Fan Culture is something that has been around for a while, but it the last twenty years, since the introduction of the Internet, it is also something that has changed dramatically. A fan is an enthusiast of something and now the Internet is a good home for fans to gather and build together a community of fans, a ‘Fandom’. The turn Fandom means a community of a group of people who all enjoy them same thing and the Internet has created a place for online communities. Fan Culture has irreversibly changed the media industry because of the ability share information and fan made created content. The creation of these online based communities have meant that people from all over the world can talk about the latest TV shows, movies, books, comics and other forms of content and create groups dedicated to them. The Internet has also become a platform for the creation of a collective community, where individuals who all have shared interests can go. “Fans uses of technologies bring a sense of playfulness to the work of active reading” (2010; 12). Digital Fandoms are user-led forum of content creation, the fans create a number of things; fan fiction, fan blogs, fan made videos, fan art work, wiki leaks. The fans create a whole new life, another side of the TV show, film or book, that is complicity run and used by the fans. These fan made creation do not have to stick to what is canon in the show and can do what they wish with the character and the storylines. However is this an okay thing to do, Henry Jenkins refers to the fans who create these things are ‘Textual Poachers’. Those fans are now active interpreters instead of passive consumers. In this view the fans are poaching the created content of the writer. The fans have power to create t...
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...ke twitter the creator can now talk and address their fans directly rather then having to communicate though the media. It is a direct line of communication that allows the fans to receive and share information quickly. The media has to with these changes.
Works Cited
• Jonathan Bignell, 2004, An Introduction to Television Studies, New York, Routledge.
• Paul Booth, 2010, Digital Fandom, New York, Peter Lang Publishing
• Terry Flow, 2007, Understanding Global Media, New York, Palgrave Macmillian
• Lelia Green, 2010, An Introduction to new Media, New York, Berg.
• Henry Jenkins, 2006, Fans, Bloggers and Gamers, New York, New York University Press.
• Henry Jenkins, 2013, Textual Poachers, New York, Routledge.
• Andy Ruddock, 2001, Understanding Audiences, London, Sage.
• Written and Published by the Open University, 2002, Social Changes, Oxford UK, Blackwell.
In his article “Star Trek Rerun, Reread, Rewritten,” Henry Jenkins addresses the function of fandoms, more specifically the writing of fan-fiction, and further in the context of the Star Trek fandom. He claims that fans are “textual poachers” who take pieces of the original text that they deem as worthy, and rework, or improve areas that they find problematic or contradictory to the overall purpose of the piece. This “poaching” that is transformed works into fan-fiction are heavily written by females, at least in the Star Trek fandom. Jenkins states that this is due to the fact that women have a rather limited and highly stereotyped portrayal in science fiction. Thus, in writing fan-fiction, women are able to express themselves and their own
Most avid comic book fans would agree that they were less than enthused when Marvel Studios decided to reboot the Spiderman movie franchise in 2012 – just 11 years after the quasi-successful run of the original trilogy (Proctor). As one of the aforementioned avid comic book fans, Marc Bernadin, writer for “io9” (a technology and lifestyle website), rightfully questioned this decision by stating, “in this day and age, does Spidey have to be a white guy?” (Bernardin). This question fueled an Internet phenomenon that forced creators and fans alike to re-evaluate the way that they see the characters they love so much in terms of their race. Media makers and content creators have an ethical responsibility to “represent the many facets of humanity” (Petrou, Jan. 27). ‘Race-bending’ is when a content creator dresses a character as someone of a different race, or changes the race of the character entirely from one race to another (Ibid). In this paper, I aim to explore the influence of social media on race-bending, as it applies to comic book culture and its meaningfulness to the fan community. My principle arguments will draw from an examination of the Marvel comic universe, the #donald4spiderman campaign and the “Amazing Spiderman” movie franchise in order to show that through the power of social media, we are changing the way we root for heroes regardless of their race or ethnicity– moving society forward as a progressive culture.
In order to determine the current success of the Nashville Sounds I surveyed fans of the game. I used the “snowball effect” to get responses from fans I knew and then had them refer me to fans they knew for responses to my questionnaire. I also submitted my questionnaire to a local blogger who discusses Nashville Sounds baseball. Garnering 38 responses, I feel I have gained knowledge of the typical fan as well as differences in the appeal of the game to different types of fans.
Media affects everyone and everything; There is no escape. Media is everywhere and surrounds everything. Henry Jenkins and Marshall McLuhan have differing points of view as to what the meaning of media is. They both, however, have their particular ponits which they describe well. Jenkin's talks about the different types of cultures that exist, focusing on popular culture, in his essay, "What Everyone Should Know About Popular Culture.
The issue of the relationship between the mass media and the popular culture has always been a controversial issue in social sciences. The political economists insist on the role of the media industry in the creation of this phenomenon of the twentieth century. Though, advocates such as John Fiske, argue that popular culture is actually the creation of the populous itself, and is independent of the capitalist production process of the communication sector. Basing his argument on the immense interpretive power of the people, Fiske believes that the audience is able to break all the indented meanings within a media message. He also believes- by giving new meanings to that specific message they can oppose the power block that is trying to impose its ideology to the public. Consequently, this anarchistic activity of the audience creates the popular culture as a defence mechanism. Even when we accept Fiske’s ideas, we can not disregard the manipulative power of the media and its effects on cultural and social life.
