Fandom, both as a community and a culture is interpretative. The term interpretative community was rooted from a literary theorist named Stanley Fish. He established this notion in his book “Is There a Text in this Class?” (1980), believing that the reader holds a core position both in shaping and producing the meaning of literary works where according to him, reader’s experiences affects their interpretation of a text. In his study, Fish (1980) divided the act of reading texts into two (2) categories
After joining my very first fandom there were things I wasn't expecting to need to do. Such as donate items or funds to charities in the group's name, many fandoms would also buy multiple albums or stream songs for 24 hours, to keep their group on top of the charts for longer periods of time. As time passed and I became a more senior member of the fandom I was also expected to help recruit new members which in retrospect isn't a difficult
Jensen counters the view that the popular press portrays fans as ‘dangerous’ by approaching fans as “ordinary people immersed in everyday life, and reveals the deep dilemmas about modern life that generate such negative characterizations.” (Lisa. A. Lewis 1992: 2) Lawrence Grossberg approaches fandom as: “a special relationship between audience and culture in which the pleasure of consumption is superseded by an investment in difference. In fandom, moods and feelings become organized and
Television is a staple piece of technology in every American household. Introduced in 1948, the television has made its place in popular culture and holds a great influence in the way we conduct our everyday lives. Its popularity exceeded expectations. The first television was extremely costly during that time period as well, but by 1960, ninety percent of American households had a television set. The television is commonplace in every household today, and it is unusual to see a house without one
For my ethnography project, I chose to study the fandom of The Walking Dead. For the purpose of this paper, I will refer to The Walking Dead as a comic, a video game, and a TV series. The focus of this ethnography is to understand how the comic book culture influences many fans. Since the series is based on a graphic novel series, and some of the fans are schooled in comic culture; they arrive with literacy in comic storytelling. Others who are not fans may recognize the visually and narrative
literature, films, etc. With each of these entertainment sources comes, in some capacity, a fan base. Almost every person in America or even the world, if asked, would be able to list at least one thing they are a fan of. How did this idea of a “fandom” subculture become so apparent in American society? In today’s society, people are easily able to be informed on their favorite celebrities and sports teams. The media feeds the passion people have for the entertainment industry and has created this
Origins of The Walking Dead For my ethnography project, I chose to study the fandom of The Walking Dead. For the purpose of this paper, I will refer to The Walking Dead as a comic, a video game, and a TV show series. The focus of this ethnography is to understand how the comic book culture influences many fans. Since the series is based on a graphic novel series, and some of the fans are schooled in comic culture; they arrive with literacy in comic storytelling. Others who are not fans may
identity that allow for political discussions within their group. This includes fandoms. As one takes an anecdotal glance at the fragmented groups online, it is not hard to find fandom cultures around every corner. Fandoms can be described as “an extraordinary form of audiencing that includes everything from emotional attachment to performers to obsessive collecting” (Cavicchi, 2014). Since we entered the Internet age, fandom has seen a change. What was previously considered to be obsessive and abnormal
Positive Effects of Tumblr on Teen Culture Teenagers use social media for many different reasons. They use it to feel deemed worthy by their peers, to post personal opinions, and to share their daily life. They spend more time with their phones, laptops, iPads, etc. than they do with their family, friends, boyfriends and girlfriends. Tumblr is a popular blogging website/app that has gained popularity in the last few years. Tumblr has a positive effect on teen culture because unlike Facebook and other
The Brony fandom exposes some gaps that traditional understandings of masculinity cannot take into account. Connell and Messerschmidt establish through hegemonic masculinity the development of hierarchy within the constructs of gender formations. Their framework provides the negotiations regarding the desirable masculine traits for a given society, thereby creating representations of a dominant gender construct. However, it is not the sole creator of masculine identity. “The concept of hegemonic