FandomFandom

“Thus is revealed the total existence of writing: a text is made of multiple writings, drawn from many cultures and entering into mutual relations of dialogue, parody, contestation, but there is one place where this multiplicity is focused and that place is the reader, not, as was hitherto said, the author. The reader is the space on which all the quotations that make up a writing are inscribed without any of them being lost; a text’s unity lies not in its origin but in its destination. Yet this destination cannot any longer be personal: the reader is without history, biography, psychology; he is simply that someone who holds together in a single field all the traces by which the written text is constituted.”

Roland Barthes, The Birth of the Reader

(1977)

MEDIA CONVERGENCEMEDIA CONVERGENCE

We are living in an age when changes in communications, We are living in an age when changes in communications, storytelling and information technologies are reshaping storytelling and information technologies are reshaping almost every aspect of contemporary life -- including how almost every aspect of contemporary life -- including how we create, consume, learn, and interact with each other. A we create, consume, learn, and interact with each other. A whole range of new technologies enable consumers to whole range of new technologies enable consumers to archive, annotate, appropriate, and recirculate media archive, annotate, appropriate, and recirculate media content and in the process, these technologies have content and in the process, these technologies have altered the ways that consumers interact with core altered the ways that consumers interact with core institutions of government, education, and commerce.institutions of government, education, and commerce.

Henry JenkinsHenry Jenkins

Fans & Kingdoms of fansFans & Kingdoms of fans• A fandom can grow up centered around any area of A fandom can grow up centered around any area of

human interest or activity. human interest or activity.

• The subject of fan interest can be narrowly definedThe subject of fan interest can be narrowly defined– focused on something like an individual celebrityfocused on something like an individual celebrity– more widely defined, encompassing entire hobbies, more widely defined, encompassing entire hobbies,

genres or fashions. genres or fashions.

• groups of people fascinated with any subjectgroups of people fascinated with any subject

• Fandom as a term can also be used in a broad Fandom as a term can also be used in a broad sense to refer to an interconnected social network sense to refer to an interconnected social network of individual fandoms, many of which overlap.of individual fandoms, many of which overlap.

DefinitionsDefinitions• fandomfandom can be defined or explained as can be defined or explained as the state of the state of

being a fan or all that encompasses fan culture and being a fan or all that encompasses fan culture and fan behavior in general, or the study of fans and fan behavior in general, or the study of fans and fan behavior.fan behavior.

• the definition of an the definition of an audienceaudience is: is: an assembly of an assembly of listeners or spectators.listeners or spectators.

• the definition ofthe definition of fanatic fanatic is: is: marked or moved by marked or moved by excessive enthusiasm and intense uncritical excessive enthusiasm and intense uncritical devotion.devotion.

• the definition of a the definition of a fanfan is: is:1) 1) an enthusiastic follower of a sport or an enthusiastic follower of a sport or entertainmententertainment or or2) 2) an enthusiastic admirer (as of a celebrity).an enthusiastic admirer (as of a celebrity).

Fan ActivitiesFan Activities• Members of a fandom associate with one anotherMembers of a fandom associate with one another

• fan conventions and publishing and exchanging and publishing and exchanging fanzines and newsletters and newsletters

• communications and interaction for the purpose of archiving detailed communications and interaction for the purpose of archiving detailed information pertinent to their given fanbase.information pertinent to their given fanbase.

• Some fans write Some fans write fan fiction, stories based around the universe and , stories based around the universe and characters of their chosen fandom. characters of their chosen fandom.

• Some also dress in Some also dress in costumes (" ("cosplay") or recite lines of dialogue either ") or recite lines of dialogue either out-of-context or as part of a group reenactment. out-of-context or as part of a group reenactment.

• Others create fan vids, or analytical music videos focusing on the source Others create fan vids, or analytical music videos focusing on the source fandom, and yet others create fan art. fandom, and yet others create fan art.

• Such activities are sometimes known as "fan labour" or "fanac," an Such activities are sometimes known as "fan labour" or "fanac," an abbreviated form of the phrase "fan activity." abbreviated form of the phrase "fan activity."

• The advent of the internet has significantly facilitated fan association and The advent of the internet has significantly facilitated fan association and activities. activities.

• Fandom is sometimes caricatured as religious faithFandom is sometimes caricatured as religious faith

Two images of the fanTwo images of the fan

Obsessed individual & Hysterical crowdObsessed individual & Hysterical crowd

Critique of modern lifeCritique of modern life

Characterization of fandom as pathologyCharacterization of fandom as pathology Elitist and disrespectful beliefs about common lifeElitist and disrespectful beliefs about common life

Fandom as pathologyFandom as pathology Literature on fandom – images of devianceLiterature on fandom – images of deviance

FanFanaticatic

Fan – social & psychological pathologiesFan – social & psychological pathologies

Fandom is excessiveFandom is excessive

Fan as Creative ConsumerFan as Creative Consumer

• Technology & consumptionTechnology & consumption

• Fan as passive receiver (Hypodermic Syringe?)Fan as passive receiver (Hypodermic Syringe?)

