Fandom
A fandom is a
A fandom can grow around any area of human interest or activity. The subject of fan interest can be narrowly defined, focused on something like an individual celebrity, or encompassing entire hobbies, genres or fashions. While it is now used to apply to groups of people fascinated with any subject, the term has its roots in those with an enthusiastic appreciation for sports. Merriam-Webster's dictionary traces the usage of the term back as far as 1903.[1]
Many fandoms are overlapped. There are a number of large conventions that cater to fandom such as film, comics, anime, television shows, cosplay, and the opportunity to buy and sell related merchandise. Annual conventions such as Comic Con International, Wondercon, Dragon Con, and New York Comic Con are some of the more well-known and highly attended events that cater to overlapping fandoms.
Organized subculture
Fans of the literary detective
A wide variety of modern organized
Media fandom split from science fiction fandom in the early 1970s with a focus on relationships between characters within TV and movie media franchises, such as
Music fandom emerged in the early 20th century with the rise of popular music culture, and revolves around the collective enthusiasm and dedication of fans towards specific musical artists, bands, or genres. Common forms of engagement for music fandoms include attending concerts, creating fan art, participating in online communities, and consuming media related to their preferred artist.[16] These communities play an important role in promoting and supporting the careers of artists, as well as shaping cultural trends within the music industry. Some popular examples of music fandom include Beatlemania, Swifties, Deadheads and The Barbz.
The
Additional subjects with significant fandoms include
Fan activities
Members of a fandom associate with one another, often attending fan conventions and publishing and exchanging fanzines and newsletters. Amateur press associations are another form of fan publication and networking. Originally using print-based media, these subcultures have migrated much of their communications and interaction onto the Internet, which is also used for the purpose of archiving detailed information pertinent to their given fanbase. Often, fans congregate on forums and discussion boards to share their love for and criticism of a specific work. This congregation can lead to a high level of organization and community within the fandom, as well as infighting. Although there is some level of hierarchy among most of the discussion boards, and certain contributors may be valued more highly than others, newcomers are most often welcomed into the fold. Most importantly, these sorts of discussion boards can have an effect on the media itself, as was the case in the television show Glee.[21] Trends on discussion boards have been known to influence the writers and producers of shows. The media fandom for the TV series Firefly was able to generate enough corporate interest to create a movie after the series was canceled.[22]
Some fans write fan fiction ("fanfic"), stories based on the universe and characters of their chosen fandom. This fiction can take the form of video-making as well as writing.[23] Fan fiction may or may not tie in with the story's canon; sometimes fans use the story's characters in different situations that do not relate to the plot line at all.
Especially at events, fans may also partake in
Others create
Some fans create pictures known as
The Temple of the Jedi Order, or Jediism, a self-proclaimed "real living, breathing religion," views itself as separate from the Jedi as portrayed in the Star Wars franchise.[29] Despite this, sociologists view the conflation of religion and fandom in Jediism as legitimate in some sense, classifying both as participatory phenomena.[30]
There are also active fan organizations that participate in philanthropy and create a positive social impact. For example, the
In film
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Notable feature-length
In books
Fangirl is a novel written by Rainbow Rowell about a college student who is a fan of a book series called Simon Snow, which is written by a fictional author named Gemma T. Leslie. On October 6, 2015 Rainbow Rowell published a follow-up novel to Fangirl. Carry On is a stand-alone novel set in the fictional world that Cath, the main character of Fangirl writes fan fiction in.[39]
Relationship with the media industry
The film and television
Media fans, have, on occasion, organized on behalf of canceled
In the music industry, fandoms have played vital roles in shaping the music of their favorite artists. In 2023, Lana Del Rey was featured in Taylor Swift's song "Snow on the Beach", a track off of her popular album Midnights. Both Swifties, Taylor Swift's loyal fan base, and Lana Del Rey fans were disappointed with the feature, as they felt her contribution was not long enough or sufficiently prominent in the mix. In response, Taylor Swift released an updated version of the track titled "Snow on the Beach (Feat. More Lana Del Rey)", where she sings the entire second verse.[43]
Such outcries, even when unsuccessful, suggest a growing self-awareness on the part of entertainment consumers, who appear increasingly likely to attempt to assert their power as a
In
The relationship between fans and professionals has changed because of access to social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. These give fans greater access to public figures such as creators, authors, and actors. Online platforms also give fans more ways to connect and participate in fandoms.[49]
Some fans have made their work in fandom into careers. The book
There is contention over fans not being paid for their time or work. Gaming companies use fans to alpha and beta test their games in exchange for early access or promotional merchandise.[25] The TV show Glee used fans to create promotional materials, though they did not compensate them.[51]
The entertainment industry has promoted its work directly to members of the fandom community by sponsoring and presenting at events and conventions dedicated to fandom.[52] Studios frequently create elaborate exhibits,[53] organize panels that feature celebrities and writers of film and television (to promote both existing work and works yet to be released), and engage fans directly with providing Q&A sessions, screening sneak previews, and supplying branded giveaway merchandise. The interest, reception, and reaction of the fandom community to the works being promoted have a marked influence on how film studios and others proceed with the projects and products they exhibit and promote.[54]
Fandoms, for example at Comic Con, can sometimes lead to toxic behavior, including harassing other fans or media creators.[55]
Fandom and technology
The rise of the Internet created new and powerful outlets for fandom. While the principles of fandom largely remain the same, internet users now have the ability to engage in discourse on a global scale, creating an even stronger sense of community among fans. Mark Duffet touches on this point in Popular Music Fandom: Identities, Roles and Practices: "Online social media platforms... have operated as a forthright challenge to the idea that electronic mediation is an alienating and impersonal process".[56]
Fandoms engaging with technology began with early engineers trading Grateful Dead set lists and discussing the setup of the band's concert speaker system, called the "Wall of Sound," on ARPANET, a precursor to the Internet.[57] This led to tape trading over FTP, and the Internet Archive began to add Grateful Dead shows in 1995.[57] Online tape trading communities such as etree evolved into P2P networks trading shows through torrents. After the birth of the World Wide Web, many communities adopted the practices of Deadhead fandom online.
