Case (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
case) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomsecrets2012-03-23 07:01 pm
case) wrote in fandomsecrets2012-03-23 07:01 pm
[ SECRET POST #1907 ]
⌈ Secret Post #1907 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
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[Disney's Gargoyles]
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[X-Men: First Class]
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[keanu reeves]
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[keanu reeves]
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[ ----- SPOILERY SECRETS AHEAD ----- ]
11. [SPOILERS for Death Note]
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12. [SPOILERS for Kuragehime]
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13. [SPOILERS for The Walking Dead]
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14. [SPOILERS for Supernatural]
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15. [SPOILERS for Mass Effect 3]
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16. [SPOILERS for Mass Effect 3]
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17. [SPOILERS for Mass Effect 3]
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[ ----- TRIGGERY SECRETS AHEAD ----- ]
18. [TRIGGER WARNING for sexual abuse]
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19. [TRIGGER WARNING for rape]
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20. [TRIGGER WARNING for rape]
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Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 000 secrets from Secret Submission Post #272.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ], [ 1 - hit/ship/spiration ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
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http://i44.tinypic.com/30mlrtl.jpg
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So it wouldn't have gotten posted anyway
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Ted Bundy is the other guy
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How long have you been in fandom?:
Primary fandoms:
How has fandom affected your life?:
How do you think new advances in technology/social media (Facebook, twitter, LJ, tumblr etc) have changed fandom? For better or worse?:
How do you think current technology advances have changed how fandom interacts with the creators of the media of fandom?:
Answer one/all, whatever strikes your interest. I'll probably post this a couple more times in the coming week.
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(Anonymous) 2012-03-23 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)How has fandom affected your life?: It gave me something to do, basically. I started going to anime conventions and cosplaying, which gave me more things to do and enjoy. Fandom also brought me and my sister much closer, since we never really had much in common before.
How do you think new advances in technology/social media (Facebook, twitter, LJ, tumblr etc) have changed fandom? For better or worse?: I think it helps keep interest of people. If, say, a TV show has no fandom, my interest in it drops pretty fast, but if there's tons of art, fic, and discussion, it's a lot easier to get obsessed. Social media sites make you feel like you're part of it all.
Good luck on your paper! I'd be interested in reading it, if you'd be okay posting a link or something when you finish.
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and I totally agree about keeping interest. I've often found that the things I'm the most passionate about are the ones where there's an active fandom, or at the very least a sizable fandom that existed.
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(Anonymous) - 2012-03-24 00:00 (UTC) - Expandno subject
(Anonymous) 2012-03-23 11:54 pm (UTC)(link)Primary fandoms: Naruto, One Piece, Supernatural, Harry Potter, DCU, Death Note, Forgotten Realms, The Mentalist
How has fandom affected your life?: 90% of my resume skills are from fandom activities (betaing, Photoshop, GIMP, html, researching, writing, Microsoft Word's lesser known features).
How do you think new advances in technology/social media (Facebook, twitter, LJ, tumblr etc) have changed fandom? For better or worse?: LJ is the only thing I participate on, but wow. In ten years, absolutely no one will be able to find anything on LJ, because the archiving is so terrible. At least geocities and personal websites usually got picked up by the wayback machine.
How do you think current technology advances have changed how fandom interacts with the creators of the media of fandom?: I really wish it would stop. The second-hand embarrassment is huge.
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This is basically me and my blog. In that I have my blog on my actual resume.
Thank you so much for your response!
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Primary fandoms: UC Gundam, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Lupin III, Battlestar Galactica, mecha/sci-fi in general
How has fandom affected your life?: I've met a lot of friends (and my husband) through fandom but mostly I just look at it as any other hobby. It's just something engaging to talk about and enjoy with other people.
