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Fan activism
Fan activism is the efforts of a fan community to raise awareness of social concerns or otherwise support the ideals expressed by objects of the fandom.[1] The rise of fan activism has been attributed to the emergence of new media.[2][3] A 2012 quantitative study by Kahne, Feezell, and Lee suggests that there may be a statistically significant relationship between youths' participation in interest-driven activities online and their civic engagement later on in life.[4]
A report compiled by fan campaign organizers in 2021 and 2022 identified the four key values of fan activism as being intentionality, imagination, accountability and community care.[1]
Fan activism has become more politically and societally focused, and fandoms take up collective action often for issues that are not inter-fandom. Scholars share that "Fan and consumer activism are more visible than ever before, and the lines between these and traditional civic and political activities are blurring in today's increasingly "participatory" media and entertainment landscape".[5]
Examples of fan activism include campaigns for social equality, representation of minorities in entertainment media,[6] fundraising for organizations with common values,[7] campaigning for the continuation of a television program[8] or sporting team[9] and defending fan works from commercial exploitation and allegations of copyright infringement.[10][11] Fans may be mobilized to support such causes in response to celebrity endorsements;[12][13] however, activists may also leverage content worlds and fan-like activities as resources to be reconfigured for political engagement, as in the cases where real-life rights groups have used imagery and tropes from Avatar (2009 film) to attract mainstream media attention in the West Bank village of Bil'in[14] and Orissa, India.[15]
Notable groups that are historically associated with fan activism include Fandom Forward (formerly the Harry Potter Alliance), Fans4Writers, Nerdfighteria and the Organization for Transformative Works. More recently, K-pop fans have organized for a variety of political causes.
- ^ a b Fandom Forward (2024-10-30). "The Best Organizing Strategy You've Never Heard Of: Why Fan Activism Has the Power to Radically Change Our World". The Commons Social Change Library. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ Jenkins H. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. NYU Press. 2006.
- ^ Earl J and Kimport K. Movement societies and digital protest: Fan activism and other nonpolitical protest online. American Sociological Association. 2009. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9558.2009.01346.x
- ^ Kahne, Joseph; Lee, Nam-Jin; Feezell, Jessica T. (2013-01-01). "The Civic and Political Significance of Online Participatory Cultures among Youth Transitioning to Adulthood". Journal of Information Technology & Politics. 10 (1): 1–20. doi:10.1080/19331681.2012.701109. ISSN 1933-1681. S2CID 143748128.
- ^ Brough, Melissa M.; Shresthova, Sangita (2012-06-15). "Fandom meets activism: Rethinking civic and political participation". Transformative Works and Cultures. 10. doi:10.3983/twc.2012.0303. ISSN 1941-2258.
- ^ Lopez L. K. Fan activists and the politics of race in The Last Airbender. Sage. 2012.
- ^ Bennett L.'If we stick together we can do anything’: Lady Gaga fandom, philanthropy and activism through social media. Taylor and Francis LTD. 2014.
- ^ Scardaville M. C. Accidental activists: Fan activism in the soap opera community. Thomson Reuters. 2014.
- ^ Moller M. Grassfoots ethics: The case of souths versus news corporation. Cambridge University Press. 2003.
- ^ McLeod K. Confessions of an Intellectual (property): Danger Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Sonny Bono, and my long and winded path as a copyright activist-academic. Taylor and Francis LTD. 2005.
- ^ Bukart P. Music and Cyberliberties. Wesleyan University Press. 2010.
- ^ Bennett, Lucy (2012-06-15). "Fan activism for social mobilization: A critical review of the literature". Transformative Works and Cultures. 10. doi:10.3983/twc.2012.0346. ISSN 1941-2258.
- ^ Jung, Sun (2011-03-31). "Fan activism, cybervigilantism, and Othering mechanisms in K-pop fandom". Transformative Works and Cultures. 10. doi:10.3983/twc.2012.0300. ISSN 1941-2258.
- ^ Brough, Melissa M.; Shresthova, Sangita (2011-03-30). "Fandom meets activism: Rethinking civic and political participation". Transformative Works and Cultures. 10. doi:10.3983/twc.2012.0303. ISSN 1941-2258.
- ^ Deuze, Mark (2010-01-01). "Survival of the mediated". Cultural Science Journal. 3 (2). doi:10.5334/csci.33. ISSN 1836-0416.
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