The following tasks will give you an excellent introduction to fandom and also allow you to start exploring degree-level insight into audience studies. Work through the following:
Factsheet #107 - Fandom
Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) to find Media Factsheet #107 on Fandom. Save it to USB or email it to yourself so you have access to the reading for homework. Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions:
1) What is the definition of a fan?
Someone who is devoted to a music artist, band, football team or you can be a fan of anything in the grand scheme of things.
2) What the different types of fan identified in the factsheet?
Hardcore fan- Hard core fans identify themselves as the ‘insiders’ within any given fandom and consider themselves to be aficionados of their chosen media text. They spend a lot of time and often money in becoming hard core fans. .
Newbie- Newbies are new fans and do not have the longevity of devotion or depth of knowledge that hard core fans have.
Anti fans-‘Anti-fans’ are those which identify themselves with media texts but negatively so; they loathe or hate the text but unlike ‘true’ fans they do not form their relationship with a text through close readings, they develop their emotional attachment ‘at a distance’ (Gray) through marketing publicity such as trailers.
3) What makes a ‘fandom’?
-A group of people that seem to enjoy something together
-They also seem to have an undying passion for that thing they are devoted to.
4) What is Bordieu’s argument regarding the ‘cultural capital’ of fandom?
-Fandom offers sense of recognition
-Their passion is noticed within the fandom and their status is known as as a fan.
5) What examples of fandom are provided on pages 2 and 3 of the factsheet?
-Ironic readings
-Defying the critics and institutions
-Imaginative extension and text creation (fan fiction)
6) Why is imaginative extension and text creation a vital part of digital fandom?
-fans create their version using their own creativity
-they connect with other fans using fiction and story telling
Tomb Raider and Metroid fandom research
Look at this Tomb Raider fansite and answer the following questions:
1) What types of content are on offer in this fansite?
It compares blogs, games and other websites on the content that they offer on the Tom Raider games. It also gives a directory on the games, news, walkthroughs and other social media sites like Twitter and Facebook groups.
Look at this Tomb Raider fansite and answer the following questions:
1) What types of content are on offer in this fansite?
It compares blogs, games and other websites on the content that they offer on the Tom Raider games. It also gives a directory on the games, news, walkthroughs and other social media sites like Twitter and Facebook groups.
2) What does the number of links and content suggest about the size of the online fan community for Tomb Raider and Lara Croft? Pick out some examples from this page.
By comparing the different websites of the type of content they have on the website shows that these different niche websites create a global mass culture when put together. Its in many different languages, so it shows how big the fan culture is.
3) Scroll to the bottom of the page and look at the short ‘About me’ bio and social media updates. Is this a typical example of ‘fandom’ in the digital age? Why?
I think it is because it allows fans to discuss the text or genre on different platforms, which shows how big fan cultures are. One person or a group of people organise the fanbase and moderate them so they continue to have some structure and organisation.
Now look at this Metroid fansite and answer the following:
1) What does the site offer?
- games
- interviews
- articles
- social media links
2) Look at the Community Spotlight page. What does this suggest about the types of people who enjoy and participate in fan culture?
it suggests they enjoy cosplay and the musicians and has a knowledge of people who design the game as there a lot of names with no descriptions.
3) There is a specific feature on Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. What do the questions from fans tell you about the level of engagement and interest in the game and franchise from the fan community?
fans asking questions show how invested people are and how there is also an element of 'end of audience'
Henry Jenkins: degree-level reading
Read the final chapter of ‘Fandom’ – written by Henry Jenkins. 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?
this means new digital media is more about bringing people together rather than selling and talking to an audience.
this means new digital media is more about bringing people together rather than selling and talking to an audience.
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.'
'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
'
'
3) What are the different names Jenkins discusses for these active consumers that are replacing the traditional audience?
Media actives/prosumers/“inspirational consumers' “connectors” or “influencers
4) On the third page of the chapter, what does Wired editor Chris Anderson suggest regarding the economic argument in favour of fan communities?
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?
'This bottom up energy will generate enormous creativity'. I agree with the statement, fans for the first time have a mainstream platform to communicate on and can comment directly to producers of the text - this is changing the media landscape.
7) What does Jenkins suggest the new ideal consumer is?
Traditional: watched TV, bought products and didn't talk back.
New: Talks up the program, spreads word about the brand.
Traditional: watched TV, bought products and didn't talk back.
New: Talks up the program, spreads word about the brand.
8) Why is fandom 'the future'?
The individual fan is not focused just on consumption.
9) What does it mean when Jenkins says we shouldn’t celebrate ‘a process that commodifies fan cultural production’?
Fan production is produced based on the original product and is sold back to commodify the product.
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?
We can all talk about texts and discuss them - this has been the case before the internet as people used to talk about film and TV shows before. Niche fan communities have more of an impact as do modern consumers because of the internet. There is now a direct link to producers of the text in terms of communication. Fandom will still be the future because we are able to voice our opinions directly to the consumer.
No comments:
Post a Comment