Research!

[featherynscale]

I need some help from the flist on this one, particularly those of you who consider yourself fannish. I'm interested in what the experience of fandom is like for people, generally, I think. If you could take a moment and comment below, I'd appreciate it.

What I'm particularly interested in knowing about are things like: how/when do you know you are a fan? What are your criteria for determining who is and is not a part of a fandom? What sorts of activities, if any, are you likely to participate in due to or related to your fandom? Does it affect your language or other behavior outside of strictly fandom-related activities? How does your fandom play out in your day-to-day life, if at all? That sort of thing.

Seriously. Talk to me about fandom. It's for a class I'm working on.

Thanks!

Comments

[greektoomey.livejournal.com]

First, I think a distinction must be made. There are fans, and there are Fans.

A fan is anyone who says, "I am a fan of _______." That's all it takes.

A Fan is someone who regularly fraternizes with other Fans under the pretext of a shared Fandom. Typically, this entails attending fan conventions, or otherwise traveling to meet individuals with whom one's only known common interest is a shared fandom.

(Disclaimer: This capitalization protocol is entirely my own invention, and should not be regarded as an established convention.)

Tonight I will be meeting with some local Browncoats (Firefly Fans) at a cafe to hang out and watch a few episodes of Firefly on the cafe's big-ass plasma tv. There will be eating, drinking, commentating on the episodes as they play (which is why we often show the subtitles), and occasionally talking back to the TV.

A couple weeks ago I met with a couple of Browncoats (though there should have been more) to attend the First Annual Science Fiction Short Film Festival. We had lunch, then watched the films, then afterwards went out for food & libations.

In my experience, fannish activities are for the most part no different from the activities of any other social group.

[greektoomey.livejournal.com]

Or put more simply, a fan is anyone who says "I'm a fan." A Fan is someone whose social life involves shared fandom as a basis for fraternizing.

What class is this for?

What class is this for?

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Tell ya later. Don't want to influence response with people guessing what I'm after.