Videogames: Henry Jenkins - fandom and participatory culture

 Henry Jenkins - fandom blog tasks

1) What is the definition of a fan?

An acronym for "fanatic," but a more modest definition of "fan" than "fanatic"; a fan is a person who enjoys a certain culture.

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

3) What makes a ‘fandom’?

The group of individuals who have a common interest and enthusiasm for their depictions of the subject

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

It gives the fan status and symbolic power, particularly inside their fandom.

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

Rituals and participation

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

It increases the product's appeal and fan base, and it may also have an impact on the producers' decisions about how best to proceed with the product.

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?

It demonstrates that they are more than just media consumers; instead, they are a community brought together by shared interests.

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!)

"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."

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

Inspirational consumer, connectors and influencers

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

That businesses can make significant financial commitments to small-population niche communities.

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

He uses the term "potter heads" to refer to the group of people who are Harry Potter fans as an example to highlight how many people like the series and how they have been labelled as such.

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’.

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

Talks about the fandom and spreads the word of the brand

8) Why is fandom 'the future'?

They are starting to have greater influence and are becoming increasingly popular. 

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

It discusses how we shouldn't purchase goods from businesses that exist only to make money since doing so will only motivate them to produce more goods of the same nature, and because they would be more preoccupied with making money, they wouldn't be as concerned with quality.

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?

Fans are likely to access information in more interactive and customized ways as virtual reality, augmented reality, and immersive internet experiences grow in popularity.


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