How do you think new advances in technology/social media (Facebook, twitter, LJ, tumblr etc) have changed fandom? For better or worse?: Social networking is just another tool. It can't make fandom any better or worse, anymore than fanzines and access to xerox machines and mailing lists made fandom better or worse. I do think one advantage (when it comes to anime fandom anyway) is that it's a lot cheaper and easier to expose yourself to anime than it was when I first got into anime fandom. You used to have to pay somebody to copy fansubs to vhs and send them through the mail to you. That's why I never got to watch Legend of Galactic Heroes until a few years ago, even though Central Anime had already subbed the first season or two back in the nineties. I took one look at that episode count and though "I can't afford this shit". It was either that or go to someone's house for an anime club meeting and have to deal with [mostly male, mostly older, mostly gross] otaku and put up with their "opinions" to watch something new, and even then you were subject to their tastes. (Kind of off topic, but back around 1999 or 2000 when I was going to Nashville Anime Club meetings, all the guys in charge ever wanted to show was mecha anime, like the End of Eva movie or [ugh] Neoranga or something like that, and I wasn't all that interested back then. It was like pulling teeth to get them to show one episode of Hana Yori Dango that a member brought in. Now that I'm older and there's a meetup group in my current city that only gets together to watch shoujo anime, I realized I'm not as interested as shoujo anime I used to be when I was younger, and all I really feel like watching most of the time is old mecha anime. Go figure.)
How do you think current technology advances have changed how fandom interacts with the creators of the media of fandom?: I don't know if people act more rude or entitled towards creators now than they did in the past, but maybe I just notice it more because the internet is a very public place. I think in general the internet has caused people to be more public with feelings they would've otherwise kept secret. I mean, yeah there were stalkers and there was creepy fanmail back in the olden days, and people bitched about authors and directors and comic book artists and writers or whatever, but for the most part all of that negative stuff wasn't prevalent all over the place 24/7. On the other hand, I like the the internet makes it easier for people to communicate with creators (via twitter, their blogs and whatnot) and people are no longer forced to go to cons for that experience. It's opened up the experience for people with disabilities who otherwise couldn't have shared in that (or couldn't have done so easily), so that's definitely a good thing
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Oh yes, things are easier with fandom. When I was an active anime fan I did have trouble finding my interests online (old shoujo anime like the Rose of Versailles and Daddy Long Legs) and I think they're still harder, but now it's a lot easier to be a fan of international things. I seriously doubt that without the internet/youtube I'd be a fan of JPop!
Entitlement is a definite issue, one that I'll have to bring up. There really are definite pros and cons to current technology in that regard.
Again, thank you for your time in writing this!
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(Anonymous) 2012-03-24 12:09 am (UTC)(link)Primary fandoms: Hmmmm I'm really flaky so it's always changing. Right now... probably Harry Potter, Glee, and Ace Attorney
How has fandom affected your life?: Mostly it's just a hobby. Since I got into fandom at a really young age, I guess it's changed the way I think about media in general. I think more critically about the things I read and watch because of my involvement in fandom. I've also become way more open-minded because of it. I grew up in the South, so fandom really opened my eyes with regard to issues like homophobia. I think it's safe to say that I would be a very different person if I hadn't had the opportunity to educate myself and reassess my beliefs--and fandom gave me that opportunity when I needed it the most.
Fandom has negatively impacted me as well though, in a few ways. I see people as more judgmental now because of how opinionated many fandom people are. I also am afraid to mention my [Japanese] fandom interests offline because of the stigma of being a "weeaboo." I didn't worry about that when I was younger, but now when I bring it up, I am very careful to try to appear to be only a very casual fan (i.e. someone who, say, watches anime occasionally but would not be involved in fandom). It is also frustrating to try to have conversations with people who enjoy the same games/shows/books as me and realize that they just don't care enough about them to talk about them on the same level I'd like to (if that makes sense). In some ways, fandom has made me overly opinionated and critical about media--especially the things I like most.
How do you think new advances in technology/social media (Facebook, twitter, LJ, tumblr etc) have changed fandom? For better or worse?: Honestly, I don't really have much to say about this. I think fandom is an evolving subculture, if you will, and since it's pretty much entirely online, it's going to evolve with the internet. When new platforms come around, fandom will utilize them. I don't really think fandom has any place on Facebook, but I guess I've never really thought about it. I'm certainly not one of the people seriously upset by the moving-to-Tumblr business, though.
