If there are any trends in current fan studies, it clearly has to be the shift toward industry focus and the myriad ways to monetize fan labor. Both industry and academic events concentrate on the intersections and collaborations, sometimes at
The meaning of being a media fan in the current Chinese cultural environment
Being a fan signifies two different cultural identities and practices in the current Chinese cultural environment. Voluntarily engaging in the celebrity economy and star system, actively purchasing everything related to the celebrities, and voluntarily supporting and publicizing beloved celebrity and
There is a general sense, from the language of industry-side people in big presentations or casual conversations, that the attendees [of San Diego Comic-Con] are “true believers,” supernerds who love — or will love — every scrap of geeky pop culture that comes their
These questions give us the opportunity to rethink how we understand the emergence and spread of distinctive cultural forms as something other than a game of “follow the money.” Instead, we need to follow the activity, the energy, the commitment
The regifting economy that is emerging, I argue, is the result of the industry’s careful cultivation of a parallel fan space alongside grassroots formations of fandom. By precariously attempting to balance the communal ideals of fandom’s gift economy with their
[QUOTE] From Lawrence Lessig, Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy
As one reflects upon the history of culture in the twentieth century, at least within what we call the “developed world,” it’s hard not to conclude that Sousa was right (to fear in 1906 that creation by regular people was
[QUOTE] From Mel Stanfill and Megan Condis, Editorial: Fandom and/as labor
One major issue in the 2007–8 Writers Guild of America strike was an insistence that Web content was creative work and was thus eligible to be paid at creative rates, rather than promotional work that creators were obligated to participate
[QUOTE] From Thomas Lamarre, Introduction to Mechademia 6: User Enhanced
in the wake of government policies in Japan promoting Akihabara as a tourist destination and championing otaku culture as a new national paradigm for economic prosperity, some otaku were quick to point out that the prosperity of otaku culture was