Henry Jenkins - fandom
Factsheet #107 - Fandom
Read Media Factsheet #107 on Fandom. Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) or log into your Greenford Google account to access the link. Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions:
1) What is the definition of a fan?
‘true fans’ have a devotion that goes beyond simply
consuming media texts, and is, as Matt Hills argues, part of a person’s identity in much the same way as gender, class and age define who we are.
Anti-fan- negative stereotype of a text/ genre ie. “All people that watch chick flicks are dim”
hardcore/true fan - They take pride in how
long they have been a fan and also the quantity and quality of the knowledge they have amassed whilst being a fan. And they spend copious amounts of money and time to do so.
Newbie - new fans of any given text and do not have
the longevity of devotion or depth of knowledge that hard core fans have and are initially viewed as the ‘outgroup’ within fandom
3) What makes a ‘fandom’?
Fandoms are subcultures within which fans experience and share a sense of camaraderie with each other and engage in particular practices of their given fandom.
The term emerged from the enthusiastic appreciation for sport.
4) What is Bordieu’s argument regarding the ‘cultural capital’ of fandom?
Hills argues that in order to understand what motivates fans to construct fandoms we have to move away from thinking about the opinion of the fan, which would obviously take on their own bias and understanding and move toward an approach that incorporates ‘tastes,
values, attachments and investments.’
Whereas Bordieu argues a kind of ‘cultural capital’ which confers a symbolic power and status for the fan, especially within the realm of their fandom.
- Fan are for the Sherlock Holmes book from the 19th Century
- A Liverpool fans bedroom covered in memorabilia
6) Why is imaginative extension and text creation a vital part of digital fandom?
6) Why is imaginative extension and text creation a vital part of digital fandom?
They express complex ideas that enable them to create fan-art and videos to satisfy their craving
for the relationships they desire
Henry Jenkins - degree-level reading
Read the final chapter of ‘Fandom’ – written by Henry Jenkins (note: link may be blocked in school - try this Google Drive link if you need it.) This will give you an excellent introduction to the level of reading required for seminars and essays at university as well as degree-level insight into our current work on fandom and participatory culture. Answer the following questions:
1) There is an important quote on the first page: “It’s not an audience, it’s a community”. What does this mean?
It refers to how fans are not just passive consumers of a text nothing comes of their consumerism, but they create a space where they can freely relate to each other because of this text and enables a shared value between them.
2) Jenkins quotes Clay Shirky in the second page of the chapter. Pick out a single sentence of the extended quote that you think is particularly relevant to our work on participatory culture and the ‘end of audience’ (clue – look towards the end!)
“In the age of the internet, no one is a passive consumer anymore because everyone is a media outlet”
3) What are the different names Jenkins discusses for these active consumers that are replacing the traditional audience?
“Loyals”, “media-actives”, “prosumers”, “influencers”, “inspirational consumers”, “connectors”
4) On the third page of the chapter, what does Wired editor Chris Anderson suggest regarding the economic argument in favour of fan communities?
He argues that investing in small properties with small but committed consumer bases is economically smarter if you can lower the cost of production and replace marketing costs if you can build a much stronger network with your desired consumers.
5) What examples does Jenkins provide to argue that fan culture has gone mainstream?
“Thirty-three percent of teens share what they create online with others.”
“Educators are embracing these fan communities as sites of informal learning”
6) Look at the quote from Andrew Blau in which he discusses the importance of grassroots creativity. Pick out a sentence from the longer quote and decide whether you agree that audiences will ‘reshape the media landscape from the bottom up’.
“This bottom up energy will generate enormous activity, but it will also tear up some of the categories that organise the lives and work of media markers…”
7) What does Jenkins suggest the new ideal consumer is?
It is almost certainly a fan who talks up the program and spreads word about the brand, whereas in the old days fans were “couch potatoes” who don’t talk back, watch television and just buy the product.
8) Why is fandom 'the future'?
Due to fandom “we now have tools for studying and concepts to talk about the social dimensions of fan culture”
9) What does it mean when Jenkins says we shouldn’t celebrate ‘a process that commodifies fan cultural production’?
He means that fan culture in its inception was never and is never meant to be commodified. It is supposed to be a space of freedom and community. What would it then become if being a fan meant buy the most expensive limited addition merch? - purely capitalist propaganda. Fans should not have to sell an arm and a leg just to get tickets to their favourite artists concert, being a fan now has become a bourgeoisie competition. And whatever fans make out of inspiration from their text or source should not then be commodified because it takes the fun out of the fan experience.
10) Read through to the end of the chapter.
- What do you think the future of fandom is?
I think it should a stay community oriented, that’s how it will survive
- Are we all fans now?
No, you must be dedicated to a certain text
- Is fandom mainstream or are real fan communities still an example of a niche media audience?
No I believe that being a fan is a lot more than knowing the names of all a bands members and being able to talk about the music they put at occasionally. A fan is meant to go out of their way to engage with their chosen text, being a casual listener is not a fan.
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