Characteristics of the Fandom Subculture

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Fandom is a term that refers to a subculture that consists of fans who share a feeling of camaraderie with other fans who share a common interest. Those that consider themselves to be part of a fandom are typically interested in even minor details of those interests, spend a large amount of their time on their interest and are usually members of social media sites that allow them to discuss this interest in detail. This is what differentiates them from those who only show a casual interest.

The term fandom can be used to refer to a specific fandom (e.g. the “Supernatural” fandom), but it is now commonly used in a broad sense to refer to many fandoms that overlap or interconnect, particularly on social media websites such as “Tumblr” or “Twitter”.

While the word “fandom” was originally used to refer to those who had a fascination with sports, it can now be used to refer to any area of interest. Among the most common are television shows, movies, books and celebrities. However the fandoms that exist in 2014 are varied and sites such as “Tumblr” contain many references to fandoms such as the furniture fandom, the cat fandom, the maths fandom and the science fandom.

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 ...

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...t the representation and knowledge that fandom provides.

Works Cited

• The Daily Dot:

o http://www.dailydot.com/culture/beginners-guide-fandom-fanworks/

o http://www.dailydot.com/society/how-to-speak-fangirl

o http://www.dailydot.com/fandom/disney-frozen-lgbtqia-reading-elsa-tumblr/

All accessed on the 5th April, 2014.

• Organization for Transformative works:

o http://transformativeworks.org/

o http://archiveofourown.org

o http://fanlore.org/wiki/Professional_Author_Fanfic_Policies

Both accessed on the 5th April, 2014.

• Other:

o http://www.libraryasincubatorproject.org/?p=7618

o http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2081784,00.html

o http://techland.time.com/2013/05/06/50-best-websites-2013/slide/archive-of-our-own/

All accessed on the 6th April, 2014.

o http://fandomforequality.com/about/

Accessed on the 7th April, 2014.

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