For this week, I wanted to focus my attention on One Direction. I was going through all of my stuff from 2011-13 and realized that I used to adore them. You could even have called me a fan, a part of “... audiences are deeply engaged in their favorite media texts. (Good, 2019) Everyone has a different meaning of what it means to be a fan, but for me, it means I am someone who gets deeply engaged with my favourite person. I was so involved with the band that I wanted to be a part of it.
Ok, so I am going to post an embarrassing fact about me on here, but I am doing it for my fans and followers. This is how much I trust you guys. Here goes nothing, when I was 14, I wrote fanfiction, ‘ stories written by fans about their favourite media texts,”( Sullivan,2013,p204) about One Direction on Wattpad. There, I said it. You’re not a real fan until you write fanfiction about the boyband on Wattpad. https://www.wattpad.com/story/29818792-hide-and-go-seek (Megan I cried when I reread this btw. Please don’t judge me) I am also a severe type of fan, as I now see myself as an enthusiastic fan. I am someone who will talk, but I will not do anything about it. I will not write fanfiction, or make songs about them; I am no longer a big and committed fan. It’s funny how these things change over time. I used to write fanfiction (just the one book) about One Direction, but it seemed to have been nothing more than a phase. Now, even though I am still a fan of the boys, there is no chance that I will write fanfiction about them. I am no longer as involved in the fandom as I used to be. Yet, this does not make me any less of a fan than when I was fully involved.
I got so into the cultural taste of the band, and the fandom, that I started acting like them. I remember having a ridiculous British accent there was, followed by some Irish, and wearing nothing but stripes and letterman jackets because of Louis and Zayn. I was a part of their fandom, a part of their culture, a part of who they were. I can't say I am not guilty of joining so many One Direction group chats on Facebook, but I am. I was in this fandom filled with Directioners who also shared the same cultural tastes as the band and I. I made so many friends, and we would all talk about the things they said, the way they spoke, what they wore, how their latest interviews are perceived to be. Please don't ask me why I thought it was safe to be posting my Snapchat on these fandom sites for strangers to add me, and why I thought it was a good idea to be posting so much personal information about being a Directioner. When you're a part of a fandom, when you share these inside jokes and cultural knowledge about the people, you feel as though you can trust everyone within the fandom. It creates a sense of belongingness. Being a part of a fandom feels like having a family of your own, and having strangers ask you how your day was. Being a part of a fandom is all about sharing these shared values. SPOILER ALERT. It got way too sappy with all of the flashbacks to One Direction, so let's move the focus towards something else. I WATCHED THE JOKER! I am still in awe about the movie, and cannot stop thinking about it. I noticed the film featured a strong sense of moral alignment, which is something that explains how these villains are turned into protagonists. The story opens up with a man (Arthur) who is seen receiving treatment for his mental illnesses, before transitioning into what his daily life is all about. The audience feels sorry for this man; after all, he seems to live a sad life where his laughter brings people misery. Later on in the movie, the Joker takes a shot at changing his life (get it), and that is when things start to change for him. The film portrays the character development as we see Arthur transition from a timid and closed off man, to someone who starts to claim his title as the Joker, a man who is here to start a democracy and make things right in his world. I was told from a young age that the Joker was a villain, someone that did no good in the world, and DC did an excellent job of portraying it. After watching the movie, though, you could see the Joker is the way that he is because of his mental disorders, but it also shows him trying to make a change within society. Within his narrative, Arthur went from a man who ended lives, to a man who started a revolution. He was the protagonist of his storyline, not the villain.
I can't believe I am writing this blog as I am watching an old-time favourite, Wizards on deck with Hannah Montanna. It is a crossover of some of my favourite childhood shows, Wizards of Waverly Place, Suite Life On Deck, and Hannah Montanna. These crossovers are the highlights of my days, seeing some of my favourite shows merge into one. When I was a kid, I had a massive crush on Cody (Zack and Cody), always pretended to have two lives like Hannah (Hannah Montanna), and I wanted to be just like Alex (Wizards of Waverly Place). These crossovers create a blurring of boundaries that allow us to view our favourite characters in an alternate universe where they all co-exist with one another.
Just thinking of the possibility of working as an actress has always been a dream of mine. It would be amazing working on Wizards of Waverly Place, Suite Life on Deck, Hannah Montanna, as even as an extra would be a dream come true. We need another Veronica Mars Kickstarter campaign. “the work of production now places vastly greater emphasis on ongoing interaction and involvement with the fan audience through venues ... the constant feedback loop of social media.” (Navar-Gill,p. 212)
It invites fans to receive an experience to be a part of the campaign, in return for their patronage. They would take some of the fans and cast them as extras in the Veronica Mars Movie, speak to her, email her, and even used their fan art, and in return, the artists got credit for their work. No matter what type of fan you were, affirmational or transformational, you would gain a particular type of access associated with Veronica. It would be amazing to have even been able to attend a premier to the movie of a celebrity that I am a fan of and be able to be included within the participatory culture. I am going to end off this week's blogs with a video of me auditioning to be Disney's new star until next week.