See also
- Akiba-kei
- Anorak (slang)
- Anti-fan
- Fan activism
- Fan club
- Fan film
- Fan studies
- Geek
- List of fandom nicknames
- Otaku
- Stan Twitter
- Sasaeng
Fandoms by medium
- Anime and manga fandom and Anime#Fan response
- Cinephilia
- Furry fandom
- Gamers
- K-pop fans
- Vidding fandom
List of notable fandoms
- A Song of Ice and Fire fandom (fans of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire including A Game of Thrones)
- Beatlemaniacs (fans of the Beatles)
- Bondians (James Bond)
- Bronies (fans of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)
- Browncoats (fans of Firefly)
- The Grateful Dead)
- Directioners (fans of One Direction)
- Disneyfandom
- Fandom culture in South Korea (fans of Korean pop idols and anime)
- Janeites (fans of Jane Austen)
- Juggalos (fans of Insane Clown Posse)
- Larries (shipping fans of Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson)
- Madonna wannabes (part of Maddona's fandom)
- Marvel fandom
- MSTies (fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000)
- Parrotheads (fans of Jimmy Buffett)
- Potterheads (fans of Harry Potter)
- Railfans
- Sherlockians (fans of Sherlock Holmes)
- SRKians (fans of Shah Rukh Khan)
- Stargate fandom
- Star Wars fandom
- Swifties (fans of Taylor Swift)
- Tifosi (fans of Italian sports teams or motor vehicles)
- Tolkien fandom (also known as Tolkienites, or, if only fans of The Lord of the Rings, Ringers)
- Trekkies (fans of Star Trek)
- Ultras, fanatic sports supporters
- Whovians (fans of Doctor Who)
References
- ^ "Fandom - Definition of fandom by Merriam-Webster". merriam-webster.com. 30 March 2024.
- ^ a b Brown, Scott (2009-04-20). "Scott Brown on Sherlock Holmes, Obsessed Nerds, and Fan Fiction". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
Sherlockians called them parodies and pastiches (they still do), and the initial ones appeared within 10 years of the first Holmes 1887 novella, A Study in Scarlet.
- ^ "Sherlock Holmes". Fanlore wiki. Fanlore. 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
The earliest recorded examples of this fannish activity are from 1902...
- ^ "About Us | National Railway Historical Society". Retrieved 2019-11-10.
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- ^ "Dr. Gafia's Fan Terms". fanac.org.
- ^ "The History of the Kingdom of The West: Pre-History". 2007-06-09. Archived from the original on 2007-06-09. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
- ^ "The Priestess of Avalon – Welcome to Avalon!". avalonbooks.net. Archived from the original on 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
- ^ a b Clute, John (1997). "Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997) Society for Creative Anachronism". sf-encyclopedia.uk. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
- ^ Friedman, David. "On Restructuring the SCA". www.daviddfriedman.com. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
- ^ "Home – Great Dark Horde – Horde Space". hordespace.com. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
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- ^ Walker, Jesse (August–September 2008). "Remixing Television: Francesca Coppa on the vidding underground". Reason Online. Archived from the original on 2 September 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ^ Bennett, Jason H. "A Preliminary History of American Anime Fandom" (PDF). University of Texas at Arlington. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2011. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
- Grinell College. Archived from the originalon 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
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- ^ Patten, Fred (2012-07-15). "Retrospective: An Illustrated Chronology of Furry Fandom, 1966–1996". Flayrah. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
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- ^ "Kristian Alfonso, Alison Sweeney and More Shocking Soap Opera Exits|msn.com". MSN.
