Henry Jenkins - fandom blog tasks

 Henry Jenkins - fandom blog tasks

The following tasks will give you an excellent introduction to fandom and also allow you to start exploring degree-level insight into audience studies. Work through the following:

Factsheet #107 - Fandom

Read Media Factsheet #107 on Fandom. Use our Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) or log into your Greenford Google account to access the link. Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions:

1) What is the definition of a fan? 

A fan is someone who shows strong and passionate enthusiasm for something, often to an extreme degree and forms a deep, ongoing connection with it.

2) What the different types of fan identified in the factsheet?

Hardcore or True Fans: These fans take pride in how long they’ve been devoted to a text or franchise and often have an in-depth knowledge of it.

Newbies: These are newer fans who haven’t been part of the fandom for long and may not yet have the same level of knowledge or connection.

Anti-fans: People who actively dislike or criticise a media text, but still engage with it just in a negative way, forming their identity in opposition to it.

3) What makes a ‘fandom’?

A fandom is a subculture where fans share enthusiasm and build a sense of community around a media text, celebrity, or cultural interest. Within these spaces, fans interact, create, and celebrate together, sometimes around very specific topics, and other times around much broader genres or trends.

4) What is Bordieu’s argument regarding the ‘cultural capital’ of fandom?

Pierre Bourdieu argues that fans gain a kind of cultural capital, meaning social status or symbolic power through their knowledge, expertise, and involvement within their fandom. This gives them recognition and respect among other fans.

5) What examples of fandom are provided on pages 2 and 3 of the factsheet?

Rituals and Participation: Fans repeatedly engage with the text and take part in community events like conventions or cosplay.

Ironic Readings: Fans discuss and reinterpret the text, often exploring deeper or alternative meanings.

Defying Critics and Institutions: Fans can challenge professional critics or even production companies, sometimes driving a show’s success themselves.

6) Why is imaginative extension and text creation a vital part of digital fandom?

Digital platforms allow fans to express themselves creatively and build on existing media in what Fiske calls a “cultural economy”,  one based on sharing ideas rather than profit. For example, fans might create fan art, videos, or “ships” (imagined romantic pairings between characters) to explore the relationships or storylines they care about.

Henry Jenkins - degree-level reading

Read the final chapter of ‘Fandom’ – written by Henry Jenkins (note: link may be blocked in school - try this Google Drive link if you need it.) This will give you an excellent introduction to the level of reading required for seminars and essays at university as well as degree-level insight into our current work on fandom and participatory culture. Answer the following questions:

1) There is an important quote on the first page: “It’s not an audience, it’s a community”. What does this mean?

This means that modern media consumers don’t just passively watch or read, they interact, create, and form relationships with others who share their interests. Media today is about participation and connection, not just consumption.

2) Jenkins quotes Clay Shirky in the second page of the chapter. Pick out a single sentence of the extended quote that you think is particularly relevant to our work on participatory culture and the ‘end of audience’ (clue – look towards the end!)

“Some are calling them ‘prosumers’… suggesting that as consumers produce and circulate media, they are blurring the line between amateur and professional.”

This highlights how audiences are now active participants, not just watchers who shape and spread culture themselves.

3) What are the different names Jenkins discusses for these active consumers that are replacing the traditional audience?

Jenkins mentions several new terms: loyals, media-actives, prosumers, inspirational consumers, connectors, influencers, and multipliers all describing people who actively create, share, or promote media rather than just consume it.

4) On the third page of the chapter, what does Wired editor Chris Anderson suggest regarding the economic argument in favour of fan communities?

Anderson argues that focusing on niche markets small but loyal fan groups can be financially smart. If production costs are low, companies can succeed by building close relationships and strong networks with these dedicated audiences instead of relying on mass marketing.

5) What examples does Jenkins provide to argue that fan culture has gone mainstream?

Jenkins points to the massive popularity of superhero and fantasy blockbusters and the rise of serialized storytelling across media. These trends show that fan-style engagement, deep, long-term investment in stories is now part of mainstream entertainment.

6) Look at the quote from Andrew Blau in which he discusses the importance of grassroots creativity. Pick out a sentence from the longer quote and decide whether you agree that audiences will ‘reshape the media landscape from the bottom up’.

Blau writes, “A new generation of media makers and viewers are emerging which could lead to a sea change in how media is made and consumed.”

I agree with this as the audiences today have more tools and platforms than ever to create, share, and reshape media, meaning they really can influence the industry from the ground up.

7) What does Jenkins suggest the new ideal consumer is?

In the past, the perfect consumer just watched, bought, and stayed silent. Today, the ideal consumer talks back- they share, promote, and engage with media. The old “couch potato” has been replaced by the active, connected fan.

8) Why is fandom 'the future'?

Jenkins argues that fandom represents the future of media because it’s built around participation, creativity, and community, all qualities that define modern media consumption. Fans are not just audiences anymore; they help shape how media is produced, distributed, and understood.

9) What does it mean when Jenkins says we shouldn’t celebrate ‘a process that commodifies fan cultural production’?

He warns against celebrating when companies take fan-made creations or ideas, commercialise them, and sell them back to fans for profit. This process can exploit the creativity and passion that originally made fandom powerful and authentic.

10) Read through to the end of the chapter. What do you think the future of fandom is? Are we all fans now? Is fandom mainstream or are real fan communities still an example of a niche media audience?

Fandom has become part of everyday life. With social media and streaming, almost everyone engages like a fan, discussing, sharing, and creating around the media they love. While fandoms began as niche subcultures, they’ve now become mainstream communities where creativity, connection, and participation define what it means to be a media consumer today.