Harry Potter’s Influence Online

Abstract

It could be argued that the success of Harry Potter was partially driven by timing. When the Harry Potter series debuted in 1997 in the United Kingdom and 1998 in the United States, the internet was becoming a powerful business and personal tool around the world. People were learning to use the internet not just for transactions and email communications, they were beginning to use it as a portal for sharing thoughts and opinions. Personal websites began popping up all over the internet in the 1990s, first as online diaries and later taking on a myriad of purposes. User groups, forums, webrings, chat rooms, personal websites and blogs were just a few of the ways people began to share their own interests online.