Appendix B Understanding Mass and Mediated Communication^547THINK
ABOUT
THIS❶ 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?
❷ Not all popular or
critically acclaimed shows
end up with a strong Inter-
net 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 atten-
tion lavished on Buffy,
Lost, or Veronica Mars?
❸ 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?
❹ 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 pro-
duction to meet the expec-
tations and preferences of
pertinent fandom groups?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, dis-
cuss 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, po-
etry, 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 view-
ing 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 Develop-
ment 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).WIREDFORCOMMUNICATION
connect, provide alternative sources of information, and spread the word about
their causes. They may also build social capital, which refers to the valuable
resources (such as information and support) that come from having connections
and relationships among people (Williams, 2006). Social networking via Face-
book in particular has been shown to increase the strength of what would other-
wise be weak ties among acquaintances or friends who have moved to different
geographic locations (Ellison, Steinfeld, & Lampe, 2007). Although there are19_OHA_45766_App_B_530_556.indd 54719_OHA_45766_App_B_530_556.indd 547 13/10/14 5:39 PM13/10/14 5:39 PM