Divergent Fan Forums and Political Consciousness Raising

2013

This report describes the mechanisms of translation through which participatory culture communities extend members’ cultural connections toward civic and political outcomes. The report asks: What mechanisms do groups use to translate cultural interests into political outcomes? What are challenges and obstacles to this translation? May some mechanisms be more conducive towards some participatory political outcomes than others? The report addresses these questions through a comparison between two groups: the Harry Potter Alliance and the Nerdfighters. The Harry Potter Alliance is a civic organization with a strong online component which runs campaigns around human rights issues, often in partnership with other advocacy and nonprofit groups; its membership skews college age and above. Nerdfighters are an informal community formed around a YouTube vlog channel; many of the participants are high school age, united by a common goal of “decreasing world suck.” These two groups have substantial overlapping membership, yet they differ in their strengths and challenges in terms of forging participatory politics around shared cultural interests. The report discusses three mechanisms that enable such translation: 1. Tapping content worlds and communities – Scaffolding the connections that group members have through their shared passions for popular culture texts and their relationships with each other toward the development of civic identities and political agendas. 2. Creative production – Encouraging production and circulation of content, especially for political expression. 3. Informal discussion – Creating and supporting spaces and opportunities for conversations about current events and political issues. Through these mechanisms, these two groups build on young people’s passions around popular culture and their sense of shared cultural identity in order to help them cultivate their civic identities, express themselves politically, and take action.

Before beginning this project, I had never delved into the world of Community fanfiction the way some of my fellow fans had. I was not even aware that Community fanfiction existed. As I had not been well-versed in the world of fanfiction, I wrongly had the impression that fanfiction was reserved for science fiction and vampire or zombie movies and television shows (which is an excellent genre for fanfiction because of the fantasy elements behind them to begin with). The more I researched, I was delighted to find that there is actually quite a big group of Community fans who do write fanfiction for the show. Upon discovering that this was one of the key forms of virtual mediation of Community fan culture, I found myself unable to stop reading fanfiction. I sat for hours, reading fic after fic, thinking about how believable these storylines were and whether or not the characters would actually say the lines I was reading. I found myself critiquing in my head the work I was reading. I began seeking out other fics by fans whose work I had read and discovered how vast the world of fanfiction was and feel as though I am part of the Community fanfiction world. I began this project as a means to explore how people connect virtually. I've always had an interest in the virtual and the way that people interact virtually. Anthropology as a discipline is just beginning to explore the virtual, as more communities and relationships are being relegated online. It is becoming more vital to understand what is at stake in virtually mediated communities in order to understand an increasingly common type of human interaction.

Studies of fan groups in recent years have increasingly focused on the internet as a locus of communal activity for participants. Certainly this is not an unexpected paradigm shift. Prior to the advent of the internet, and its subsequent adoption by fan communities, being a fan was largely a proposition that required participants to engage in physical encounters where culture was transmitted on a personal, often individual level. However, as the internet collapses barriers of time and space fandoms have become a well connected global village capable of coordinated and immediate worldwide participation. As involvement in these mediated cyber modes of community formation and maintenance increases one must wonder what is at stake for these newly minted online fandoms. In this work the author will take the position of arguing that these groups form not only as a means of expressing communal identity but also as a method of asserting their hegemonic control over a collective ‘base text.’ This essay explores the formation of online communities around specific cultural artifacts and seeks to define what is meant in describing these mediated cultures as a ‘group.’ Much of the argument will center on the power dispute over hegemonic control between fans of a cultural artifact and the original producers of that text, situating this conflict in the fan experience. This dispute between cultural producers and consumers will bring sharply into focus the capabilities of online media and expose one of the myriad reasons why fandoms create and function in virtual spaces.

Social networking websites have become important tools for most Internet-users, but there aren’t many who would consider themselves members of online communities, communities whose connections and interactions take place almost exclusively through online communication. One of the most prevalent online communities is media fandoms, communities of enthusiastic fans that share an interest in a show, movie, or other media. Social activist movements have also found a place online. This dissertation addresses the fusion of online Fandom and social activism, investigating what these two seemingly distinct groups have in common and how online media-rich communities become turned towards effective activism. To set the stage, I address online sociality and virtual community, the nature of Fandom as an online subculture, and social activism as it has developed in the context of Internet technologies. The aim of this dissertation is to explore fan activism as a convergence of active Fandom communities and social activist movements over online networks. I found that fan activism is an effective fusion of these seemingly distinct groups because both Fandom and social activism rely on online horizontal networking facilitated by sharing information to form decentralized imagined communities of active and enthusiastic members. Fan activism is therefore a powerful force for social change.

participations.org

2019

every one of our meetings, I was anxious and insecure. After every meeting, I left with confidence, concrete guidance, deeper understanding of research, and a feeling of companionship. You believed in me before I believed in myself, and you guided this project from blind shots in the dark to focused research that is reflective of the best parts of myself and my scholarship. Thank you to my thesis reader, Dr. Graeme Wend-Walker, for coming onto this project in the middle of everything, and for ranting with me in your office about how awful Twitter culture is. You get me, and I really needed that. Your insights were crucial to the tone of the final product. Thank you to my friends, family and mentors on and off campus, without whom I would be face down in a ditch and crying. I want to specifically mention Iris Gonzalez for coming up with the phrase "to affinity and beyond" and allowing me to use it. I really, really, really cannot state how grateful I am for all the support I've gotten on this project from so many people. I would list the names of every person who's impacted this project, but I think that would be take several more sheets of this fancy paper. So, if you're reading this with the hope that I'll mention you, this goes out to you. Finally, thank you to every single one of my participants. Thank you for taking time out of your lives to type so many of your thoughts. Without you, none of this would be possible. I hope, if you read this thesis, that you learn something.

Based on longitudinal data from a three year ethnographic study, this article uses discourse analytic methods to explore the literacy and social practices of three adolescent English language learners writing in an online fan fiction community. Theoretical constructs within globalization and literacy studies are used to describe the influences of new media and technologies on modern configurations of imagination, identity, communication, and writing. Findings suggest that through their participation in online fan-related activities, these three youth are using language and other representational resources to enact cosmopolitan identities, make transnational social connections, and experiment with new genres and formats for composing.

Proceedings of the Media Ecology Association, 2004

The progressive, utopian rhetoric of the Internet's first moments has largely diminished in the face of uneven access across various "digital divides," corporate media consolidation, and on-line monitoring and surveillance systems. Yet there are some interesting counter-trends associated with what this essay discusses as online "fandom" or "communities of appreciation," and the recent upsurge in antiglobalization activism has demonstrated how cultural communities can modulate into political ones.

International Journal of Communication, 2015

Political talk enables citizens to form opinions and understand the significance of the political world. Yet young people in particular may find political talk intimidating or divisive, and may require alternative spaces to discuss politics. This article presents an ethnographic examination of political talk within the context of a face-to-face Harry Potter fan discussion group, as a case of a “third space” where shared popular culture interests serve as a starting point for political discussion. The analysis suggests three mechanisms explicating the process through which popular culture contexts can engender political talk: scaling up, broadening the political, and mobilization. Connections between popular culture and political communication are found to be particularly important for the political socialization of young people.

2012

Fan activism, forms of civic engagement and political participation growing out of experiences of fandom, is a powerful mode of mobilization, particularly for young people. Building on 40 interviews with members of two organizations representing different configurations of fan activism, this article discusses three emerging elements that are key to the experience of membership in such groups. We suggest that the strength of fan activist groups builds on successfully combining these elements: two that are common to fandom, shared media experiences and a sense of community, and one that is traditionally ascribed to volunteerism and activism, the wish to help.