Lesson 6 Fandom Media
This document discusses the concept of fandom and its participatory nature in the online age. It defines fandom as fans seeking out others who share their tastes, leading them to engage in social, cultural and media activities based around their shared interest. Fandom for films can involve participating in online discussions, joining film clubs, or producing fan magazines. Being part of organized fandom is linked to values of participation and production, and is shaped through input from other fans seeking further interaction within a community. The document also presents ideas from Henry Jenkins on participatory culture and from John Fiske on three types of fan activities: analyzing texts, communicating with others about texts, and creating derivative works.
Lesson 6 Fandom Media
- 1. Fandom In an Online Age
- 2. What is Fandom? • Unlike the individual fan, whose peer group or colleagues may coincidentally include like- minded film lovers, organized fandom involves fans specifically seeking out those who share their tastes, thereby becoming involved in a range of social, cultural, and media activities that take this shared fandom as their starting point.
- 3. Fandom • Film fandom can involve participating in online discussion and posting to sites such as the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com), joining film clubs or groups, or producing one's own fan magazine or "fanzine.“ • Being part of organized fandom—whether for a certain film or star— is, first and foremost, linked to values of participation and production. • Fandom's participatory culture is always shaped through input from other fans and motivated, at least partially, by a desire for further interaction with a larger social and cultural community.
- 4. Henry Jenkins: Participatory Culture • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgZ4ph3dSmY
- 5. How can we relate Jenkins' ideas about a participatory culture to film, music or games?
- 6. John Fiske: 3 types of Fan 1. Semiotic Productivity - analysing the text 2. Enunciative Productivity - Fans communicating with one another about a text e.g. Online review sites, fan forums, hash tags on twitter etc. 3. Textual Productivity - we could link David Gauntlett in here as this is about fans creating "stuff" e.g. posters, sweded material, mash ups, fanzines etc.
- 7. Activity • Create a case study of fandom for either film, music or games. Find examples of John Fiskes’ categories. • Try to apply some of Henry Jenkins’ ideas to your findings. • What could be the benefits and disadvantages of fandom in your chosen media area?