How do you think current technology advances have changed how fandom interacts with the creators of the media of fandom?: Oh, god... well, there are some benefits. I mean, Brittana (on Glee) basically got started in large part because the fandom really pushed for it. That could never have happened without the internet, I think. I think it just generally allows people to interact with the creators and allows for (mostly) a richer media experience. Mass Effect 3 recently had some uproar about the ending and, due to protesting, they're doing some mysterious thing to soothe the fans. So, there's another example.
Also, I think the internet is a great outlet for people to express their concerns with media. The press often is quiet about offensive/poorly written material--or even praises it--out of fear of losing media connections and privileges. The whole GLAAD thing with Glee is an example of this. The internet, on the other hand, provides an outlet for normal people to show their displeasure with the direction shows/etc. take, which I think is important. It's sort of a step away from censorship, in a way.
Of course, there are bad things about it too. I think the downside is pretty obvious: you have some crazy fans sending explicit art/fanfiction/what-have-you to actors/actresses and that's... uncomfortable. And certainly the anonymity that comes with the internet gives people the chance to be pointlessly vicious to actors/actresses on Twitter.
Wow, sorry, I didn't mean for that to be so long haha. I guess I just have a lot of thoughts about this haha! Hope your paper goes well :)
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I am very careful to try to appear to be only a very casual fan
oh my goodness this is my life. Talking to people about things I'm in fandom for offline is hard, because I want to talk about shipping and fanfics and I don't want to scare people off. I totally relate about not wanting to seem like a weeaboo; JPop/JPop fandom is a HUGE part of my life.
I'll definitely bring up Brittana. Glee is probably going to be a pretty big example, because I used to be in the fandom and because the writers definitely keep an eye on fandom.
Thank you SO much for your help! I honestly appreciate it a lot. :)
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Primary fandoms: Doctor Who, The Chronicles of Narnia, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and Stargate: SG-1
How has fandom affected your life?: I would say that the boot is usually on the other foot. That said, I have made several friends through fandom, so in that way I would definitely say fandom has had an effect on me.
How do you think new advances in technology/social media (Facebook, twitter, LJ, tumblr etc) have changed fandom?: There's a lot more specialization now. Take the SuperWhoLock tumblr as an example. Admittedly, that's three really enormous fandoms, but there you're looking at not simply a crossover--which is already going into more niche territory than non-crossovers--but the specific crossing of three specific fandoms. You couldn't always find things that particular.
There's also more opportunities to find inspiration for writing fics. Prompt comms are much more common now than they have been.
For better or worse?: I'm not really sure. There are certainly good things about "social fandom." Things can get shared around fandom more quickly, for one. But that comes with a downside, in that people often forget to credit the creator or permalink or otherwise make it difficult to give credit where it's due. And while it's lovely to have so many prompting comms, the fic that gets written often doesn't get archived anywhere, even when it's quite good, which can make it difficult to find if you want to read it again. And with really intensely specialized fandom places like SuperWhoLock, there's so much stuff to sift through that you can loose the good things you're looking for in the crowd. My overall feeling is that "social fandom" hasn't made things necessarily better or worse, but has made it more difficult to keep track of things you like and want to keep tabs on.
How do you think current technology advances have changed how fandom interacts with the creators of the media of fandom?: Well, it's certainly raised fandom's visibility. Some of the threads on that archive I joined in 2004 were debating just whether or not some creators even knew fandom existed. Now we have Loo Brealey (I hope that's how you spell her name) tweeting about comment fic written on the Sherlock prompt meme and Tim DeKay apparently posting White Collar fics online. Plus the OTW trying to make fanfic even more mainstream than that. Certainly there is no question that people know fandom exists now. And to some extent, this has been good. There's more immediate feedback for the creators, for example, something fic writers have always enjoyed. On the other hand, we all know fandom gets pretty crazy sometimes and with the increased interaction, via new media, the creators have been moved into the same audience for the insanity that the rest of fandom has always been in. So...pros and cons.
