1) What is the definition of a fan?
Even if you are not interested in these texts it could be argued that that we are all ‘fans’ of a media text in the sense that we like them and consume them regularly, but is not the same as being a Fan (capitalisation intended) of a media text. Fans do more than just like or even love a particular media text, ‘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.
2) What the different types of fan identified in the factsheet?
Hardcore Fan, Newbie and the Anti-fan.
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. Fandoms can be narrowly defined and can focus on something like an individual celebrity, or be more widely defined, encompassing entire hobbies, genres or fashions.
4) What is Bordieu’s argument regarding the ‘cultural capital’ of fandom?
Bordieu argues a kind of ‘cultural capital’ which confers a symbolic power and status for the fan, especially within the realm of their
5) What examples of fandom are provided on pages 2 and 3 of the factsheet?
Sherlock Holmes fandom, Family Guy fandom and Harry Potter fandom.
6) Why is imaginative extension and text creation a vital part of digital fandom?
Fans use the original media texts and get creative and innovative with the material. Crawford suggests that it is this which distinguishes fans from ordinary consumers. They engage in diverse activities such as ‘the production of websites, mods and hacks, private servers, game guides, walkthroughs and FAQs, fan fiction and forms of fan art, fan vids’ all of which have been aided by digital technology.
Henry Jenkins - degree-level reading
1) There is an important quote on the first page: “It’s not an audience, it’s a community”. What does this mean?
Newsweek reduces the phenomenon of “social media” or “web 2.0” to the phrase, “it’s not an audience, it’s a community,” arguing that such services transform the relationship between media producers and consumers.
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!)
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?
Some call such people “loyals” stressing the value of consumer commitment in an era of channel zapping; some are calling them “media-actives,” suggesting that they are much more likely to demand the right to participate within the media franchise than previous generations; some are calling them“prosumers,” suggesting that as consumers produce and circulate media, they are blurring the line between amateur and professional; some are calling them “inspirational consumers” or “connectors” or “influencers,” suggesting that some people play a more active role than others in shaping media flows and creating new values.
4) On the third page of the chapter, what does Wired editor Chris Anderson suggest regarding the economic argument in favour of fan communities?
Wired magazine editor Chris Anderson (2006) has offered a particular version of this argument about grassroots intermediaries creating value, what has come to be known as the “long tail.” Anderson argues that investing in niche properties with small but committed consumer bases may make economic sense if you can lower costs of production and replace marketing costs by building a much stronger network with your desired consumers.
5) What examples does Jenkins provide to argue that fan culture has gone mainstream?
These writers are predicting, and documenting, a world where what we are calling “fan culture” has a real economic and cultural impact; where fan tastes are ruling at the box office (witness all of the superhero and fantasy blockbusters of recent years); where fan tastes are dominating television (resulting in the kind of complexity that Steven Johnson celebrates in his new book.)
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’.
A new generation of media makers and viewers are emerging which could lead to a sea change in how media is made and consumed.
7) What does Jenkins suggest the new ideal consumer is?
They used to be the ones who watched television, bought products and didn't talk back, passively consuming. Whereas now its the ones who offer ideas and opinions on how to improve the product, a person who "talks up the program and spreads word about the brand."
8) Why is fandom 'the future'?
It will change how the entire industry operates because fans lead the hype on social media.
9) What does it mean when Jenkins says we shouldn’t celebrate ‘a process that commodifies fan cultural production’?
We should not promote this process as larger media companies exploit the companies the products that are produced by fans.
10) Read through to the end of the chapter. What do you think the future of fandom is? Are we all fans now? Is fandom mainstream or are real fan communities still an example of a niche media audience?
The fandom is keep on increasing towards the future due to more content being constantly produced throughout. However, not everyone will become fans.
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