MAC 325 Study Guide - Spring 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Internet, Mass Media, Web 2.0
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
MAC 325
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
4/5/18 Lecture: Fandom
● Quick introduction to vernacular theory
○ Vernacular and Institutional
■ “Institutional”
● Comes from mass media
● Laws, uses, procedures
■ “Vernacular”
● Outside formal or official channels
● Informal conversations
● Ex: taking a clip from a movie and remixing it
● Everyday expression that is separate from institutional expression
■ IKEA hackers
● Take the parts from IKEA kits and use them to create something
entirely different than what the product is supposed to be
● Seeing how they can change the institutionally produced parts and
turn them into something else
○ Parallel, non-institutional set of instructions
■ Vernacular and institutional have a tricky relationship
● How does something express both institutional and vernacular
qualities
● Fans pre-Internet
○ Fandom as a pursuit was for the rich pre-Internet
■ They had time and money for non-media activities
○ Many types of media in the 20th century start becoming available to consumers
○ Rise of fans of pop culture in the 20th century
■ TV, music, movies, etc.
○ Stereotypes start to emerge regarding fans
■ Ex: I Grok Spock video (Star Trek)
● Geeky, obsessed
○ It is hard for fans to circulate what they create
■ Fandom in the mass media age is isolated
● Fans post-Internet
○ Easier to circulate what they create and connect with other fans
○ Gain recognition
○ Networks make sharing productivity easier and makes fan productivity easier
● What makes a “fan”
○ Four central characteristics
1. Affective Ties
a. Personal emotional attachment to the thing they are a fan of
b. Ex: Teens screaming over a pop star
c. Networked communication in the digital age strengthens affective
ties… you can feel closer to your object of fandom
d. Brands make it feel like you can have input/ongoing stake
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
2. Specialization of Knowledge
a. Knowing certain things mark you as a member of a fan community
b. Fan communities have culture
c. Facts, trivia, minutiae
d. The internet opens up access to specialized knowledge
i. Allows deep dives for people who want to engage with fan
material
ii. Information becomes easier to get...as a result the bar for
showing true knowledge as a fan becomes higher
iii. Creates certain ways of interacting and discourages
others… social fan hierarchies
3. Material productivity
a. Fans make things based on whatever they’re a fan of
b. Ex: fan-fiction, re-editing/remixing, fan music videos, cosplay etc.
c. Sub-genres or communities around material productivity
i. Discrete genres and communities in and of themselves
4. Community membership
a. Ability to connect with other fans and feel like you are part of a
group of like-minded others
b. Connect with fans quickly and easily without a lot of buy-in
i. Lowers both financial and social risk
ii. You can learn about fandom by lurking and observing
before choosing to interact
c. You can join/leave groups at a moment’s notice
d. Biggest single change of the digital age when it comes to fandom
e. Connectedness
f. Fandom has become more mainstream and cool
i. Geek-chic
g. Reinforces the importance of one’s identity as a fan and makes
fandom seem more social in an offline context
● Fandom and civic engagement
○ Ashley Hick, “Fluidity in a Digital World: Choice, Communities, and Public
Values” (2018)
○ How can being a fan of Harry Potter lead to civic engagement
○ Old model: civic engagement tied to institutional membership
○ Digital media increases variety of possible memberships
○ You can look past geography and find groups that represent ideas that are really
important to you
■ Ex: You can align yourself with a different political party using the internet
■ Find things that align with your very specific beliefs
○ The digital age creates more choices than ever for institutional memberships
● Increased choice and fluidity
○ Effect is most pronounced among millenials and younger
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Ex: taking a clip from a movie and remixing it. Everyday expression that is separate from institutional expression. Take the parts from ikea kits and use them to create something entirely different than what the product is supposed to be. Seeing how they can change the institutionally produced parts and turn them into something else. Vernacular and institutional have a tricky relationship. How does something express both institutional and vernacular. Fandom as a pursuit was for the rich pre-internet. They had time and money for non-media activities. Many types of media in the 20th century start becoming available to consumers. Rise of fans of pop culture in the 20th century. Ex: i grok spock video (star trek) It is hard for fans to circulate what they create. Fandom in the mass media age is isolated. Easier to circulate what they create and connect with other fans. Networks make sharing productivity easier and makes fan productivity easier.