Wow. I'm kind of writing a novel here, a bit. I hope this is at least a bit helpful for you, though. :)
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Primary fandoms: At the moment I'm focused on Homestuck, Sherlock (BBC), Red vs. Blue. General video game fandom has always been there though
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How has fandom affected your life?: For one, it's been a big influence for my want to improve upon hobbies like art, writing, and computer programming. They used to simply be things I did on the side for light fun, hidden on my hard drive, a book, or in my head, but lately I don't think I'd mind making a dream career out of them because they're so enjoyable (except for comp. sci. that's just pure interest only). It might very well be unattainable, but having fandom offering nearly instant feedback and giving me incentive to impress is wonderful. I also probably wouldn't have kept studying languages either if it wasn't for that gluttonous desire to consume more media from everywhere.
Also, because of the varied demographics of folk in fandom, it's certainly been a neat portal to educating myself about the lgbtquiltbag and allowing me to be more honest with myself (where I used to think "I'M SOO ALOOOONE, WHAT EVEN AM I"). It's hard not to connect with someone, or find someone who isn't like-minded regarding anything (political, mental, degree of fannishness, etc.).
How do you think new advances in technology/social media (Facebook, twitter, LJ, tumblr etc) have changed fandom? For better or worse?: Well it's obviously made it easier to discuss and share anything with fans worldwide and whenever. I think it's brilliant that I don't have to rely on snail mail, disorganised mailing lists, or hoping for irl folk to have common interests just so I can get excited about the latest episode or announcement of whatever with another person. I don't have to save up so much money for travel and passes just to know what is even going on at TGS.
Disregarding the legality of it, I can recommend a series to someone living in another country where it will never be licensed and distributed (or perhaps only after months to years later), but they can still watch along with me if they download or stream it. Licensing, as it is at the moment in my opinion, is a bit of a dinosaur. Piracy is still a negative I suppose, especially since it's tempting to not purchase dvds or whatnot. Although I'd argue it helps gauge interest in things, but I can't be too sure without actual numbers to back that up.
Worse? Roleplayers everywhere on every platform. They're probably in my cereal, ready to give me all the second-hand embarrassment. It's also easier for people to sexually harass, threaten, and just be general jerks to people over any slight difference, yet hide behind (a very often America-centric) "freedom of speech." My. Ass.
How do you think current technology advances have changed how fandom interacts with the creators of the media of fandom?: It's easier for people to be assholes and disrespect personal boundaries. "Oh hey, So-and-So has a twitter, therefore they should expect to be harassed." It's also given way for folk who think that every individual opinion matters, and that they must be catered to. It's easy to be loud on the internet, get a bunch of ass pats validating you, and somehow expect creators to alter their content to suit you. There's a loss of perspective there, and while I don't believe criticism is invalid, I don't believe anyone is forced to work upon it simply because one feels strongly about a property they do not own and have no creative direction over.
And then there's the creeps. The ones who scrape for private information, send pornographic fanwork, send rape threats, and you know just generally make the internet a rather uncomfortable place for everyone. Social media just means it happens more often and more immediately.
Not that everyone is asshats obviously. It's still great to see an author have an openly accessible q&a, and with things like Kickstarter it's nice to know you can directly show support in some way.
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(Anonymous) 2012-03-24 02:20 am (UTC)(link)Primary fandoms: Cult movies ( Labyrinth, Rocky Horror Picture Show, ect. ) , Harry Potter, Charmed, The Vampire Diaries, basically anything fantasy/sci-fi or 'trashy' teen angst tv supernatural dramas.
