Week 9: Fan Culture: The Origins of Participatory Culture

Week 9: Fan Culture: The Origins of Participatory Culture

This week we shall be delving into the fascinating, and sometimes disturbing, world of fan culture.

Fan culture has an extensive history traceable through the history of mass-spectator sports throughout a variety of human cultures. Arguably, it also has clear psychological concomitants and parallels in and with religious organisations, cults, fanatical and secret societies - participating the the mass psychology of crowds and the more rarefied interactions of "elites." With the development of digital technology and the internet, fan culture has recently moved into a whole new playing field.

Fans, who have long sought the expansion of particular 'narrative universes' so they can relate to and interact with them in new ways, can be considered pioneers in testing the boundaries of, and expanding upon, the interactive capabilities of new technology - especially in relation to creative production and broadcast. What was once private creativity has stepped into the public sphere. The tools of production that were once only in the hands of a few are now available to more people than ever before.

One of the reasons why fans are so important to the growth of participatory culture is because, due to their realm of interest, they picked up the tools and started creating. Whether it be websites, fan fiction, digital film or the creation of online communities, fans have helped take mainstream media products (and the potential of new technologies) to the next level.

Fan_fiction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_fiction
This is a general intro into fan culture, specifically the different categories of fan fiction. Just skim through this and use it as a point of reference if you get confused by any of the categories of fan fiction mentioned in the readings:

"Quentin Tarantino's Star Wars?:Digital Cinema, Media Convergence, and Participatory Culture" by Henry Jenkins at:
http://web.mit.edu/cms/People/henry3/starwars.html
This article is really useful, he just lays it all out. At the end there are links to fan films and it would be good to look at one of the ones he mentions, as there are just so many out there!
Many other articles by Jenkins can be found at: http://web.mit.edu/cms/People/henry3/publications.html

'Star Wars and the Fracas Over Fan Films.'
http://news.com.com/Star+Wars+and+the+fracas+over+fan+films/2008-1008_3-...
This is an interview with Henry Jenkins about his thoughts on fan culture, Lucasfilm, Star Trek and Viacom.

'Private Uses of Cyberspace: Women, Desire, and Fan Culture' by Sharon Cumberland
http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/papers/cumberland.html
Ths is an interesting look at erotica and the internet. As much as people want to ignore it, the ease with which users can appropriate new identities on the net makes it (for some) the perfect forum to explore unexpressed desires, fantasies etc. Cumberland relates what she perceives as the liberating effects of anonymity specifically to fan culture and some of its' female-authored fiction.

Triumph the insult comic dog takes on Star Wars fans waiting to see Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8916288474241262495

Wikipedia Links to many fanfilms (Star Wars, Dr Who, Star Trek etc.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_film

Starship Exeter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Exeter
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/arts/television/18trek.html?ex=1159243...
http://homepage.mac.com/starshipexeter/
http://www.exeterstudio.com/
http://www.ussexeter.com/

The Buffyverse: (note this is from a conference a few years ago, so some links may not be functional)
http://www.refractory.unimelb.edu.au/journalissues/vol2/buffy/buffy.html
http://www.refractory.unimelb.edu.au/journalissues/vol2/buffy/sessions.h...

The above are the core readings, below are some things to look at/try if you have extra time or if your curiosity is piqued:

Galaxy Quest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_Quest

http://www.ggower.com/fans/winners.shtml.
This site gives awards for the worst - i.e. the most fawning and worshipping- of celebrity fansites. Do these give fan culture a bad name? If fan culture is an expansion of a professionally-produced 'narrative universe' so fans can interact with it in a grass-roots way, what is the deal with celebrity fan sites?

To show how massive fan culture is on the net using any search engine type in any of the following and see how many sites appear: Star Trek, Star Wars, Buffy, Lord of the Rings.

http://fanfilms.net/ To see many fan films on almost anything that has ever been on TV.

"Before the Holodeck: Translating Star Trek Into Digital Media." by Janet Murray and Henry Jenkins
http://web.mit.edu/cms/People/henry3/holodeck.html

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What are the origins and history of fan culture? How are these related to the rise of mass media?

What is the psychology of fan culture?

How have fans helped pioneer participatory culture and what forces does Jenkins see as threatening its development?

What are some of the ways in which internet fan culture could be said to influence mainstream media? (Eg. The franchise obsession and which films do and do not get the go-ahead.) And vice versa?

Fan culture can be said to have the potential to explore and question ideologies of mass culture. Does it? Why/why not?

What is the future of digital fan-filmmaking?