Best Practices for Studying Fans
In the post âFan Privacy and TWCâs Editorial Philosophyâ written by Karen Hellekson and Kristina Busse, they discuss ways in which academic researchers could study fan culture and their communities without alienating or offending the creators of the works being studied. As Hellekson and Busse mention, fandom is becoming increasingly popular and normalized in society. The underground fan culture of earlier decades is gone, and fans who thought they were invisible to the majority of society have been thrust into a spotlight resulting in unwanted attention and criticism. A prime example is the reading assigned this week, which detailed the events of âTheoryofficgateâ where one fan found out her work was being studied for college credit and was consequently bombarded with copious amounts of negative criticism.
Hellekson and Busse discuss what they believe is one of the best ways to approach studying fan work, which is to contact the creator of the content and request authorization. This practice not only alerts the fan that a scholar is interested in their work, but also demonstrates a high level of respect for the creator, which could lead to a mutually beneficial rapport between the two.
The post also discusses how many fans use a pseudonym to allow for anonymity. If a scholar has an open line of communication with the fan, as opposed to keeping a more clinical arms length from their subject matter, which is common practice amongst scholars in a variety of different fields, they could be aware of the fanâs goals and make sure to respect their privacy. Â Although many people do not think asking permission is necessary and would argue that scholars do not ask other published authors for consent before studying their work, it is important to highlight the fact that creators of fan fiction are self-published and do not create their work for the purpose of making a profit. Â Â Â
Although Hellekson and Busse suggest obtaining consent from the content creator they do not put the entire onus on the scholar. In fact, they state that fans should be the main guardians of their identities, and that they could publish their work on sites that offer more control over security; these sites are also harder for non-fans to find.
The bottom line is that fan culture is not disappearing from the mainstream media anytime soon and by asking permission and respecting the fans wishes scholars should be able to study the ever-expanding fan universe.
Works cited
Hellekson, Karen, and Kristina Busse. âFan Privacy and TWCâs Editorial Philosophy." Organization for Transformative Works. Organization for Transformative Works, 5 Dec. 2009. Web. 04 Sept. 2016
"TheoryofFicGate." Fanlore. N.p., 22 Dec. 2015. Web. 02 Sept. 2016.