Ramblings

There's a great kind of self awareness in these "hardcore" fans. They are aware of their low status on the cultural hierarchy which can be seen in their "shame" factor. Such as from my focus group, I asked what aspects of fandom they were ashamed of, there was a group consensus that the intensity and the extent of the fanaticism displayed at the time was generally not shared with their own friendship groups. Fan fiction in particular and how much time and effort devoted.

M: There are people out there that if I told them the level of obsession I have with something I would be judged so bad and I just, like, I don’t...

But they are also hyper aware of their power as a community. Fans of all ages, religions, genders, nationalities etc. across the globe collaborate online about fandom. They discuss ideas about the latest episode or a specific scene or the content of the next show; feelings and emotions uniformly or conflictingly felt when a major plot twist/event occurred such as the death of a beloved character, they give moral support when a fan explains they missed out on the latest episode or the panel meeting at a convention. When something happens in the plot of the film/television show is not well received by the fans, they will send angry messages to the producers and creators, even the actors of the franchise. When a film series or television series has come to an end, people will band together to campaign for a sequel (a prequel at most) or a new season.

They do this because it is known to work. It has happened before. The successful Doctor Who is what it is today because fans refused to let it be cancelled. Sherlock Holmes was resurrected by Arthur Conan Doyle after fans expressed outrage and dismay from his death in The Final Problem. That latter case occurred in the 1890s, so we can see how far fans have influenced the creating process. They know that without them, the fans, the show cannot go on. The show will fail. The production therefore needs to find a way to maintain the satisfaction and devotion from a fan base while taking the risks in how the show will turn out. When they get that balance then it is called good quality film/television. (Which is probably why I love Joss Whedon and Buffy so much....)

Throughout these ramblings I did not look anything up except for the dates when The Final Problem by Arthur Conan Doyle was published. All other references to pop culture and such I already know because of my own fandom activities. I go on tumblr as procrastination but also because I need my daily dose of it. There are fantastic images, gif sets, thoughts and ideas from other fans. I follow at least 4 Buffy/Joss Whedon blogs, 3 Avengers/Doctor Who/Supernatural/Sherlock blogs (those franchises are always together for some reason), 1 Disney blog and 1 Merlin blog. All of which I keep up to date, daily. I have never watched one episode of Doctor Who or have seen a full season of Supernatural, yet because the blogs I initially followed for Sherlock and Avengers were combined with these two, I learned the language and story arcs etc. just by observing.

It's all fun, a heart-warming and exciting and enjoyable.