Wired for Communication: New Life on the Internet?

WIRED FOR COMMUNICATION

Wired for Communication

New Life on the Internet?

Imagine you are surfing the Internet and happen to link to a fan site devoted to a television program. There are forums where fans review episodes, discuss the actors, or explain the themes. The site also notes upcoming events or conferences in cities across the United States, and it even has a section where fans submit their own creative works related to the show (fiction, poetry, artwork). This is not surprising, of course, as the Internet is littered with such venues. But what might surprise you is that all of this fan activity is for a show that ended almost a decade ago. Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran on American television from 1997 to 2003, and despite achieving only modest ratings across its broadcast career, it has remained a pop culture juggernaut through its Internet fandom afterlife. There is even a devotion to the show among some media scholars, who publish academic analyses of Buffy in books and journals (Levine & Parks, 2007).

The Internet certainly did not invent the fandom experience—Star Trek and Star Wars fans have been stapling together “fanzines” and attending science fiction conventions for decades—but the Internet has facilitated the formation and maintenance of such fan groups. Online fandom allows fans to more easily connect with one another for companionship or to develop personal relationships. The Web also allows dedicated fans repeated viewing of TV shows, along with forums for them to dissect and scrutinize every scene and every line (Johnson, 2005). This may help shows to build and maintain their audiences while they are on the air and after they have ended. Lost ended in 2010, but the rewatching and reanalyzing remain in full force on the Lostpedia wiki and several other fan sites. More recently, the Internet has emerged as not just an organizational tool for disgruntled fans of canceled shows but also as a new channel for resurrecting these shows. In 2013, the streaming service Netflix fulfilled the wishes of millions of Arrested Development fans by producing a long-awaited fifth season and making it available all at once for immediate binge-watching. Producers of one long-missed series did them one better, inviting fans to put their money where their mouths are: the long-awaited Veronica Mars film (2014) was almost entirely fan-funded in one of the fastest Kickstarter campaigns ever (Cohen, 2013).

Think About This

  1. Have you ever contributed fan fiction or comments to a fan blog or forum for one of your favorite shows? Why or why not? Why do some fans get involved online and others do not?

    Question

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    Have you ever contributed fan fiction or comments to a fan blog or forum for one of your favorite shows? Why or why not? Why do some fans get involved online and others do not?
  2. Not all popular or critically acclaimed shows end up with a strong Internet afterlife. What do you think it is about a TV show or movie that might cause it to be singled out for the kind of devotional attention lavished on Buffy, Lost, or Veronica Mars?

    Question

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    Not all popular or critically acclaimed shows end up with a strong Internet afterlife. What do you think it is about a TV show or movie that might cause it to be singled out for the kind of devotional attention lavished on Buffy, Lost, or Veronica Mars?
  3. Is it ethical for filmmakers to accept financial backing from fans rather than backing from traditional sources? What is the difference between an investment in a film and a Kickstarter campaign?

    Question

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    Is it ethical for filmmakers to accept financial backing from fans rather than backing from traditional sources? What is the difference between an investment in a film and a Kickstarter campaign?
  4. To what extent do you think that creators of TV shows or movies are aware of the commentary in online fandom groups? If you were a writer for a TV show, would you be inclined to adapt your production to meet the expectations and preferences of pertinent fandom groups?

    Question

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    To what extent do you think that creators of TV shows or movies are aware of the commentary in online fandom groups? If you were a writer for a TV show, would you be inclined to adapt your production to meet the expectations and preferences of pertinent fandom groups?