How have developments in technology allowed the world of fandom’s to progress within social media and does their use of social media including Twitter or Tumblr reflect their true social identity?
This investigation will cover how technology advancements have allowed social groups like fandoms to progress in society by expressing their thoughts and opinions over social networks like Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook and Instagram. Furthermore, it aims to highlight how the media industry negatively portrays such groups because of the potential rivalry established through just a small period of time. The media would never have expected what they view to be a minor social group to have such a big influence in television, movies and music, causing the industry to listen to fans opinions. In association with my linked production of a fandom edition of a movie magazine, both my coursework and research paper interlink due to the concept of fandoms and the communication between fans.
Online, ‘fansites’ have become key in every individual fan’s life and many more of these are being constructed as a consequence of this. Fansite’s are websites dedicated to a particular person or subject and are run by a fan/group of fans of that particular subject. An example of a popular fansite is ‘TMI Source’ for urban fantasy author Cassandra Clare and the book series’ which she has published. TMI Source covers everything from the latest updates, to related blogs, to upcoming events which may appeal to the TMI fandom. The fandom is integrated into Cassandra Clare’s work in an intimate way, allowing the fans to feel connected with the author. Interactivity between owners and fans is emphasised through the TMI Source forum. It facilitates fans with discussions thus building a community. Furthermore, there is a petition present in an attempt to get the actors who were part of the ‘City of Bones’ movie, in the television series they are producing for the popular series. There are minor, unofficial sites which are of a similar style and layout to this one. Jaceandclary.com is a more limited site, having a more niche market, but still holding the same structure. This site clearly looks at the relationship of two protagonists, Jace and Clary in the novels why may appeal to a selective audience, unlike TMI Source. Both sites however still hold the same interactivity level with user generated content, social networking and key information appearing throughout. No matter which fanbase you look at, fansites always portray their fans in a positive light and look at them no differently to one another, unlike the media does. Furthermore, they give a sense of unity to their sites allowing every individual to communicate with each other without having to worry of the representation they may be given.
Over time, the consumption of media has changed excessively. Audiences, especially the fandom world, are becoming increasingly vocal when sharing their opinions on television and social debates. Over such a short period of time, the technological world has become an essential part of life for most of the population, with 1.23 billion users having a Facebook account worldwide, and almost 80% of those using at least one other social networking account. Those who use the likes of Instagram, a progressively popular app, potentially will have an account on Twitter with there being a 50% crossover for the networks displaying how easily fandoms can communicate through technological convergence.The television industry correspond with this and use the same apps to publicize to their audience.
Fandoms are becoming a growing social group with very little sites existing before the outbreak of social media. It is an embracing part of society with a range of young teenagers to mature adults being part of a fandom from sci-fi (Star Wars and Doctor Who) to big movie groups (Marvel, The Hunger Games and Harry Potter are just a few) as well as the bandom world. ‘Bandom’, similar to fandom, is a social group brought together by various music artists like fall out boy, panic at the disco and you me at six, however it covers a variety of different music genres.
Social media often morally devalues and portrays fans in a negative manner. Common stereotypes often suggest an excess of emotion. Additionally, another common stereotype brought about from media is the ‘nerd’ stereotype for those interested in sci-fi and comic book based movies. The Big Bang Theory is a common example of how the media see fans of comic books. Sheldon, Raj, Howard and Leonard are scientists who spend their spare time having movie marathons, reading comic books and playing video games thus enhancing the stereotype in the fandom world. Another example where this is emphasised is in 2008’s Fanboy’s where the movie exploits a group of hardcore Star Wars Fans and their adventures in pursuing an advance screening of The Phantom Menace. As much as many fans embrace the stereotype surrounding them, others can recognize the representation they are given resulting in the individual feeling self conscious about such portrayal of them in media.
Social media can act as an amplifier for things like the ‘fangirl’ stereotype. When you hear fangirl, the common perception of this is a young teenage girl, who is obsessed with a band like One Direction, however this is false. The One Direction fandom, or ‘Directioners’ hold misconceptions about females in their fandom and these misconceptions are fuel to ostracize them. Another commonality is how fans police what proper fan ‘behaviour’ is by calling one action to be an action of a fangirl, but not another. These misconceptions ultimately give fandom a negative association. Fangirls are not necessarily young teenagers, they can range from teenagers to mature adults, it just depends on what their personal preferences are fandom wise. The idea of ‘fanboying’ is starting to be introduced for all the men who, like fangirls, have a few favourites in television, movies and music. Stan Cohen’s theory of amplification might be applicable to the media portrayal of fandom in that they deliberately seem to amplify deviant behaviour to sell their own products.
There is another theory known as Kidulthood moral panic suggesting fans to be deviants in the media. It is said that fans generally think of only themselves and not the consequences of some of the lengths they go to. An example of this is where artists are staying at hotels, or visiting a radio station and fans surround such a place for just a glimpse of their idols, not even thinking of the lack of safety which it could lead to for the public/bystanders of that area. Initially, this links to deviance amplification where the media exaggerate the seriousness of behaviour. It could be said that the exaggeration surrounding the stereotypes is a media construct designed to depict fans to have that deviant, violent demeanour. Radio 4’s groundbreaking portrayal undertaken by music journalist Jude Rogers challenges this commonly held misconception. Jude states in her analysis that teen fangirls are harmless and how there is no need for such a bad reputation to surround them. She goes on to defend fangirls stating “so many of the most intelligent women would have been a boy band fan when younger. It’s not about being stupid or thick, it’s lovely that women with PHD’s, lawyers, have gone through this state. Pop is harmless safe music”.
