reveal that while technological mediation is perceived as both enhancing and fragmenting the experience, fans and media professionals continue to distinguish between digital and in-person engagement. We identify four conceptual propositions that capture this evolving reality: (1) technological mediation becomes naturalized into subjective perception; (2) digital spectatorship involves not only simultaneity but algorithmic interactivity; (3) fans engage in hybrid experiences shaped by machinic interfaces; and (4) memory is restructured through algorithmic and computational processes. These insights highlight how sports spectatorship is increasingly shaped by digital infrastructures that transform presence, memory, and social connection. We contribute to mediatization and sports media research by framing fandom as a techno-affective formation embedded in continuous processual change.