• Fan as creative consumerFan as creative consumer– Recontextualization of existent cultural productsRecontextualization of existent cultural products– Purchases of a commodity (cultural product) is Purchases of a commodity (cultural product) is

only the first steponly the first step– Means of declaring your exaggerationsMeans of declaring your exaggerations

• Elevation of consumer as creator does not Elevation of consumer as creator does not deny the role of the producer (Uses and deny the role of the producer (Uses and Gratifications)Gratifications)

Creative FansCreative Fans

• semiotic productivitysemiotic productivity is when fans is when fans use use their object of fandom to create social their object of fandom to create social meaning in their meaning in their own own liveslives (ex. a fan who (ex. a fan who gains confidence watching his or her favorite gains confidence watching his or her favorite character on TV).character on TV).

• enunciative productivityenunciative productivity is when fans is when fans express their fandom to the outside express their fandom to the outside world through speech or appearanceworld through speech or appearance (ex. (ex. fans wearing their favorite team's jerseys)fans wearing their favorite team's jerseys)

• textual productivitytextual productivity is when fans is when fans createcreate texts based on their object of fandomtexts based on their object of fandom

Theories of fandomTheories of fandom romantic attachmentromantic attachment

IdentificationIdentification

fantasyfantasy

Fans as TastemakersFans as Tastemakers

Collective support and/or admiration for…Collective support and/or admiration for…

A collective celebration of mutual taste/preference in –A collective celebration of mutual taste/preference in –

A ritual gathering (physical or virtual)A ritual gathering (physical or virtual)

Relationships between Relationships between fansfansInstead of monetary reward, one of the major rewards of Instead of monetary reward, one of the major rewards of

fan labour is the formation of relationships between fan fan labour is the formation of relationships between fan creators and other fans. creators and other fans.

relationships created through fan exchanges are often as relationships created through fan exchanges are often as important, if not more so, than the products exchanged. important, if not more so, than the products exchanged.

The focus on relationships separates fandom economic The focus on relationships separates fandom economic practices from the capitalistic practices of everyday life.practices from the capitalistic practices of everyday life.

From an economic anthropology viewpoint, the products From an economic anthropology viewpoint, the products of fan labour are a form of cultural wealthof fan labour are a form of cultural wealth

valuable also for their ability to interrelate the fan works, valuable also for their ability to interrelate the fan works, the fan-creators, and the original media property itself the fan-creators, and the original media property itself through conversation and fan work exchanges. through conversation and fan work exchanges.

Fans, in other words, are Fans, in other words, are ““affinesaffines”” of media property and of media property and of other fans.of other fans.

Legal issuesLegal issues• Most fan labour products are derivative worksMost fan labour products are derivative works

• they are creative additions or modifications to an they are creative additions or modifications to an existing copyrighted workexisting copyrighted work

• or they are original creations which are inspired by a or they are original creations which are inspired by a specific copyrighted workspecific copyrighted work

• Some or all of these works may fall into the legal Some or all of these works may fall into the legal category of transformative works (such as a parody category of transformative works (such as a parody of the original), which is protected as fair use under of the original), which is protected as fair use under U.S. copyright law. This law does not, as yet, occur U.S. copyright law. This law does not, as yet, occur in the English system. in the English system.

• corporations continue to ask fans to stop engaging corporations continue to ask fans to stop engaging with their products in creative ways (UMC, WB, SONY with their products in creative ways (UMC, WB, SONY etc waging war with Youtube users)etc waging war with Youtube users)

FandomFandom

a site of collective memorya site of collective memory

community as the center of an emotional lifecommunity as the center of an emotional life

issues of gender, ethnicity, class, national identity, issues of gender, ethnicity, class, national identity, transnational identity and power through global transnational identity and power through global consumer cultureconsumer culture

Interpretive communitiesInterpretive communities

So let’s have (fandom) So let’s have (fandom) fun!fun!

What is your idea of a ‘fan’?What is your idea of a ‘fan’?

Have you ever been a ‘fan’ of something?Have you ever been a ‘fan’ of something?

Have you participated in a fandom?Have you participated in a fandom?

TasksTasks

Get online! Find out what’s out there for the Get online! Find out what’s out there for the fandom of your choice.fandom of your choice.

Read/write/watch some fan created works.Read/write/watch some fan created works.

What are your impressions of the ‘fan What are your impressions of the ‘fan community’ for your chosen text? Feedback!community’ for your chosen text? Feedback!