the myth of a "western media fandom"

[bookshop]

I wasn't really around-or rather, wasn't paying much attention at the time-to the backlash around Us, Lim's "representative" fanvid that left a lot of people feeling unrepresented. But I knew about it, registered it, have felt vaguely weird about it ever since

Comments

[octavius_x]

I do think you're right about the label "Western Media Fandom" being broad and unspecific which ultimately opens the door to self-definition in the form of types and lists. From what's being described it might be more accurate to say "Anglo-North American Media Fandom (since 1965)", but now you have the problem of classification by geography, which seems dated and inconsequential when most of us work and meet in a medium that transcends both distance and timezones (internet!). Also to see the term "Western" being used like this makes me cringe; it's tbh kind of a general and sloppy term a) because there's quite a lot of academic discussion on the construction of an idealized "West" and b) in the same vein, the binary it sets up for a supposedly existent "Eastern Media Fandom", even more so the articles that would fall under this "heading", are--as you describe--incredibly varied and diverse

[soundczech]

I wrote an article the other day on the Jannoskians. None of you have heard of it, but it's a HUGE fandom, and the boys behind it might just be the next One Direction. That fandom? Australian. Where does that fit on the international map?

pls clarify your thought process here

[ravyn_09]

O_o god you always make me have thinky thoughts. Good article/essay.

[jak_frost]

Agree.

[wneleh]

I really don't get this. For a lot of reasons, I don't participate in anything besides, um, western media fandom... I know there's a whole world out there, but it seems silly to work up a case of the guilts for not being too international about the things I do for recreation!

Honestly, this post reads like the nightmare of people who think, if I stick my toe in the water, will people hate me if I do it wrong?