Sports teams around the world value the importance of keeping their consumers (fans) happy and engaged. The NFL’s New England Patriots are very active in the community and have expansive social media sites and online tools to keep their consumers engaged and connected to all things related to the franchise. Over in Europe, the football franchise Manchester United has created a large following and making sure their consumers are engaged is one of the franchises’ main strategies (Emirates24/7). According to Forbes 50 most valuable sports teams of 2013, both Manchester United (#2 at $3.165 Billion) and the Patriots (#6 at $1.635 Billion) are included on that list. This paper will highlight how both New England and Manchester are identifying their consumers and how their activities are targeting those consumers.
In society today, we are conditioned to believe certain sets of ideals. We use these ideals to interact and get along with the other people we surround ourselves with. These ideals are often the societal norms that form common ground amongst individuals. However, living life based off these basic and unchanging beliefs is not beneficial to humanity, nor does it make life any easier to live. In fact, holding on to the most accepted beliefs holds back society as a whole. Judith Halberstam, in her essay “Animating Revolt and Revolting Animation” challenges these societal norms through the analysis of animated movies and, in doing so, carves a path for a new way of thinking.
In 1988, Henry Jenkins studied Star Trek fans, and their participation in the Trekker fandom through textual poaching. He defines fandom as “the ability to transform personal reaction into social interaction [and] spectator culture into participatory culture” (Jenkins 88). The fans create a shared community by responding to the original texts and emphasizing a shared identity (88). One way fans create this identity is by participating in a replay culture, which can eventually lead to films achieving cult status.
There are different opinions when it comes to the obsession that comes with being in a fandom. One opinion being that being a part of a fandom is dangerous when it becomes more than just an idle interest. It becomes dangerous because you don’t leave your room for self improvement when you spend a large chunk of time involved in something that only serves as escapism. Another opinion says that it’s more than just escapism. It is the displacement of emotions and feelings onto a character whom you relate to.
Bertolt Brecht asserted, “Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.” Art, encompassing all popular culture artifacts, both reflects the society that creates it and is itself an agent capable of changing social reality. Popular culture artifacts, like the Harry Potter series discussed in Nexon and Neumann’s work, Harry Potter and International Relations, exert agency, or causal power over the meaning and interpretation of cultural elements, by influencing the way ideas and values are constructed in everyday life. This paper will demonstrate that popular culture artifacts construct meanings and influence interpretations of reality.
A unique feature that social media offers that newspapers aren’t able to is that breaking news can be shared throughout the digital globe with one click. Sports reporters and journalists tweet breaking news immediately and within ten minutes the tweet or post can reach thousands of people. Another benefit of social media for fans is that it is free of cost and no costly subscription is needed, which is a benefit that has boosted the popularity and
In the world of Robert Jordan’s bestselling fantasy series, "The Wheel of Time", the life of the ordinary people has been undergoing some extraordinary changes. The legendary Dragon has been Reborn, and the Last Battle to decide the fate of humanity draws nigh. Meanwhile, outside of this world sit millions of readers, from all reaches of life, waiting anxiously for the next chapter in the story to be told. They debate what has happened, what it means in the context of the story, what it means for the future of the Wheel, as well as how it impacts their lives’. The Wheel of Time is a world where absolute good battles absolute evil, and yet shades of grey cloud the landscape. A world of hope and despair, a world of peace and war. From this world a following has grown. People from different cultures, different languages, and different political ideologies gravitate together forming a cohesive group that helps to spread the word about the work of Robert Jordan. In much the same manner that J.R.R. Tolkien created a myth for the modern ages with his saga "The Lord of the Rings" and George Lucas has done with his "Star Wars" series of movies, so has Robert Jordan entered into the realm of mythology with his work "The Wheel of Time". And this myth, like those which have come recently, and those from antiquity, has created a community of followers around it. They are drawn together initially because of a personal interest, and they stay not only for that interest, but because of the community that grows as a result of engaging themselves with this story.
The term “fandom” is thought to have first come into use in 1903, which is when Merriam-Webster’s dictionary first found evidence of the term being used, though its meaning has since evolved. The fandom of 2014 is very different to the fandom of 1903, and this is because of the fact that as the world evolved, so did the meaning of the word “fandom”. Social media is the main reason for the fact that fandom is used to refer to many different areas of interest. Sites such as “Tumblr” and “Twitter” have allowed fans to form a global community with those who share ...
Twitter and Instagram are Social Media sites that allow users to communicate with others. Twitter is used to communicate small thoughts. Pe...
Pop culture is a reflection of social change, not a cause of social change” (John Podhoretz). It encompasses the advertisements we see on T.V, the clothes we wear, the music we listen too, and it’s the reason Leonardo DiCaprio has not won an Oscar yet. It defines and dictates the desires and fears of the mainstream members of society; and it is so ingrained into our lives that it has become as natural as breathing. Moreover, adults never even bat an eyelash at all the pop culture and advertising that surrounds them since it has become just another part of everyday life. Pop culture is still somewhat seen as entertainment enjoyed by the lower class members of society; but pop culture standards change over time. A notable example of this is the sixteenth century author, William Shakespeare, since his works were considered pop culture, entertainment that could be enjoyed by everyone, but now they are considered literary classics. While pop culture encompasses most aspects of our lives, its influence is most obvious through each generations reaction to media,