Here’s a roundup of stories about how fandom has arrived that might be of interest to fans:
- YPulse, a Millenial marketing site, focused on fan fiction as part of their check-in on youth trends. “What once was a nerdy pastime is now the norm, and fan fiction goes well beyond creative writing. Teens are still writing fan fiction stories, but now they’re also creating videos of themselves acting out scenes from books and movies, crafting animations of their favorite stars in stories they devise, and recording covers of songs with their own twists to the music and lyrics. And Millennial stars and brands are embracing this form of co-creation.”
- Indeed, discussions of brands and marketing revolves around fandom talk. “Stephenie Rodriguez, of social-media consultancy Mighty Media Group, says there’s no question the internet is enabling people to become more verbal about their views. Without the passionate few, Rodriguez says, the online world would be contrived and disengaged. ‘I believe the presence of a hater or fanboy is an indication of a healthy community,’ she says. ‘A forum or community without conflict reeks of artifice. For brands, nothing sounds as dead as no discussion, no query, no conflict, no advocates.'”
- Fandom is also the focus of many an academic, one of whom recently discussed “Minions, Memes, and Meta: The Varieties of Online Media Fandom Experience” at The University of South Carolina, Sumter. The presentation focused on “the origins of media fandom, its activities and…fannishness as a philosophy of engaging texts.”
- Of course the OTW itself hosts many an academic work about fans as well as various other fannish projects, at least one of which led us to believe we’ve arrived when someone created a “me/ao3 otp” fanmix.
If you’re in “brandom”, create fanworks or are an acafan, why not write about it in Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.
We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup at transformativeworks.org. Links are welcome in all languages! Submitting a link doesn’t guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn’t mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.