ECREA16-Abstract

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Friday, November 11

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Fan Cultures andNewMedia Subjects

PP 426

Infrastructuring Fanfiction: How Platforms Keep Fan Cultures Running

W. Reißmann

, D. Hoffmann

University of Siegen, Media Studies, Siegen, Germany

Contemporary fan cultures take advantage of digital media in manifold ways: as media of interpersonal and public communication, networking, multimod‑

al (self) expression and articulation. The significance of digital media in terms of access to fan communities, acceleration of fan communication, translo‑

calization of fan cultures as well as for transforming, circulating and spreading (fan) artifacts is widely acknowledged (Booth, 2010). Where some scholars

focus on the role of digitally mediated fan cultures in processes of identity work, communitarisation and the societal and cultural differences within, others

are more interested in the emergence and production of fan ‘texts’ and phenomena of inter- and transmodality. Important starting points for sociological

discussions are concepts of (post) subculture, in line or against the Birmingham School tradition (Buckingham, Bragg & Kehily, 2014), and (popular) capital

theory. Discussions of text production practices often refer to the concept of transmedia storytelling (Jenkins, 2007). Both lines of research have to deal with

overarching questions on digital culture, i.e. regarding the meaning of produsage (Bird, 2011), creativity, amateurism and professionalization (Gauntlett,

2011; Hills, 2013), copyright (Lessig, 2008), hybridization of online and offline spaces, and tensions between commodity culture and normative ideals

of collective intelligence (Jenkins, 2006) or gift economy (Scott, 2009). By and large less attention is paid to the infrastructural work behind the production,

publication and distribution of fan content and the symbolic use and negotiation of these texts. In this respect the paper presents the results of a preliminary

study in the field of Fanfiction. First and foremost, Fanfiction is about transformative works, world building and (collective) storytelling (Jamison, 2013;

Hellekson & Busse, 2006, 2014; Parrish 2013). However, in digital environments fan (fiction) cultures depend just as much on keeping archives, platforms,

groups, networks, forums etc. running. The study currently being conducted compares the well-known fanfiction platforms “AO3 – Archives of our Own”,

“FanFiction.Net”and “FanFiktion.de”(German) with regard to (1) organizational structures (e.g., form of financing, administration), (2) features enabling/

restricting communication and interaction (e.g., profiles, blogs, chats), (3) practices of archiving, sorting and classifying fan content (e.g., tagging), and

(4) formal and informal rules of conduct (e.g., terms and conditions, disclaimer). The objective of the study is to grasp fan fiction-related infrastructuring

processes ‘in the making’, respectively sediments of these processes. It is assumed that unquestioned standards as well as controversies about the tech‑

nological shape of the platforms and the spirit of the communities reveal additional aspects of fan cultures beyond symbolic appropriation and remixing

of texts. Ethnographic data suggest basic commonalities (e.g., overlapping tagging practices) as well as significant differences (e.g., in terms of content

regulation) and infrastructure-related issues and discourses (e.g., usability). By contrasting similarities and differences the paper wants to contribute to

a better understanding of socio-technical infrastructuring of fan fiction and mediated fan cultures. This preliminary study is part of a practice-oriented

media and socio-legal research dealing with copyright practices in relation to practices of creating derivative works and publishing in digital environments.

PP 427

How Fan Activism Can Save a TV Series in the Transmedia Era: A Case Study on 'Fringe'

M. Guerrero Pico

, M.J. Establés

Pompeu Fabra University, Communication, Barcelona, Spain

As representatives of a specific type of consumer, television fans have a long history of activism, their claims being largely motivated by networks’ deci‑

sions to cancel the shows that constitute the fans’object of fandom due to low ratings (Jenkins, 1992; Brower, 1992). Classic examples of 'Save Our Show'

campaigns such as Star Trek, Hill Street Blues, or Twin Peaks made use of well-organized campaigns in which the mass mailing of letters and telegrams,

phone calls to the networks and studios headquarters, and word of mouth were the basic modus operandi in which fans sought to influence the executives’

decisions. Nowadays the aim remains the same, but the methods have changed and the balance of power readjusted. An increasingly convergent and par‑

ticipatory media ecosystem have impacted the way‘Save Our Show’campaigns are being conceived and implemented in similar fashion to those endeavors

carried out in political and social contexts. In these arenas, contemporary activists and grassroots have already appropriated of social media tools –partic‑

ularly Twitter– to raise awareness of specific situations or conflicts. This paper aims to contribute to the debate around fan activism by focusing on the fol‑

lowing aspects: the way fans make the most ofTwitter’s affordances to organize successful‘Save Our Show’campaigns; the shifts in audience measurement;

and the changing relationship between fans and producers.To do so, we relay on three main theoretical foundations: the evolution of viewing measurement

techniques (Webster, Phalen & Lichty, 2006); the media changes that have affected the development of fan campaigns (Savage, 2014; and the concept

of Twitter activism in the transmedia context (Lindgren, 2013; Jenkins, Ford & Green, 2013) Based on the ethnographic methods of participant observation

and qualitative interview, we delve into the renewal campaign for the science fiction series Fringe (FOX, 2008–13) deployed on Twitter by the fan organi‑

zation ‘Fringenuity’, illustrating a collaborative scenario between producers and fans, far from embodying the antagonistic positions of the past. Two main

conclusions can be drawn from this study. First, the simultaneous presentation ofTwitter as a vehicle for and object of fan activism. In this regard,‘Fringenu‑

ity’used the platform to spread a self-referential message that defendsTwitter’s value as a reliable indicator to measure the actual engagement of television

audiences against an outdated system based on measuring massive audiences, leading to unusual partnerships between producers and fandom. Second,

the condition of fan communities as early adopters of the constant transformations in the media industry, a situation fans are exposed to through their

intense consumption of media products and deep knowledge of the television market rules.