How has fandom affected your life?: I've met most of my friends over the years through a shared fandom interest. However, I tend to keep fandom separate from my professional life & I make a point of not bringing it up with my sports fanatic friends. The long & short of it, I compartmentalize. Other than that, one fandom tends to lead to another for me ( ex: my current big fandom is Once Upon a Time, & that lead me to going back & re-watching & re-entering the fandom for Stargate:Universe. )
How do you think new advances in technology/social media (Facebook, twitter, LJ, tumblr etc) have changed fandom? For better or worse?: I'd say it's a little bit of give & take on this issue. On the one hand, it's made it extra hard to avoid spoilers. Yet, with social media, it's also opened up the whole process of making an episode or creating a film for the public to enjoy. I think some of the best use of social media out there comes via Youtube, in particular reference to on-location vlogs or impromptu interviews. In particular, I'm thinking of all the stuff for 'The Hobbit'. Just little tastes of what to come so that when you see the finished product, it's not just a visual feast for your eyes, you actually feel more invested in the whole of the movie/tv show/ect. I love the inter-connectivity of social media but it can be applied poorly as well. I think Twitter has a big problem of people feeling entitled, when it comes to Q&A sessions via the platform. Twitter to me, also kind of breaches the fine-line the public can walk with a 'star' ( be it in movies or film ). I'm sure someone can only stand so many 'questions' about, 'will you look at my fan-video' or 'Wish Me a Happy Birthday' before they go, ...why am I doing this again? But to end & get off my little-soap box, I think it's an even split & hasn't made fandom better & I might say I'm leaning more towards, it's made it marginally worse.
How do you think current technology advances have changed how fandom interacts with the creators of the media of fandom?: I would direct you to my above repy, in response to Twitter. I think it's great that more people have access to the 'brain-trust' but I think certain protocol & unspoken rules should be put in place. The anonymity the internet can offer is a powerful tool & I'd hate to see it used for ill-conceited/selfish means. I'd also like it very much if people would stop using the baser good most people exhibit to exploit them for individualized attention ( a`la birthday wishes, or things of the like ). I know it sounds heartless to say it but I'll just go ahead & say - it makes you seem needy & these people would be better served answering relevant QUESTIONS rather than adhering to your passing whim or your fan(girl/boy/alien,ect.) - wet dream.
I went off on this survey a little bit & I didn't mean to. Feel free to use bracket quotes to make my thoughts/words seem less bitchy. Although, whether you even use this or not is up to you.
At the very least, I hope you've gleamed/learned something that might be of use to you from having read/scanned this.
Best Regards,
- - Anon.
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Primary fandoms: My all-time top fandoms are Fullmetal Alchemist, J-Pop, Doctor Who, and Muse, and my current obsessions are Community, Criminal Minds, Gorillaz, and SHINee.
How has fandom affected your life?: A lot! I've made a lot of friends through it, with meeting my best friends on my first day of high school when they complimented me on my FMA pocketwatch as a particularly big example. It's also given me a great distraction and something to be passionate about, which is difficult as I have depression. Fandom has brought much excitement into my life.
How do you think new advances in technology/social media (Facebook, twitter, LJ, tumblr etc) have changed fandom? For better or worse?: LJ and fanfic.net were the beginnings of my fandom, so I can't make any comments on how they changed things. I think that with Twitter I was able to connect on a personal level with the people in my fandom more. In some ways this was great, because I was making some really awesome friends beyond just common interests, but there were a lot more negative aspects with Twitter. Due to the ease of updating and limited amount of characters, there seems to be a lot of passive aggressiveness, which made me paranoid and frustrated, so I gave up on Twitter. I do, however, really love when celebrities and writers will interacts with the fans through Twitter, and I think that connectedness is really nice. Sometimes it becomes gross, like when people send the actors porn fic of their characters, but mostly I like that aspect, even if I'm too shy to tweet at any important person myself.
Tumblr's effect is really interesting, since it's more about sharing information that commenting on it. I prefer the discussion aspect of fandom, so I'm more biased to LJ, but Tumblr is really fun and some fandoms are definitely more suited to that sort of deal, such as K-Pop. Also, as a fanartist, I like it since it's a really good site for posting up images, and with the tags I can reach a larger audience than my followers.
