School report - help please

[waruji]

Hello, I’m Waruji (Serpentine Wisdom on ffnet) I’m a university student currently writing a 25-40 page essay about fandom on the web for my sociology class and I would be really grateful if you would answer a few questions for me. I'm not sure if this post is allowed, if it isn't I apologise. Just tell me and I’ll remove it.

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Comments

[scarecrowqueen]

1) Fandom is a social movement of people who gather to discuss their common interest in a book/movie/tv show/comic/etc, usually resulting in creative expressions such as fanfic, fanart, icons, playlists, and the like. it's something of a cultural phenomenon.

2) Fandom was something I fell into kind of by accident. Now it's stress relief, both as a writer and avid reader, a chance to connect with people who share similiar interests, and a creative outlet I usually lack in my day-to-day life.

3) I've actively participated in about half a dozen fandoms over the years, and lurking in perhaps a dozen more off and one. I tend to focus on one at a time for a series of months, alternating between the occasional new one, and my old standby's in cycles.

4) The positive the is friendly, creative atmosphere in most communities. I've been in com's that will do donation drives (Help Haiti and Help Chile, for example) or share links that raise awareness for real-life issues that may or may not tie in to that particular fandom. The downside that that some people lose track of the fact that fandom is just that, fandom. It's not reality, period.

5) Yes. People are more inclined to behave in a fashion that's less socially acceptable when they know that there are no true consequences, because no one knows them. (I beleive the technical term for it is 'being and ass')

6) I have a friend or two that participate in fandom, though not as actively as myself, so I can talk to them a little. Mostly though, It's a private thing for me, and my friend don't know about my favorite communities, and have never read my fanfic.

7) Someday I might 'Grow out of it?' (Doubt it, I've been active in fandoms for over ten years.)

8) Larger fandoms have a greater wealth of stories, art, and media to share. They can be a little overwhelming though, with soo many people it's hard to connect with any single one. Smaller fandoms have a more personal setting, with most of the regulars knowing eachother, but they tend to move slower, i've seen my smallest community sit silent for weeks at a time.

9) I'm a little braver now then I was back then. My writing has improved with practice and exposure to the writing of others, my vocabulary is proved, my imagination expanded, my musical tastes are more diverse… I’ve made some friends, and I’m not afraid now to share my thoughts, and to comment on the thoughts of others.

10) Usually, yes. Seasoned writers generally stand out as more confident and refined. Newbies sometimes get lost in the sea of tired clichés, or bad grammar. But writing is like a muscle. Use it more, it gets stronger. The more experienced writers that agree to beta-read for newer writers, the larger pool of experienced writers we end up with in the end.

11) Generally, most people try and go by the whole ‘live and let live.’ If it’s not your cup of tea, you leave it alone. In the same vein, feedback is to be polite and accommodating of other’s ideas and opinions. Most people aim to be as respectful and supportive as possible of each other. It doesn’t always happen that way, especially in very large fandoms where anonymity is absolute.

12) I wouldn’t use the word value, so much as ‘popular.’ More popular movies/books/tv shows/etc have bigger fan followings, resulting in bigger fandoms to play in. They aren’t worth more, they just have a wider sphere of influence.

[scarecrowqueen]

13) I am a user on FF.net, but admittedly the title of ‘Pit’ is well deserved in some cases. Because it’s such a huge nexus of so many different fandom, it’s wide open to trolling, spamming, flaming, and all around-bad behavior. There’s no way on Earth the mods could possibly keep up with policing everyone, so less scrupulous people tend to run rampant in their anonymity. I spend a lot of time on Livejournal communities, and they tend to be better run, more positive, and comprised of more experienced writers and artists, and as smaller communities the mods are able to keep a better eye on the goings-on, and many of the members themselves will gladly put their foot down to stop disrespectful behavior.

14) I’m a shipper, definitely. I think the fantasy is fun, especially for ships that will never see the light of day in real life. The negative parts are the ‘ship wars,’ again it becomes and issue of respect, or lack thereof.

15) Fandom seems to be comprised of mostly women! Also, all the fandoms I’ve spent time in are mostly similar in attitudes, function, and general mood. Many of the same ideas or themes appear across all fandoms. I guess some things are just the same, whether it’s Harry Potter or Transformers :D