Manovich, Professor in Computer Science and new media theorist comments on how “the uniqueness of digital media objects not only emerges from this ability to personalise, but from the fact that most digital media objects change over time” - this is known as the property of variability. He went on to say how “digital media tends to be networked and interactive: it often gets altered by efforts, needs and wants of the user” ’. ‘Interactivity’ or user generated content has become the core of contemporary media through it’s participatory opportunities. The impact of the internet on institutions is stronger than it would ever have been predicted to be a decade ago with user generated content becoming a competitor to traditional media, for instance fanfiction and blogging. The growth of the blogosphere has had a vast impact on mass media institutions consequently challenging all their foundations. The traditional gatekeepers of culture, the filters of news and guardians of quality have all had to adjust to the reality of participatory culture. The BBC who are trying to accommodate 360 degree programming and user participation. Channel 4 claimed when running a seminar on ‘The Power of Collaboration’ that “the next generation of customers will be more active and creative in building content”. The power of media is set to challenge traditional broadcasting for the foreseeable future.
The study of fan cultures has spearheaded the theoretical construction of this shift from ‘audience’ to ‘user’. Fans were the first social group to avail themselves of the website material which previously existed in a symbiotic/interdependent relationship with other media. Mass mediation encourages the concept of social interaction through “tweeting”, blogging and sharing videos over social networking sites thus establishing the term “going viral”. This causes users to become “producers in their own right”. Henry Jenkins in 2006 traced the relationships between active fan communities and media producers in an attempt to analyse the radical shifts between producers and consumers underpinning 21st century media markets. It was argued that the media used “new tools that enabled consumers to archive, annotate, appropriate and recirculate media content” aiming to maximise relationship between consumer and producer.
Duffett defined fandom as “a sociocultural phenomenon largely associated with modern capitalist societies, electronic media, mass culture and public performance”. Over a short period of time, the acceptance of such social groups has changed substantially indicating how culture is slowly changing in order to accept new modern communities brought about because of the media. It could be said that some communities would listen to stereotypes of fandoms, due to fear of the common representation, however a lot have embraced the idea of such a social group and have recognised the change in media over the years. Technological developments have made fandoms become a powerful figure in the television and movie industry.
The fandom world have even had an effect on how celebrities communicate to their fans, due to the majority now connecting to their fans through social networking sites, who now feel it a priority to have an account with either Twitter or Facebook. Celebrities can thrive on social networking. Ian Somerhalder, skillfully used social media to get a large response to his environmental and animal rights activism. Lady Gaga has crafted a huge online following highlighting how social media can be used as a tool in an effort to mobilise their fanbase towards activist causes. She has been involved in many activist efforts most notably the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ which was a law that prevented gay people from openly serving in the military, the combat of bullying and homophobia, the furthering of HIV fundraising and awareness and the maintenance of healthy body images.
It could be said that media thrives off giving niche social groups negative portrayal and do not research into their true aspects, thus identifying them as violent, immoral teenagers. My research indicates how society is divided between the media’s belief of what fandoms are like, and the true, social identity of a fan. Potentially, this could be because of fear of the unknown, and the concern over whether the media’s words are the truth, or it could simply be that the media have amplified their stories in a way to cause moral panic to the public against fanbases, consequently because of the rivalry which they pose to them as an industry.
Overall, growing fandoms, and the social identity which they possess, has had such an influence in television and music, that the media believe the only way to break such an increasing influence is to cause moral panic and when unable to justify their explanations, bring about the most violent outbursts of fandoms, which are but a small minority. The media choose not to think of the number of mature professionals whom were once a fangirl in society like those now in modern day, and they must ask themselves, do they as another social group believe that fangirls are really such a threat for society or are they contempt to believe that a group who has had such an influence over their industry is so deviant that television now listens to them?
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Bibliography
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Dovey, Jon, Seth Giddings, Iain Grant, and Kieran Kelly. "User Generated Content: We Are All Fans Now." New Media: A Critical Introduction. By Martin Lister. London: Routledge, 2009. N. pag. Print.
"Examining Celebrity Activism and Social Media: Lady Gaga, Fandom and Don't Ask, Don't Tell." REFRAMING ACTIVISM. N.p., 13 May 2013. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
Gray, Jonathan, Cornel Sandvoss, and C. Lee Harrington. Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World. New York: New York UP, 2007. Print.
Hills, Matt. "Stereotyping Fans and Fandom." Film Reference. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2014.
"JaceAndClary.com | A Jace Herondale and Clary Fray Fansite | The Mortal Instruments |." JaceAndClarycom A Jace Herondale and Clary Fray Fansite The Mortal Instruments RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014.
Karstedt, Susanne. "The Canon: Folk Devils and Moral Panics: The Creation of the Mods and Rockers. By Stanley Cohen." Times Higher Education. N.p., 4 Mar. 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
Kiss, Jemima. "Facebooks 10th Birthday." The Guardian. Jemima Kiss, 4 Feb. 2014. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
Miller, Vincent. "Digital Surveillance: Spaces, Traces and Tools." Understanding Digital Culture. London: SAGE Publications, 2011. N. pag. Print.
Miller, Vincent. "Variability." Understanding Digital Culture. London: SAGE Publications, 2011. N. pag. Print.
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"TMI Source." TMI Source. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2014