How do you think current technology advances have changed how fandom interacts with the creators of the media of fandom?: I think it makes it more intimate, which can be good and bad. On one hand, some creators and actors and such are really lovely, or just tweet really fun things. The main reason I checked out Supernatural was because I loved Misha Collins on Twitter, and I think seeing the personalities of my favorite actors and musicians has made me more of a fan.
However, there are also really dark things about it that worry me. I think the biggest example of this for me is from Muse fandom. All three members have Twitter, with the most active being the band's bassist, Chris. The main ship in the fandom, though, is the frontman and the drummer (who are not actually in a relationship), so every time Chris goes on Twitter to answer fan questions, a few rabid tinhatters will be asking him inappropriate questions about their OTP, which pisses off pretty much every other Muse fan, even those of us who ship that pairing. I used to follow a girl who did this, and when I called her out on it, she was really defensive and huffy about it, saying, "well, they already know people are shipping them," forgetting that the reason was because the fans kept telling them, not that they found this out themselves. The frontman also got really nasty tweets about him dating, and later impregnating, Kate Hudson, including ones that wished she's miscarry. At the same time, Muse on Twitter has been a really great thing, since they've answered a lot of fan questions, generally been very sweet or funny towards us, and have also kept the fans in the loop about the album they are currently working on. It's a mixed bag, though I could not say if it leans more towards the pros or cons.
(cont.)
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Primary fandoms: Tin Man, Castle, NCIS: Los Angeles, Doctor Who RPS,
How has fandom affected your life?: It's connected me to people with whom I probably wouldn't have interacted without it, including several who I consider my dearest friends. I also suffer from a very aggressive and incurable blood clotting disorder, and fandom has not only given me an arena in which to express myself (I write fanfiction), but it's also given me an incredible support system without which I probably would have gone crazy 17 clots ago.
How do you think new advances in technology/social media (Facebook, twitter, LJ, tumblr etc) have changed fandom? For better or worse?: I think it depends on the specific media. Twitter tends to give fascinating behind the scenes tidbits and a little more accessibility to both stars and creators. I'm a big dork when it comes to that kind of stuff, so I've mostly had a positive experience there. LJ has been the main platform in which I participate in fandom, and it's a forum in which theories and reactions to a show can be discussed at length, and in many of those debates, I'm enlightened as to a new point of view I hadn't considered before. Tumblr is wonderful when it comes to seeing the creativity of the fandom, like with photosets and graphics, but I've noticed it skews to a much younger demographic (young to mid teens whereas I'm 30) and the common courtesy and respect I've always experienced on LJ is severely lacking over there. It tends to be very "follow the leader," and "we are the knights who say squee" and God forbid you have a dissenting opinion on things. It's enough to make me less than anticipatory when it's time for a new episode, because the fandom squeals of joy or shouts of rage mute the TV, so it's kind of like, what's the point? But then you get fandoms raising money for charity and other great causes, and that kind of evens things out in the end.
How do you think current technology advances have changed how fandom interacts with the creators of the media of fandom?: As I said above, I think it's given far greater access than I've ever seen. I think it's fascinating to see that fourth wall dropped, as it were. The sad part is, though, that you do have those who abuse the privilege by bombarding writers, directors, actors, et cetera with "tell me if my otp is better than my friend's otp" bullcrap that gives the rest of the fandom a bad name. The attitude from many is that the production team owes us something because we're keeping them in business. But at the same time, it gives us as an audience a voice to tell them what we think is working and what's not, because the goal is always to make the best show possible.
/novel
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(Anonymous) 2012-03-24 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)Primary fandoms: kpop, western tv shows, some video games
How has fandom affected your life?: met some friends irl, made a LOT of friends on the internet, main hobby, etc
How do you think new advances in technology/social media (Facebook, twitter, LJ, tumblr etc) have changed fandom? For better or worse?: fb and twitter make it easier to connect better with ppl i've befriended on lj and tumblr, like in terms of actually knowing about their life instead of infrequent blog updates. on the other hand sometimes i start to hate people from their updates... either i disagree with them or they rub me the wrong way, or i realize that all we had in common was that one old fandom that i don't follow anymore.
