Oct 28, 2010

Fan Culture: The Consequences of Fan Communities in an Online World

Dale Weber

The rise of the internet has brought about many social changes, including the ability to bring people together, albeit in a virtual setting. With many of the old challenges related to space and time becoming obsolete in an increasingly online society, people from all over the world are now able to share information and ideas with anyone, at anytime. This includes bringing together creators of texts and their audiences. This article seeks to show how there is an increasingly blurring of the previously distinct line between media producers and those who consume their texts. Through various case studies this article will explore how there have been examples of how online fan communities have influenced, changed or added to the world of certain media texts; and how the creators of these texts have responded. There will be voices in support as well as those who oppose this coming together of producer and audience, but this article will show how the sharing of creative ideas is becoming a much more democratic and worldwide system.

Keywords:

Digital media, Online Publishing, Online community, Fandom, Fans, Producers, Audience

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