What is fandom?

[hils]

Wow, I'm full of introspective stuff at the moment.

I've just been filling in a Smallville friending meme and the usual question of 'other fandoms' came up and suddenly I was stuck. See, generally I just list all the shows I watch but are they really my fandoms? I mean I like these shows, post a mini-review after I've watched it but that's as far as it goes really. Is that what fandom is? Or is it something you more actively participate in?

If you're taking it further I suppose my fandoms are Buffy, Angel, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, Lost and Smallville. Those are the shows/films I have made icons about or written fanfic for

What do you think? What does fandom mean to you?

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

Maybe something like "Fandoms I have been/am active in are *list*, fandoms I am interested in are *list*?

[hils.livejournal.com]

So you think something can be a fandom without you participating in it?

[phoebesmum.livejournal.com]

To me, to be 'in fandom', you have to belong to a message board or newsgroup, or whatever there is out there these days, to want to chat to other fans about it. Further levels are numerous re-watches of the show, collecting stuff, whether it's tie-in books, autographs, toys or whatever, reading fic, writing it, going to cons. You don't have to do all of these - I do the re-watching, the reading and the writing, but I don't collect stuff any more - but I think you need to do at least one to be 'in fandom'.

If you just watch a show, enjoy it, maybe chat a bit about it afterwards and possibly get the DVDs when they come out, then you're a fan, but not in fandom. That's how I am about almost everything - Buffy, Firefly, and so on.

[hils.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that was pretty much how I felt about it :)

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

I think you have to be participating for it to be a current fandom, actively or passively.

[hils.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought

[tariel22.livejournal.com]

For me, fandom means connecting with other fans, participating in a group in any number of ways (fic, reviews, art, cons, etc.), but sharing it all is what makes it a fandom, a community unto itself. And by that definition, I'm active in two fandoms, Smallville and Supernatural.

[hils.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty much only active in Smallville at the moment

[rockgoddes.livejournal.com]

To me, being in a fandom simply means to be a fan. I'm not active IN the fandoms of the some of the bands I like, but I am a fan and therefore in the fandom, period.

But then I'm old and have been doing this a very very very long time.

;oD

[hils.livejournal.com]

Hehe! Well, you probably know better than most then *g*

[herohunter.livejournal.com]

MICHAEL ROSENBAUM.

I'm serious.

:)

[hils.livejournal.com]

Hehe! So simple yet so eloquently put ;)

[ghosts.livejournal.com]

fandom... means smutty fanfiction, even smuttier icons/wps/graphics... and being able to watch an episode and somehow find over 10 sexual innuendos between your otp of choice ;p

[hils.livejournal.com]

LOL! And what fun it is *g*

[selinamoonfire.livejournal.com]

I count fandom as not just the stuff I'm active in (like SV) but stuff I want to be active in but can't stay current on (like SPN) and stuff that is my fandom 'comfort food' (Star Wars).

SV is the main fandom I'm active in but I still list SW as one of my favorites because I seem to go back to it when I'm stressed or just want to remember my first fandom.

[hils.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I still consider Buffy one of my fandoms even though I haven't really done anything with it recently except a couple of icon posts