{"id":609098,"date":"2024-02-17T19:20:01","date_gmt":"2024-02-17T16:20:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/a-short-history-of-how-fandoms-shaped-the-internet\/"},"modified":"2024-02-17T19:20:01","modified_gmt":"2024-02-17T16:20:01","slug":"a-short-history-of-how-fandoms-shaped-the-internet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-short-history-of-how-fandoms-shaped-the-internet\/","title":{"rendered":"#A short history of how fandoms shaped the internet"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4075b37c320\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4075b37c320\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-short-history-of-how-fandoms-shaped-the-internet\/#Early_adopters\" >Early adopters<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-short-history-of-how-fandoms-shaped-the-internet\/#The_public_and_the_private\" >The public and the private<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-short-history-of-how-fandoms-shaped-the-internet\/#Fan_migrations\" >Fan migrations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-short-history-of-how-fandoms-shaped-the-internet\/#Transformations\" >Transformations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-short-history-of-how-fandoms-shaped-the-internet\/#How_fans_shape_brands\" >How fans shape brands<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2022\/twitter-2.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2022\/twitter-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Credit: Pixabay\/CC0 Public Domain\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2022\/twitter-2.jpg\" alt=\"twitter\" title=\"Credit: Pixabay\/CC0 Public Domain\" width=\"800\" height=\"449\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Credit: Pixabay\/CC0 Public Domain<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Fans and the internet have a symbiotic relationship. The digital era increased the productivity and visibility of fan culture, which in turn has largely influenced the ways that we all act online.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                    Fan communities existed long before the internet, but the proliferation of online platforms changed the ways in which they connect and participate.<\/p>\n<p>Here is a brief history of how fan cultures shaped\u2014and were shaped by\u2014the internet.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Early_adopters\"><\/span>Early adopters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As early as the 1970s, fans were participating in digital spaces. Some of the first email mailing lists and digital bulletin boards <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/book-excerpt-playing-to-the-crowd\/\">were utilized by Grateful Dead fans<\/a>, or Deadheads, who came together to create an online archive of lyrics.<\/p>\n<p>In the 1990s, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>-fiction fans established online repositories, using <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com.au\/books?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;id=11ODBAAAQBAJ&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PA41&amp;dq=info:xdfcml1Q-EwJ:scholar.google.com&amp;ots=3AYiGA9QI6&amp;sig=2pP_prtUw6SLLNrUBPmt02Y0M7U&amp;redir_esc=y#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false\">Usenet groups for fannish discussion and fan-fiction distribution<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As the adoption of the internet became more widespread, so did fan culture. You could simply search for your favorite TV show or band and find a like-minded community online. This brought on an era of forums and blogs, where fans were quick to jump on sites like LiveJournal to write and build communities.<\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a> platforms launched in the 2000s, fans co-opted them for their fan practices. MySpace fans helped launch many music careers; <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/9781119237211.ch22\">One Direction fans put Tumblr on the map<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>When Twitter took off, so too did &#8220;Stan Twitter.&#8221; As a verb, to stan is to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/stan\">exhibit fandom to an excessive degree<\/a>. The public nature of Twitter (now X) allowed fans to come together in large groups to start trends and campaign. This collective power has been both <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.insider.com\/kpop-trump-tulsa-rally-hashtags-fancams-donations-activism-online-stan-2020-6\">praised<\/a> for digital activism efforts, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/junkee.com\/stan-culture-toxic\/259044\">criticized<\/a> for harassment.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- TechX - News - In-article --><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_public_and_the_private\"><\/span>The public and the private<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Fans move between private and public spaces online, negotiating different identities.<\/p>\n<p>On platforms like Tumblr and LiveJournal, fans often choose a pseudonym, whereas Facebook <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.protocol.com\/policy\/anonymity-real-names-jeff-kosseff\">enforces a real-name policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Different platforms offer different privacy settings, which also shapes fan behaviors. Private spaces allow for personal conversations, while fans embrace public channels for sharing fan works and campaigning, for example, for voting or fundraising.<\/p>\n<p>Each platform has different social norms and functionality. Fans <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.city.ac.uk\/ludiprice\/author\/sbrm610\/\">adapt and develop their fan practices accordingly<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In doing so, they have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/23166273\/fandom-music-kaitlyn-tiffany-one-direction-harry-styles-k-pop-decoder-podcast-interview\">shaped the social internet<\/a> as we know it today.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fan_migrations\"><\/span>Fan migrations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The launch of a new platform introduces new ways to participate. Tumblr became the place for &#8220;<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/1669791\/infographic-the-rise-of-tumblrs-fuck-yeah-movement\">&#8220;fuckyeah&#8221; fansites<\/a>, sharing fan works and communicating via GIFs. Fans jumped on TikTok to create video edits, sounds and mashups.