Henry Jenkins - fandom blog tasks

 Henry Jenkins - fandom blog tasks

The following tasks will give you an excellent introduction to fandom and also allow you to start exploring degree-level insight into audience studies. Work through the following:

Factsheet #107 - Fandom

Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) to find Media Factsheet #107 on Fandom. Save it to USB or email it to yourself so you have access to the reading for homework. Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) What is the definition of a fan?

The definition of a fan is someone who supports something they like very passionately.  

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

The different type of fans;

- Hard core/true fan

- Newbie 

- Anti-fan

3) What makes a ‘fandom’?

A fandom is something made by a community of people sharing the same interests i.e franchise for a movie, tv show, cars etc. They engage with each other on different platforms to share experiences and opinions about the subculture they're bonded with. 

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

Bordieu's argument regarding "cultural capital" states that fandoms have a "leader or a power status" certain fandom's have. 

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

The examples given of fandom's would be; Sherlock Holmes, Football fans, Kpop fans. 

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

The imaginative extension and text creation is vital part of digital fandom because it creates a close enjoyment with the fans. This means that they all can now aid their desires on different parts of the content i.e give opinions of characters, better the ending to their standards, fanfic, groupchats for the fandoms. 

Tomb Raider and Metroid fandom research

Look at this Tomb Raider fansite and answer the following questions: 

1) What types of content are on offer in this fansite?

News, games resources, community and extra contact with the developers of the website. 

2) What does the number of links and content suggest about the size of the online fan community for Tomb Raider and Lara Croft? Pick out some examples from this page.

The number of links and content available on this website suggests that the online fandom is very large and known world-wide. This is shown through the many links in different languages to cater to fans who don't all know English. This means that there are links to games and content in French, Italian, German etc. 

3) Scroll to the bottom of the page and look at the short ‘About me’ bio and social media updates. Is this a typical example of ‘fandom’ in the digital age? Why?

Yes, these "about me" and social media updates are common among digital fandoms because they want fans to be updated on the content they produce which links to "cultural capital" and creates influence on many platforms. 

Now look at this Metroid fansite and answer the following: 

1) What does the site offer?

This site offers different blogs, by different people about Metroid.  

2) Look at the Community Spotlight page. What does this suggest about the types of people who enjoy and participate in fan culture?

This part of the page shows that people are very euthanasic about the game and have created different narratives for themselves to enjoy with other people who enjoy their narrative. 

3) There is a specific feature on Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. What do the questions from fans tell you about the level of engagement and interest in the game and franchise from the fan community?

This part of the feature shows that fans are genuinely interested about the game and want to understand it better from the questions they have asked. 

Henry Jenkins: degree-level reading

Read the final chapter of ‘Fandom’ – written by Henry Jenkins. 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?

This quotes is important because it states that there's a real connection between the media produced and the consumers.

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!)

Clay Shirky quotes - 

" Mass media’s role has been to package consumers and sell their attention to the advertisers, in bulk."

"media is something that is done to them, and consuming is how they register their response."

" In the age of the internet, no one is a passive consumer anymore because everyone is a media outlet."

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

Jenkins would describe them as  “loyals,” stressing the value of consumer commitment in an era of channel zapping.

 Some are calling them “media-actives,” suggesting that they are much more likely to demand the right to participate within the media franchise than previous generations.

Some are calling them “prosumers,” suggesting that as consumers produce and circulate media, they are blurring the line between amateur and professional. 

Some are calling them “inspirational consumers” or “connectors” or “influencers,” suggesting that some people play a more active role than others in shaping media flows and creating new values.

4) On the third page of the chapter, what does Wired editor Chris Anderson suggest regarding the economic argument in favour of fan communities?

Mr Anderson suggests that investing in niche properties with small but committed consumer base will evidently replace marketing costs by building a much stronger network with your desired consumers. 

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

Jenkins states that "fan culture" has real economic and cultural impact, this means that fans tastes ruling at the box office, fan tastes are dominating television and fan tastes shaping the gaming industry too.    

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’.

 "A new generation of media makers and viewers are [sic] emerging which could lead to a sea change in how media is made and consumed.", this states that audiences will shape the media landscape as they're becoming active in what they consume. 

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

The new ideal consumer would be someone that talks about the program and spread the word, influencing others to consume that form of media. 

8) Why is fandom 'the future'?

Fandoms are the future as they will be the ones promoting the media form, and could be replacing marketing for the media content. 

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

This means that companies could see this a way to sell back on fans enthusiasm about something they can profit from - taking advantages of 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?

The future of fandom is becoming mainstream because companies are capitalising and getting themselves involved with a once niche community base to profit from it. This means that, initial idea of a "fan" is forever changing as audiences are -with digital access- playing an active role in the success or failure of a certain media text.