#fancommunities

#Week9 #MDA20009

Introduction

In a world where media dominates our lives, it's essential to reflect on how it portrays fans. Are the common depictions of fans as 'weird and 'overly emotional' fair, or are they merely stereotypes? In this blog post, we'll explore these stereotypes and discuss my own personal experience with fandom.

Section 1: Media Stereotypes of Fans

Media's Lens on Fandom

The media often portrays fans in a rather unflattering light. Think about TV shows where obsessive fans depicted as socially awkward or news sentimental that sensationalize fan reactions. These portrayals perpetuate stereotypes, making it seem like fandom is a realm of eccentricity (Fuschillo 2020).

Examples of Stereotypes

Consider instances in movies and television where fans are caricatured as fanatics, and their passion is ridiculed. The classic portrayal of a fan living in their parents' basement, surrounded by merchandise, and socially isolated is a stereotype that has been perpetuated for decades. News reports during major fan events might focus solely on 'crazed' fans, ignoring the diverse and passionate community that these events bring together (Fiske 2017).

The Impact of Stereotypes

These media stereotypes can be damaging. they contribute toa misconception that fandom is something to be ashamed of or that fans are somehow less 'normal'. This misrepresentation can lead to stigmatization and exclusion, making it challenging for individuals to express their passion openly (Stewart et.al 2021).

Section 2: Challenging the Stereotypes

Breaking the Mold

Thankfully, fans have been challenged these stereotypes, and they've been doing so in remarkable ways. They're actively disproving the misconception that the media perpetuates by showcasing their creativity, social activism, and positivity.

Fan Communities Making a Difference

One of the most powerful ways fans have challenged these stereotypes is by making a positive impact. For communities often 2come together for charitable causes. They organize fundraisers, donate to worthy charities, and use their shared love for a franchise or show to make a real-world difference. For example, "fandom charities" have raised millions of dollars for causes like disaster relief, children's hospitals, and environmental conservation (Mastromartino & Zhang 2020).

Campaigns organized by fans have also raised awareness for important causes. Whether it's advocating for social justice, raising awareness about a mental health issues, or supposedly LGBTQ+ rights, fan communities have been at the forefront of many meaningful campaigns. This leverage their passion and influence to bring about positive change.

Section 3: My Personal Fandom Experience

My Fandom Journey

My own journey as a fan has been nothing short of transformative. I fell in love with a particular show that resonates with me on a deep level. This show became more than just a form of entertainment, it was a source of inspiration, comfort, and a gateway to a whole new world of creativity.

Connections and Creative Expression

Being part of a fan community allowed me to connect with like-minded individuals who shared my passion. We discussed theories, analysed characters, and celebrated the show's milestone together. The sense of belonging within a community was a beautiful aspect of fandom.

Creativity played a significant role in my fandom experience. I started creating fan art, within fanfiction, and even participating in fan conventions. It was a way to express my love for the show and connect with others who felt the same way. The creative outlet that fandom provided was *incredibly fulfilling.

Section 4: The Diversity of Fandom

Fan Communities Are Diverse

One of the most significant misconceptions perpetuated by the media is the idea that fans are a monolithic group. In reality, fan communities are incredibly diverse. Fans come from all walks of life, and their passion can be a source of empowerment and identity.

Fandom is an inclusive space where people of different backgrounds, age, gender, and cultures come together over shared interests. This diversity adds depth and richness to fan communities, it's a place where you can find acceptance and understanding, ni matter who you are or where you come from (Cristofari & Guitton 2016).

References

Cristofari, C & Guitton, MJ 2016, 'Aca-fans and fan communities: An operative framework', Journal of Consumer Culture, vol. 17, no. 3, viewed 7 November 2023, <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1469540515623608>.

Fiske, ST 2017, 'Prejudices in cultural contexts: shared stereotypes (gender, age) versus variable stereotypes (race, ethnicity, religion)', Perspect Psychol Sci, vol. 12, no. 5, viewed 7 November 2023, <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5657003/>.

Fuschillo, G 2020, 'Fans, fandoms, or fanaticism?', Journal of Consumer Culture, vol. 20, no. 3, viewed 7 November 2023, <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322273679_Fans_Fandoms_or_Fanaticism>.

Mastromartino, B & Zhang, JJ 2020, 'Affective outcomes of membership in a sport fan community', Frontiers in Psychology, 8 May, viewed 7 November 2023, <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7225319/>.

The topic of fandoms and fan communities was one that I hardly ever put much thought into. Until we discussed it in class, and it made me stop and think about what are fandoms? When can somebody be eligible to call themselves a fan? Do I belong to any fandom?

