What is fandom?
Aug. 15th, 2023 03:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thepowerofdeathAnother post, I know, I'm sorry but I have all these thoughts rattling around my head and it seems the best way of dealing with them is to get them down on paper.
After my last couple of posts about fanfiction, how we view characters and why only some fandoms make us want to read fic, it got me to thinking more specifically about fandom as a whole.
What is fandom?
What does it mean to be in fandom?
A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices, differentiating fandom-affiliated people from those with only a casual interest.
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.
But is just watching a TV show or a movie, or reading a book - is that enough to be in fandom? It makes you a fan, but is that different to being a member of the fandom. How much 'time and energy' is required to being put into being fannish?
Is the difference between being a fan and being in fandom that consuming media is passive, whereas fandom involves being more active. But reading fanfiction, and these blog posts, they're still a relatively isolated activity, I'm not interacting with other Stargate fans. If I follow social media accounts - official ones connected to the show, or belonging to the actors - where does this sit on the fannish v fandom spectrum?
What about if I finish a fanfic, and then post it online? Is that just the equivalent of opening my door, announcing that I'm interested in joining the fandom and inviting people in - but waiting for them to visit
So, is it connecting with other fans, actively seeking out people who share your interests, rather than enjoying them in isolation - is that when one joins a fandom?
Or am I over-thinking it, am I already in the fandom when I watch the show and there's no difference between being a fan and being in the fandom?
After my last couple of posts about fanfiction, how we view characters and why only some fandoms make us want to read fic, it got me to thinking more specifically about fandom as a whole.
What is fandom?
What does it mean to be in fandom?
A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices, differentiating fandom-affiliated people from those with only a casual interest.
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.
But is just watching a TV show or a movie, or reading a book - is that enough to be in fandom? It makes you a fan, but is that different to being a member of the fandom. How much 'time and energy' is required to being put into being fannish?
Is the difference between being a fan and being in fandom that consuming media is passive, whereas fandom involves being more active. But reading fanfiction, and these blog posts, they're still a relatively isolated activity, I'm not interacting with other Stargate fans. If I follow social media accounts - official ones connected to the show, or belonging to the actors - where does this sit on the fannish v fandom spectrum?
What about if I finish a fanfic, and then post it online? Is that just the equivalent of opening my door, announcing that I'm interested in joining the fandom and inviting people in - but waiting for them to visit
So, is it connecting with other fans, actively seeking out people who share your interests, rather than enjoying them in isolation - is that when one joins a fandom?
Or am I over-thinking it, am I already in the fandom when I watch the show and there's no difference between being a fan and being in the fandom?
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Date: 2023-08-24 03:46 pm (UTC)