How do you think current technology advances have changed how fandom interacts with the creators of the media of fandom?: puts a lot more pressure on them, i think. fandom doesn't feel any more entitled that it used to i don't think, but it certainly makes us think we have the power to change stuff and see it happen right in front of our eyes. also i think it's a lot easier for us to become disillusioned, for example i follow a lot of writers and actors on twitter and i can count on one hand the number of people who haven't posted things that offended me to my deepest core. there are a lot of assholes in the real world, which sometimes i guess we forget in our fandom bubble.
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Primary fandoms: At the moment it's just really Sherlock (BBC) and a little bit of Cabin Pressure. Sometimes depending on my mood I read a little SPN/CW RP (old fandoms of mine) or Harry Potter.
How has fandom affected your life?: God. It was/is such a big part I genuinely think I would be a completely different person if I hadn't discovered it. When I was a teenager connecting with other people through fandom was what kept me sane, both through actually writing/reading about fandom stuff and through discussing our personal lives. Nowadays it's still one of my favourite hobbies. I have improved my writing immensely over the years which I don't think I'd have been half as inspired to do if there weren't people there eager for me to share it with them, which isn't often the case with original fic. In the last few years especially it's made me question media and what I accept a lot more, and I've always loved to question and wanted people to do that so I'm really glad of that. I also learnt skills with things like Paint and Windows Movie Maker for fandom purposes which later turned out to be useful elsewhere.
How do you think new advances in technology/social media (Facebook, twitter, LJ, tumblr etc) have changed fandom? For better or worse?: Weeell. Hmm. I started on ff.net and moved to LJ (after a few months drifting between Yahoo groups, fandomination.net and so on) when they took out RP and NC-17 fic. At first I wasn't too sure about LJ because it was such a different platform but I grew to love it because it made it a million times easier to interact with other people. It is, however, terrible for archiving purposes and it means you have to keep track of anything you like, otherwise finding it later can be a nightmare. I don't think I've really seen a whole lot to do with Facebook in fandom, I think mostly because fandom tends to be people keeping almost separate from their meatspace lives and Facebook is very much interacting with people you already know in meatspace. so.
Tumblr I think has maybe made it easier for people to lose themselves in fandom. I don't use it myself, though I occasionally go there to look for something in particular (which is a nightmare) but I have heard lots of people talking about going on there and suddenly the day's gone, and I could see how that would happen. It's great for sharing things but I think awful at tracking that, keeping the original creator attached to it so that they receive credit, and most of it I don't think is original content (as in, people share far more of other people's stuff than they post new stuff of their own). It's kind of like a neverending party post but when it means that people forget to actually do the rest of the stuff in fandom, the writing fic and meta and commenting on that and making vids and so on, I think it does lessen the fandom experience a bit.
How do you think current technology advances have changed how fandom interacts with the creators of the media of fandom?:
Twitter...has made it easier for people to interact with the creators and contributors to canon, which is kind of cool for people who like to do that respectfully but unfortuantely tends to mean that the few people who have problems with manners and social convention end up representing fandom by default, and then people who aren't in fandom get a skewed view of it.
It can be amusing when you get a little shout out to fandom, a little in-joke here and there, but when it gets to the level of Becky the crazy fangirl in SPN, it's just embarassing because there will be many people watching SPN who know nothing about fandom and that is the first time they'll be exposed to it. There's no balance in the show, just really obsessive fans and Sam and Dean talking about "as in, Sam slash Dean. Together," and while the creators might sort of understand that obsession and actually value it (even if they also like to poke fun a little bit) the vast majority of non-fandom people won't. Trying to explain fandom to someone who's not in it can be exhausting and I think it is one thing that makes much more sense if you actually experience it yourself (and then get dragged into the vortex).
