English Links and Articles
This New Yorker article about fan culture might be of interest to some. (Apologies that the New Yorker limits free articles -- if you've already read your allotment you'll have to wait till next month.)
I have admittedly mixed feelings about fan culture -- on the one hand, I understand that coming together around shared interests is an important way for people to form communities of feeling and a sense of belonging; on the other hand, I am wary of how fan culture can harden conventions and expectations among both audiences and creators. And also, I don't trust the large media conglomerates -- it seems to me they are quick and efficient in how they are able to commodify creative endeavour to exploit fandom. Finally, having read and otherwise witnessed some fan-generated work, I am often underwhelmed by both the lack of originality and the poor execution of the work; there is little doubt that many who create fan-based work put a tremendous amount of effort into what they do. But I sometimes feel there is a misguided belief that imitation (sometimes to the point of obsession) is original; and that pleasing other fans can excuse poorly produced work.
I regret if my comments seem harsh; they are not meant to malign anyone who partakes of fan culture. I am just trying to articulate why fandom does not appeal to me. For me, a sense of shared engagement with other audience members (and perhaps even willing creators) is less important than my personal engagement with the cultural material itself -- text, art, poem, book, film, etc.
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