Henry Jenkins - fandom blog tasks

 Factsheet #107 - Fandom

Read Media Factsheet #107 on Fandom. Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) or log into your Greenford Google account to access the link. Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) What is the definition of a fan?

a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal - shortened to fan.

2) What the different types of fan identified in the factsheet?

Hardcore fan, Newbie and Anti-fan

3) What makes a ‘fandom’?

 

that fandoms exhibit a ‘passion that binds enthusiasts in the manner of people who share a secret — this secret just happens to be shared with millions of others.’

4) What is Bordieu’s argument regarding the ‘cultural capital’ of fandom?

Bordieu argues a kind of ‘cultural capital’ which confers a symbolic power and status for the fan, especially within the realm of their fandom.

5) What examples of fandom are provided on pages 2 and 3 of the factsheet?

"One of the earliest examples is the fandom created around the literary detective Sherlock Holmes, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fans of these books created some of the first fan fiction as early as 1887 and held public demonstrations of mourning after Holmes was “killed” off in 1893."

6) Why is imaginative extension and text creation a vital part of digital fandom?

Fans use the original media texts and get creative and innovative with the material. Crawford suggests that it is this which distinguishes fans from ordinary consumers.

Henry Jenkins - degree-level reading

Read the final chapter of ‘Fandom’ – written by Henry Jenkins (note: link may be blocked in school - try this Google Drive link if you need it.) 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?

Before, shows would just be viewed by audiences and absorbed but now, people now talk and converse

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,”

3) What are the different names Jenkins discusses for these active consumers that are replacing the traditional audience?

Media actives, prosumers, inspirational customers, connectors and 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.

5) What examples does Jenkins provide to argue that fan culture has gone mainstream?

That fan culture is no longer automatically associated with the stereotypical 'geeky' fan, and that fan culture ultimately dominates the media now.

6) Look at the quote from Andrew Blau in which he discusses the importance of grassroots creativity. Pick out a sentence from the longer quote and decide whether you agree that audiences will ‘reshape the media landscape from the bottom up’.

The audience now dictate a lot of the decisions that producers make due to the various platforms that people can voice their opinions about any media production

7) What does Jenkins suggest the new ideal consumer is?

 A person who "talks up the program and spreads word about the brand."

8) Why is fandom 'the future'?

Fandom is the future because it is the fans who lead the 'hype' on social media about their favourite products and they form groups of people (fanbases) that eventually become appealing to a wider audience,

9) What does it mean when Jenkins says we shouldn’t celebrate ‘a process that commodifies fan cultural production’?

We should not promote this process as larger media companies exploit the products that are produced by the fans 

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?

That fandom and the concept of being a fan has become a lot more mainstream. In many respects, it's almost a trend to be a fan of something