Henry Jenkins - fandom blog tasks

Henry Jenkins - fandom blog tasks

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?

Fan: A media consumer that consumes a particular media text more than an average consumer.

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

Hardcore/True Fan - Hard core fans identify themselves as the ‘insiders’ within any given fandom and consider themselves to be aficionados of their chosen media text. They take pride in how long they have been a fan and also the quantity and quality of the knowledge they have amassed whilst being a fan.

Newbie - Newbies, as the name suggests, are new fans of any given text and do not have
the longevity of devotion or depth of knowledge that hard core fans have and are
initially viewed as the ‘outgroup’ within fandoms.

Anti-fan -‘Anti-fans’ are those which identify themselves with media texts but negatively so; they loathe or hate the text but unlike ‘true’ fans they do not form their relationship
with a text through close readings, they develop their emotional attachment ‘at a
distance’ (Gray) through marketing publicity such as trailers. Hills argues that the
‘anti-fan’ seems to be a negative stereotype of a text or genre such as ‘all people who
watch chick flicks are dim’ or ‘people who watch horror must be sick in the head’.

3) What makes a ‘fandom’?

Fandoms exhibit a ‘passion that binds enthusiasts in the manner of people who share a secret — this secret just happens to be shared with millions of others'. 

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

Bordieu argues: "cultural capital of fandom 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?

- A Liverpool fans bedroom. 

-Fanart of The Walking Dead. 

- Fan-art and videos: fans created the universe of their craved relationships within their desired texts such as Harry Potter and Hermione Granger get together instead of Ron Weasley and Hermione.

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

Imaginative extension and text creation are a vital part of digital fandom because without it fans won't be able to express themselves/their opinions on certain issues or the narrative. They wouldn't be able to create stuff like fanfictions. 

Tomb Raider and Metroid fandom researchLook at this Tomb Raider fansite and answer the following questions: 

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

- Games 
- Comics
- Quizzes
- Wallpapers

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 large number of links and contents definitely suggests that there is a massive fan following for the game which is also most likely worldwide. 

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?

Now look at this Metroid fansite and answer the following: 

1) What does the site offer?

- Games 
- Features
- Social media links
- Debates

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

As the game plays such an important role in their fans lives, they feel the need to engage with it or something related to it even when not playing. 

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?

The wide range of questions from the fans suggests that they are extremely committed to these franchises and games.


Henry Jenkins: degree-level readingRead 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?

It means that the idea of an audience has changed in recent history. While there are fans who don't belong to fandoms and are more casual; modern culture and the way modern texts are promoted is through the creation of such fandoms, it has become the norm and is wildly supported by millions of people around the world. The audience have become more like a community rather than just normal audience in modern days. 

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!)

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

- Influencers
- Prosumers
- Connectors
- Inspirational consumers. 

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

'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?

The main example Jenkins provides is the fact that fan culture is no longer associated with the stereotypically 'geeky' fan, they are now all types of fans that don't necessarily fit the stereotype.

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’.

"The media landscape will be reshaped by the bottom-up energy of media created by amateurs and hobbyists as a matter of course." I agree with this quote as it talks about the growth and progress of media in the digital age and says that everyone has the potential to become content creators. 

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

Jenkins suggests that the new ideal consumer is one that basically provides free advertising through sharing and communication. 

8) Why is fandom 'the future'?

Fandom is the 'future' because consumption is social and spread by actively consumers through social media. 

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

That we shouldn't be promoting this process as larger media companies are exploiting products being produced by fans which means the fans aren't getting the recognition nor credit for their efforts. 

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?

As fandoms have started to become more increasingly popular, they're going to become more normalised in future years compared to now as more and more people join this 'circle'.