BLOG POST: WEEK #9

This week's topic focuses on media fandom and audience subcultures. As we previously explored within Chapter 6, “audiences actively interpret media content by producing meaning out of the signs and symbols that make up the media text” (Sullivan, Ch 8). When it comes to media and texts, there is no one set way to interpret them. Everyone is different and texts can be interpreted in many new and even contrary ways: “through connections to other audiences online, creation of new media texts based upon the source material, and--thanks to the power of inexpensive computers to achieve professional-quality video and audio editing--even alteration of the original media text” (Sullivan, Ch. 8).

People interpret texts based on their personal lives and experiences. With that being said, “fans are emotionally invested in their favourite media by thinking deeply about the plots, characters, and messages of those texts. They also reach out to other fans to discuss their mutual objects of affection, building “interpretive communities” around a particular media program” (Sullivan, Ch. 8).

One of my earliest memories from secondary school is being a “Belieber” (a part of the Justin Bieber fandom). It often felt like my world revolved around him, his music, and the fellow Beliebers with which I interacted daily. While I was still a Belieber, I would say that I knew that I loved Justin Bieber but it was not until recently that I realized how emotionally invested in him and my fandom culture. Seeing as I could not interact with Justin Bieber in person, I turned to social media to keep up to date on his music and accomplishments with the help of other Beliebers. Fiske (2011, p. 77) said that “for fans, social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram act as a form of ‘social cement’ which binds together characters and narrative strands… binds viewers to each other as they gossip about the show, and establish an active relationship between viewer and program,” and I completely agree. I checked social media sites such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr and Pinterest for all things Justin Bieber. I even had a whole Twitter account dedicated to posting about Justin Bieber and interacting with other Justin Bieber fan accounts. A large part of being a Belieber was creating an online relationship with other Beliebers so that you would be able to chat with them and make new friends with the same interests. I was so emotionally invested in Justin Bieber that when he got arrested for speeding, I cried in my secondary school classroom and put my head down on my desk for my whole lunch break.

As Sullivan mentioned within Chapter 8, there were some early stigmas around fandoms, but as they became more mainstream they were more understood and later accepted. I believe that being a part of fandom was an amazing experience. I believe that many people should endure such experience because “instead of audiences’ viewing choices being determined by institutional constructions, fans develop their sense of self-identity around their media consumption” (Sullivan, Ch. 8). Not only was I emotionally invested in Justin Bieber, but I also became emotionally invested in the fandom as a whole. As a young teenager, I believe this helped me learn valuable lessons while finding myself and connecting with other people.

Fandom is fairly complex, and is “more than simple enthusiasm for a tv program or film; it was a form of collective interpretation of popular culture that created a powerful sense of group cohesion” (Sullivan, Ch. 8). Although I was used to interacting as a fan on social media sites, the best experience of group cohesion that I ever had was at a live concert. My mom surprised me with Justin Bieber tickets for my birthday, making the concert my first ever concert experience. I experienced amazing aspects of group cohesion online while interacting with other Beliebers, but while I was at the concert I was truly able to experience group cohesion on a different level than ever before. The stadium (Air Canada Centre) was full, everyone was wearing purple (Justin Bieber’s favourite colour), or Justin Bieber T-Shirts. Everyone was extremely happy and energetic, the energy was amazing. Once the show started, there was so much screaming that I almost had to cover my ears. The concert was amazing and the energy/group cohesion was truly life-changing. Attending that concert made me realize that I loved being a part of such a large fandom. It became very clear to me that this was about much more than Justin Bieber himself. It truly felt as though we were one big family.

The certain category of “fan” “has dramatically expanded as a result of the even smaller niche media products and platforms available today (such as smartphone games and media, cable and satellite television channels, YouTube channels, and other forms of micromedia)” (Sullivan, Ch. 8). As Sandvoss’s definition demonstrates, “we are all fans of something in today’s media-saturated environment, which makes the cultural and sociological study of fandom all the more important for understanding media audiences” (Sullivan, Ch. 3). This brings up an excellent point about how much fandom has changed today, especially with COVID. Although I am not a fan in the same way that I was when I was younger, it is clear that even if I was, the fandom experience would be very different than when I first experienced it. As we all know, we are currently living through a pandemic. While online interaction remains the same, some of the best parts of being a part of fandom are on pause (concerts, meet and greets, meeting new friends that are a part of your fandom, going to school every day with other people who are also fans, and much more).

As Sandvoss said, we are all still fans of something. Today, I would not say that I am a part of a fandom per se, but I am still a fan of celebrities, influencers, and music artists (etc). The most prominent example of how I am a fan is on YouTube as an audience member. In my free time, I love watching different types of YouTube videos by different creators. On YouTube, you can subscribe to your favourite YouTubers so that you can stay up to date on their content, and even get alerts every time they post a new YouTube video. In a way, I would argue that everyone who is subscribed to at least one creator on YouTube is a fan.

I encourage everyone to take a step back from their busy lives to take a minute and think about how they are a “fan.” What type of fan activities do you engage in? How do you use your own experiences to navigate through these experiences? How has being a fan changed your life for the better?

I know that being a fan helped me develop as an individual while practicing group cohesion. I am thankful for my experiences within fandom and it has been very interesting to look at how these experiences affected me through the findings of Sullivan.