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From what I'm gathering on various friending communities, 'fandom' is a very big thing in these here parts.
It's not a term I'd heard before and the internet tells me that it is
The community that surrounds a tv show/movie/book etc. Fanfiction writers, artists, poets, and cosplayers are all members of that fandom. Fandoms often consist of message boards, livejournal communities, and people.
Which sounds great. Sign me up. I'd love to get to know people who love the same things I love. That's one of the reasons I came online the other month. Because so few people in my real life enjoy the same things that I do.
But what does it mean to be IN a fandom? There are musicians and books and tv shows and movies that I adore and can happily talk about and lose myself in for hours. I'm not sure I understand if there's a difference between being a fan of, say Supernatural or The Vampire Chronicles and being in the fandom.
It's not a term I'd heard before and the internet tells me that it is
The community that surrounds a tv show/movie/book etc. Fanfiction writers, artists, poets, and cosplayers are all members of that fandom. Fandoms often consist of message boards, livejournal communities, and people.
Which sounds great. Sign me up. I'd love to get to know people who love the same things I love. That's one of the reasons I came online the other month. Because so few people in my real life enjoy the same things that I do.
But what does it mean to be IN a fandom? There are musicians and books and tv shows and movies that I adore and can happily talk about and lose myself in for hours. I'm not sure I understand if there's a difference between being a fan of, say Supernatural or The Vampire Chronicles and being in the fandom.
no subject
Date: 2017-05-02 09:04 pm (UTC)Being in fandom, I would say, is about an immersive experience, where you form connections with people because of shows or books you have in common, and share in the interpretation of those base texts in creative ways.
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Date: 2017-05-06 03:24 pm (UTC)I do like the idea of forming connections with people because of shared loves. I'm definitely down for that!
thank you
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Date: 2017-05-02 09:34 pm (UTC)For instance, ten years ago I was very involved in the Harry Potter fandom. I was a member of several roleplays, wrote fanfiction, read The Leaky Cauldron religiously. But that's not something I have kept up with, so I don't consider myself to be *in* the fandom right now.
no subject
Date: 2017-05-02 11:02 pm (UTC)In my experience, anybody who tells you "you must do X, Y, and/or Z to qualify for fandom of ($SUBJECT)" is engaging in icky gatekeeping, and is best ignored. ... on reflection, I tend to have the same opinion for pretty much every other aspect of life, so take it with a chunk of salt.
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Date: 2017-05-02 11:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-05-03 01:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-05-03 02:42 am (UTC)It's really hard to explain and yes as a poster said, the term 'fandom' means many different things to many different people
no subject
Date: 2017-05-04 01:03 am (UTC)