<\/p>\n<p>Fans may also choose to leave a platform because it <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/10.1145\/3392847\">no longer satisfies their needs<\/a> or the platform goes through significant changes, as when Tumblr announced <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/article\/tumblr-adult-content-ban\">a ban on adult content<\/a>, or when Elon Musk bought Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>While the launch of Meta&#8217;s Threads provided a possible replacement for stan participation, some fans were hesitant to migrate across. Users must log in to Threads via their Instagram account, a platform many use to stay connected with friends and family.<\/p>\n<p>On Twitter\/X, fans expressed they were weary of the new platform, because they did not want their fan activities to be connected to their &#8220;real life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In cases where existing platforms haven&#8217;t met the community&#8217;s needs, fans have created their own. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/archiveofourown.org\/\">Archive Of Our Own (AO3)<\/a> is a repository for fans to share works inspired by the objects of their fandom, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1145\/2858036.2858409\">created in response to<\/a> design and policy changes made on other fan-fiction sites.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Transformations\"><\/span>Transformations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Fans are known for their creative productivity, transforming and remixing their favorite cultural objects in fan-art, fan-fiction, videos, zines and music remixes.<\/p>\n<p>Technological advancements made creative production easier to master, and the public and networked nature of platforms has allowed fan works to be <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1386\/jfs.2.1.5_1\">circulated to a much wider audience<\/a>. Audio from fan-edits often become trending TikTok sounds.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_fans_shape_brands\"><\/span>How fans shape brands<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The mainstreaming of fandom across digital platforms has also led to changes in brand behavior.<\/p>\n<p>Some brands have started to act like fans online, learning from fans&#8217; behaviors to form an affiliation with these engaged audiences.<\/p>\n<p>On TikTok, brands are participating in fan-based trends, t<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ing into community-specific knowledge and jokes.<\/p>\n<p>The Empire State Building has leaned into #swifttok, regularly creating content that demonstrates their love of Taylor. One of their most successful videos is a fan-edit professing their love for the Eiffel Tower, set to a sped-up version of Wildest Dreams.<\/p>\n<p>Brands are also adopting fan language and tone in their captions and comments. Take a look at the comments on one of Taylor Swift&#8217;s recent TikToks and you&#8217;ll find brands like DuoLingo, Spotify, The Natural History Museum and Peter&#8217;s Pasta using words like &#8220;blondie,&#8221; &#8220;mother&#8221; and &#8220;ICON.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>On Twitter\/X, cookie brand Chips Ahoy! regularly posts about trending fan-culture moments, demonstrating insider knowledge.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- TechX - News - In-article --><\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                            On Threads, the official Star Wars account is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.net\/@starwars\/post\/CukQXyuxxkQ\">stanning favorite characters<\/a>, adopting a fannish persona. And on TikTok, Penguin Books Australia is &#8220;<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2016\/6\/7\/11858680\/fandom-glossary-fanfiction-explained\">shipping<\/a>&#8221; Draco and Hermione to promote Tom Felton&#8217;s new book.<\/p>\n<p>In my ongoing Ph.D. research, I&#8217;ve found fans are working as social media managers for brands, leveraging their expertise to connect with fan audiences.<\/p>\n<p>Given the widespread adoption of fan culture and practices across platforms, it makes sense that a fan&#8217;s digital literacy can be beneficial to brands.<\/p>\n<p>As one Harry Styles fan that I interviewed explained:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think if you&#8217;re a brand who wants to be tapped into culture, you need to hire people who are engaging in it. If you&#8217;re wanting to jump on trends [\u2026] talking to people in their own language, in that social first native language, you need to be hiring people who were already speaking in that way.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium my-4\">\n                                                Provided by<br \/>\n                                                                                                    The Conversation<br \/>\n                                                                                                        <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\"><br \/>\n                                                        <svg><use href=\"https:\/\/techx.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v2\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n                                                This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/from-deadheads-on-bulletin-boards-to-taylor-swift-stans-a-short-history-of-how-fandoms-shaped-the-internet-210970\">original article<\/a>.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/210970\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>                                                <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                From Deadheads on bulletin boards to Taylor Swift &#8216;stans&#8217;: A short history of how fandoms shaped the internet (2024, February 17)<br \/>\n                                                retrieved 17 February 2024<br \/>\n                                                from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2024-02-deadheads-bulletin-boards-taylor-swift.html<\/p>\n<p>                                            This document is subject to copyright. 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The digital era increased the productivity and visibility of fan culture, which in turn has largely influenced the ways that we all act online. Fan communities existed long before the internet, but the proliferation of online platforms changed the ways in which they&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":609099,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2022\/twitter-2.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-609098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=609098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/609098\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/609099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=609098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=609098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=609098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}