Alrighty, then!
Lazy post, not a poll, asking folks one thing - answer short or long, profane or transcendentally, pictures or words;
What does fandom mean to you? And what (I lied about it being one thing) do you mean when you say "I am a fan"?
Go!
Edited to say: thanks to![[personal profile]](https://imgprx.livejournal.net/ed37ed121619c0e273d4da0ffd6af08f15712146/-oUIVa7O7hAJKuvpRfLwvknSXltzoUyKBP1NSz7LXmdYFrMNh0lQ09lKlwQkh61U8PZe0LoST6dzXRE4Msfcyayn8_-WKjpnjESSV0bfhIA)
ljgeoff over on LJ, I have one of the two definitions I'm really liking so far: "Of course there are disagreements, wank-fests, calcification of thought and culture -- because we are people. But we talk about it, hey? We're like the Unitarians of sub-cultures" (Italics mine because that is pretty genius, although I'd add, we're the crazy Unitarians of sub-cultures.)
And this, from a mysterious and poetic exemplar of the latest iteration of fandom, via the near-numinouspromethia_tenk , on Dreamwidth; an excellent definition of just that marvelous latest iteration of fandoms: "I'm in love with a show and all the songs are about us."
And yet another great definition, from the most estimable
betawho on LJ: Fandom is involved enthusiasm (as opposed to detached observation.)
Edited again (and I really have to stop adding to this, but so many people have wonderful things to say) to add the words ofsupergee , who, like me, was a denizen of traditional skiffy fandom before coming to Teh Intarwebz: "Source of my greatest achievements and my family of choice."
Of course, that leads to a further question that I shall, perhaps put into a different post ....
This entry was originally posted at http://kaffyr.dreamwidth.org/309816.html?mode=reply, where there are currently
comments. You can comment there or here; I watch both.
Lazy post, not a poll, asking folks one thing - answer short or long, profane or transcendentally, pictures or words;
What does fandom mean to you? And what (I lied about it being one thing) do you mean when you say "I am a fan"?
Go!
Edited to say: thanks to
And this, from a mysterious and poetic exemplar of the latest iteration of fandom, via the near-numinous
And yet another great definition, from the most estimable
betawho on LJ: Fandom is involved enthusiasm (as opposed to detached observation.)Edited again (and I really have to stop adding to this, but so many people have wonderful things to say) to add the words of
Of course, that leads to a further question that I shall, perhaps put into a different post ....
This entry was originally posted at http://kaffyr.dreamwidth.org/309816.html?mode=reply, where there are currently
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Comments
Involved enthusiasm. (As opposed to detached observation.)
Am I a fan?
Definitely.
Fandom means putting some of your heart into something. Whether it's by discussion, creation, or support.
I really like that. Involved enthusiasm is an excellent overall definition, because it can cover all kinds of fandom, from sports, to stamps and coins, to books, to sub-genres of books, to popular culture shows, to anime, to movies ... yeah, I really like the idea of involved enthusiasm. I think I shall add it to the edits I'm making of this post. Heh.
I am a fan when the material fills my head all day long, when it makes me want to write all the things, when I can't wait to read or watch on and am figuratively jumping in enthusiasm at the idea of discussing all the characters and plots I love, or getting a friend to watch/read =)
When it comes to things science-fictional (and oh, does that cover a vast country!), it is an irreplaceable ingredient in the mix. In the old days people used to meet up - causing the birth of clubs and conventions - or they constantly wrote letters, to each other, and in letter columns of professional and fan-produced magazines (the lettercol was LJ and Dreamwidth, Tumblr and Twitter, long before those things were realities).
And it was all social interactions, often the first and truest interaction for people who might often be uncomfortable with mainstream social interaction.
It often became family.
Of course there are disagreements, wank-fests, calcification of thought and culture -- because we are people.
But we talk about it, hey? We're like the Unitarians of sub-cultures.
I edited the post to put your definition up there as one that I really, really like.
It's interesting to see the generational difference between people who grew up in one fandom - skiffy - and those who grew up around or after the time that it splintered into a multiplicity of shiny shards, in large part thanks to television and Teh Intarwebz.
And of course the lovely thing about fandom is that measuring things against a template need not mean that anything so measured will ever be found wanting. At least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Fandom means community, a like-minded group of different individuals with differing and similar tastes within that group coming together to celebrate that Fandom they love with beautiful works of creativity, delightful discussions and friendships forged over the same.
Oh!! I don't know...that I like this particular show/book/movie/etc to want to be more involved within it (in my own limited capacity). That it motivates me to reach out, seek beauty, create (dubious) beauty of my own and get to know all the wonderful people who love the same thing I do.
These questions require better answers than I can give, really. They are so simple on the surface, yet deep beneath. And the answers should be equal to them...
*SQUISHES YOU*
Of course, you have a heart built for fandom, you know.
Becoming part of the story, together.
Why am I a fan?
Because if you could tough the alien sand, and hear the cries of strange birds, and watch them wheel under another sky... who wouldn't want to share that with other like minded people on the internet?
Edited at 2014-07-28 05:08 am (UTC)
I like, though, that my LJ friends will even support me being fannish about things nobody else knows. It's very sweet and helps make me feel less crazy when I vanish into the 1960s or 70s for a bit.
Have the obvious fanvid link instead of words. :-)
Because we know it's fandom, I suppose, and because we like you, and trust your taste, and learn from you. Thanks to you, I fell in love with Sapphire and Steel and I think that's part of fandom, too.
That video is absolute genius, particularly the intro and extro!
Also, less dignified, SQUEEEE!!!!!
The enjoyment of sharing your obsession with a community of like-minded folks.
The opportunities for creativity: fan writing, fan art, costuming, role-playing, filking, etc. A good friend in another fandom compared these activities to singing along with your favorite song (as opposed to passive listening, or going off and composing something of your own).
Fandom is active involvement to me. Once you're interested in something enough to start looking things up on the internet, you've put the first toe into the water of fandom. If you just leave the theater or turn off the TV and don't really think about the thing again, that's not fandom. Fandom is many things and has many shades and many degrees of involvement, but that first step is basically, "This is cool, and I want to know more about it."
JMO, of course. : )
And I like the analogy your friend drew; singing along to a favorite song is a particularly community-oriented social activity.