Fandoms are is a subculture that celebrates a mutual bond formed between people over a book series, TV show, movie, band, or another form of pop culture. People from all over the world connect and build communities online based on a shared interest of a show, book series or any form of pop culture. The online presence of fandom is not very different from offline presence. They tend to create communities online where they connect with each other from all across the globe, share theories about their favorite shows/character, fanart, fanfiction etc.. their offline presence is very heavily focused on cosplay events, conferences, shows, screenings etc.. they bring the world they are indulged in very deeply to life.

Being part of a fandom however goes beyond just sharing your interests with likeminded people, or bringing the imaginary world you're in love with to life.

Dr. Laurel Steinberg, a psychotherapist and professor of psychology at Columbia University told Teen Vogue: “Belonging to a fandom group helps adolescents connect to other like-minded youths on social media throughout the year, as well as at concert events. Feeling like you are part of a group can help one define his/her identity and give a sense of purpose to what might be an otherwise routine lifestyle.” (Wiest B, 2017)

She went on to say, “Connecting with people over shared passions and interests is good for mental and emotional health because it helps to create a fraternity-like or family-like sense of security. It's also generally fun to scheme and get excited about something with others, and gives them a subject to talk about that they know will always be well received.” (Wiest B, 2017)

In addition to that, the adolescence period is when teens get to know more about themselves, get to understand who they want to be and who they really are rather than what they have been told to be. Being part of a fandom helps shape their identity of becoming who they really are. And connecting with like-minded people through fandoms helps in the process of the transition.  (Wiest B, 2017)

Apart from just that, through the communities they build, they tend to build real friendships online with people across the globe that are very similar to them and have similar interests, ones that can understand them. And in many cases, the friendships developed into really good lasting ones, that stand by their side in the darkest times or when they need help from each other. (Morrison M, 2016)

In many ways, the media has portrayed fans as crazy people in the simplest terms, ones that are obsessed with crazy extents with a specific topic. Sometimes they are known to be childish, nerdy or geeky. Which throws everyone who is a fan off from actually expressing who they are, or the love they have fro the community they belong to. Which is very unfortunate. (Morrison M, 2016)

It was very eye-opening for me to know what being part of a fandom is and how it's much more beyond being obsessed with a specific topic in general. I never considered myself a fan or part of any fandom, not because I was too shy to claim that I am, but its because I don’t think I like one thing so much or like it enough to be a fan the way real fans actually are.

I guess its an issue of authenticity in my case, and not wanting to claim I'm something I'm not and steal a title when other people deserve it more than me. But I hope people who identify themselves as part of fandom get comfortable enough to express their identity. 

List of References - 

https://medium.com/s/5-things-i-learned/5-things-i-learned-studying-fandom-2bb857fdef03

https://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultural-theory-and-theorists/fandom-and-participatory-culture/

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/psychologists-say-fandoms-are-amazing-for-your-mental-health

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnUztQc3TTA

There were television shows and movies that showed what the future could be like with the increasing advancement of technology. I admit, I believed that we would be hovercrafting to work in the future, dress ourselves using funky gadgets, own robot butlers and maids to cook and clean... Life would be easy and human beings would have control over all of it! I wasn’t the only one who thought that this would happen. 20 years seemed so long and within those 20 years, there was a belief that we would have the technology to do anything we wanted to do. There was no limitation to the creative juices that flowed in each and every one of us. The possibilities were endless and we could create a utopia, or an ideal world where boundaries no longer existed. 

The perfect world. The perfect life. 

We created something that was close to doing just that. The Internet. A way to connect to billions of people where anything was possible. I remember those days when computers and the Internet were not a part of my life. I didn’t own a computer until around 2004 and I was content enough to play made-up games with my brother and watch Wheel of Fortune on the TV. The world seemed so small to me, like I was living in a bubble that I couldn’t escape. If I wanted to immerse myself in something different it would have been through books, movies, and my favourite Teletoon TV shows. If I didn’t know something, I would have had to ask someone rather than use a search engine. Now that I think about, I don’t know how I lived without the Internet! It seems like such a distant past but when I really think about it, it wasn’t that long ago. 

Rather than living in a virtual dream, we are merging virtual reality with real life experiences. Video chat applications like Google Hangout and Skype is a combination of the virtual and the real, social media happens in real-time, touch-screen maps are easily available for when you need it. This is something that Professor Beth Coleman would call, “X-Reality” where things can happen at the same time in the same place in reality and virtually. Many things that you need are located in real places and virtual places. Instead of separating virtual reality and reality, they co-exist together. The binary between online and offline is not as clear cut as it used to be.

Great article for Direct Marketing by Elyse Dupré on what Mike Monello(CCO@CampfireNYC) had to say at the TALK NYC's ENGAGE: The NYC Digital Storytelling Conference.

These places, people and things exist, all you've got to do is think hard about where your audience fan communities gather.