VIDEOGAMES: HENRY JENKINS - FANDOM AND PARTICIPATORY CULTURE

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FANDOM


1) What is the definition of a fan?

- A person who likes and admires someone or something in a very enthusiastic way.

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

- Hardcore/True Fan
- Newbie
- Anti-fan

3) What makes a ‘fandom’?

- A term used to apply to groups of people fascinated with any subject.

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?

- Fan art for Sherlock Holmes the book from 19th Century 
- Fan art for Sherlock the show 21st Century

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

- Digital fandoms use technology in multiple ways and Fiske sees this as the ‘cultural economy’ of fandoms, one that is focused not on making money but on expressing the complex ideas and value systems behind fandoms.




Henry Jenkins - degree-level reading

1) There is an important quote on the first page: “It’s not an audience, it’s a community”. What does this mean?

- The relationship between media producers and audiences has been transformed. Audiences aren't just viewers behind a screen.

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!)

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

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

- Loyals
- Media-actives 
- Prosumers

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 and 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?

- Fan tastes are dominating television.
- Fan practices are shaping the games industry.
- Fan tastes are ruling at the box office.


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’.

- "New generation of media makers and viewers are emerging which could lead to a sea change in how media is made and consumed". 

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

- The ideal consumer talks up the program and spreads word about the brand.

8) Why is fandom 'the future'?

- This is because the fandom is going to be the testing ground for the way media and culture industries are going to operate in the future. 

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

- He thinks fan created content is being exploited without acknowledging the original creators.

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?


- I think that fandoms are a bit more mainstream than they would've been a decade ago but is still a pretty niche audience. I think we are all fans now because we all enjoy certain things.






















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