- ^ ""Gaming's Fringe Cults"|The Escapist". Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
- ^ Laskari, Isabelle. "Glee Producer and Writer Discuss the Show's Fandom". Hypable. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
- ^ Miller, Gerri (28 September 2005). "Inside Serenity". How Stuff Works. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
- ^ Jenkins, Henry. "Quentin Tarantino's Star Wars? Digital Cinema, Media Convergence, and Participatory Culture". web.mit.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
- ^ Thorn, Rachel (2004). "Girls And Women Getting Out Of Hand: The Pleasure And Politics Of Japan's Amateur Comics Community". Fanning the Flames: Fans and Consumer Culture in Contemporary Japan William W. Kelly, ed. State University of New York Press. Archived from the original on 2016-12-14.
- ^ S2CID 142712852.
- ^ "fandom edits on Tumblr". tumblr.com. Archived from the original on 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
- ^ Cain, Bailey Knickerbocker. "The New Curators: Bloggers, Fans And Classic Cinema On Tumblr". M.A. Thesis. University Of Texas, 2014.
- ^ Petersen, Line Nybro (2014). "Sherlock fans talk: Mediatized talk on tumblr". Northern Lights: Film & Media Studies Yearbook. 12.1: 87–104.
- ^ "Home". www.templeofthejediorder.org. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
- ^ Hanson, Megan (2019-02-20). "Fandom for the Faithless: How Pop Culture Is Replacing Religion". Popdust. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
- ^ "Kilgler-Vilenchik, Neta (2013). "Decreasing World Suck: Fan Communities, Mechanisms of Translation, and Participatory Politics." USC" (PDF).
- ^ Bruner, Raisa (2020-07-25). "How K-Pop Fans Actually Work as a Force for Political Activism in 2020". Time. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- ^ Ohlheiser, Abby (2020-06-05). "How K-pop fans became celebrated online vigilantes". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- ^ "Trekkies - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com.
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- ^ Leydon, Joe (2016-03-14). "Film Review: 'Slash'". Variety. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
- ^ "Column: San Diego Comic-Con gets the superhero treatment in a new SiriusXM podcast". San Diego Union-Tribune. 25 June 2021.
- ^ "See You At San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture". Fantagraphics.
- ^ El-Mohtar, Amal (6 October 2015). "Fan Fiction Comes To Life In 'Carry On'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ "The Veronica Mars Movie Project". Kickstarter.
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- ^ Zhan, Jennifer (2023-05-26). "Taylor Swift Turned Up Lana Del Rey's Mic". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- – via journal.transformativeworks.org.
- ^ "The Story Behind Bucky's Groundbreaking Comic-Book Reinvention As the Winter Soldier". Vulture. 2016-05-06. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ "Lev Grossman, S.E. Hinton, and Other Authors on the Freedom of Writing Fanfiction". Vulture. 2015-03-13. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ Reporter, Tyler McCarthy Trending News (2014-07-28). "Daniel Radcliffe Disguised Himself As Spider-Man During Comic-Con". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ "Watch Andrew Garfield's Earnest Spider-Man Speech at Comic-Con". Vulture. 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ Bennett, Lucy (2014). "Tracing Textual Poachers: Reflections on the development of fan studies and digital fandom". The Journal of Fandom Studies. 2.1: 5–20.
- ^ "'Fifty Shades of Grey' started out as 'Twilight' fan fiction before becoming an international phenomenon". Business Insider. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
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- ^ Graser, Marc (2013-07-15). "Comic-Con: Universal Destroys San Diego Convention Center for 'Oblivion'". Variety. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
- ^ Maass, Arturo Garcia, Dave (2018-07-23). "25 Best Things We Saw at San Diego Comic Con 2018". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
{{cite magazine}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Yamato, Jen (19 July 2017). "Inside Comic-Con's Hall H, the most important room in Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
- ^ Carson, Erin. "Comic-Con 2018 is all about the fans. So why are so many of them mad?". CNET.
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- ^ Scott Beauchamp (2017-06-14). "The Internet Is the Grateful Dead". Pacific Standard. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
External links
- "Who owns fandom?" – Salon.com December 13, 2000
- "Rank and Phile" Archived 2008-05-12 at the Wayback Machine – Arts Hub feature, August 12, 2005
- ELIZABETH MINKEL (February 28, 2024). "Lots of People Make Money on Fanfic. Just Not the Authors". Wired.
- Organization for Transformative Works – Non-profit organization promoting fandom and archiving fanworks.
- "Surviving Fandom" – Mookychick June 24, 2013
- Harry Potter Alliance - official website