In the case of Kirk/Spock fandom, fans’ effort to keep technology accessible and democratic is to resist the corporate control of mainstream media and the capitalist system. In the Chinese context, fans’ tactical manouvres and technological sharing are mainly out of their struggle against authoritarian media control.
Cathy Yue Wang. 2019. “Officially sanctioned adaptation and affective resistance: the transmedia convergence of the online drama Guardian in China.” Narratives/Aesthetics/Criticism Vol 2. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2421-454X/9156
It’s also interesting how the tactics used by the Kirk/Spock fandom (or relevant Western fandoms) and the Chinese fans differ and how publishing authors’ self-censorship further differs from that in both cultural contexts. Yue Wang describes some of these tactics, too.
(Members) of the fan community reinforce their subjectivity through advanced technology, strategic tactics, and mutual support in their counter-discursive online activities.
Cathy Yue Wang. 2019. “Officially sanctioned adaptation and affective resistance: the transmedia convergence of the online drama Guardian in China.” Narratives/Aesthetics/Criticism Vol 2. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2421-454X/9156