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2) It has changed so many times over the years. I grew up writing for book fandoms - Tamora Pierce was my first internet fandom. From there I jumped into games (Final Fantasy and such) and then anime. While I got into gaming from watching my older brothers play, I got into anime because I saw a lot of people online were into it. Currently I'm into Mass Effect. For the last few years I have been most active on anon kink memes. I mostly write/read anon porn these days, haha.
3) Heavily. I was a bookworm as a kid, and the friends I made throughout my school years were all also bookworms - we traded books and shared favourite authors and discussed stories. A good chunk of my friends I met through similar fan interests. I first got into writing through writing fanfiction. I majored in Japanese (and achieved fluency) because I'm such a goddamn otaku - been to Japan, made some close Japanese friends, plan to go back and work there. Fandom introduced me to feminism - from reading Tamora Pierce as a kid to the advent of LJ SJ. It also made me clue into issues of race and inequality in general. I'm kinda at a turning point in my life - just graduating from university - and I'm not sure how I'm going to do it yet (I plan to write, though), but it's important to me to have a career or volunteer activities in my life that effect positive change in the world, and tbh I wouldn't have cared if not for fandom.
It's kind of a cliche at this point, but fandom probably saved my life. The friends I made through fandom supported me when my life was pretty shitty. I never would have gone to university if not for my passionate desire to learn Japanese. I probably would have sunk further into depression and killed myself without fandom, honest to God. At the worst time in my life I had Ragnarok Online to keep me hanging on (barely). "I can't kill myself now, my priest is almost to level 50". Sounds pathetic, but it's true.. Without that? I shudder to think.
4) Each platform has its own character. LJ made fandom kinda cliquey, I think, breaking things down into comms and flists where fanfiction.net was more open and about purely the writing (Individual fansites and forums before that were more isolated and bound to individual fandoms. I had a little experience with mailing lists, and they were even more cliquey than LJ, imo). tumblr is kinda... it removes a lot of dialogue, tbh, and I'm convinced it's the cancer that is killing LJ. I like the gifs but it doesn't have the same level of social interaction. I don't have an iphone so I don't have any reason to use twitter. Personally I don't like the constant, bite-sized communication that tumblr and twitter offer. It's for people who are addicted to their cellphones, imo, and instead of sitting down for a long conversation they just send single bits and bytes, quick gifs and texts instead of lengthly, engaging dialogue. I find it vapid and symptomatic of a short attention span. //old fogey I can't write/discuss the volume I want on twitter or tumblr. Is there fandom on facebook? I thought it was just for catching up with RL friends. But maybe it's more relevant for people who go to cons.
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(Anonymous) 2012-03-26 05:57 am (UTC)(link)Primary fandoms: Doctor Who, Supernatural, FMA
How has fandom affected your life?: Fandom is a big creative outlet and helps drive my social life. I usually spend an hour or two every day talking to fandom friends, writing fanfic, working on costumes, building props, or sculpting trinkets. (Fun fact: I gained all my most useful job skills by practicing in fandom-related projects. I literally owe my current job to fandom.)
How do you think new advances in technology/social media (Facebook, twitter, LJ, tumblr etc) have changed fandom? For better or worse?: The internet has always helped bring fans together, no matter what country they live in, what race they are, or what gender they might be. The only difference is the type of platform you choose to use, as that influences the way you connect. Tumblr, for example, feeds off animated gifs and weird in-joke memes. LiveJournal fosters long fanfics, meta, and serious discussions. Twitter allows us to spazz over every last thing celebrities say (still not sold on that one...)
How do you think current technology advances have changed how fandom interacts with the creators of the media of fandom?: I do think creators feel more accessible now than ever before (which is both good and bad). It does bother me when idiots pester the actors and creators with inappropriate questions or content -- c'mon guys, they're people too! Don't harass them just because they use the same site you do.
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(Anonymous) 2012-03-24 02:10 am (UTC)(link)no subject
(Anonymous) 2012-03-24 05:54 am (UTC)(link)