#adamg

[lifextracted]

Adam G x WJC stargate.

[buckglass]

Attaching the shell #turtle #buckglass #adamg photo by @pyroscopic

[buckglass]

@sweaterkingpin x @buckglass #heaters #turtle #adamg #buckglass

[buckglass]

View this post on Instagram

"Diamond Turtle" Collab with my @sweaterkingpin #turtle #buck #adamg #heaters

[buckglass]

"Nebula Panther" 420 Collab with my homie @sweaterkingpin Swooped up by @rvagoodtimes 📷 by @glassotaku #buckglass #adamg #skullseries #wookshow #everdreamstudio

[fans-users-gamers-blog]

Loyalty Sustains Fandoms

Those who identify within fandoms all see one common goal: to preserve their respective fandoms in that their existence will not be consumed by their own flaws. Whether it be stereotypes, negative exposure, or any sort of adverse activity, fans will put forth their greatest effort to maintain high regard for their fandom in the eyes of the public. The public eye is what sustains a fandom; it determines the spotlight that is brought upon the fandom. Both the women gamer and fan fiction communities have seen their fair share of misfortune due to various negative influences. It is the passionate fans within each fandom is what allows the fandoms to survive and flourish, no matter how much adversity they have faced.

The uproar that followed 50 Shades of Grey was indisputable in its existence, but its legitimacy and relevancy diminished as millions of people purchased their own copies of the novel. The fan fiction community was bonded by a set of “unwritten rules,” and author E.L. James not only broke a major rule, but utilized it to the tune of $58 million, according to The Guardian. The fan fiction community was exploited for its content and various talents. This sent the entire community into outrage over various legal issues, in addition to the boundaries that were clearly crossed by James. These fans spent time voicing their opinions, not because they wanted compensation, but because they felt as though the sanctity of their community was undermined. Fans truly want the best for their respective fandom, and are willing to assert their message to maintain the best for their fandom. In a fan’s comment located within a piece by writer Bethan Jones, it states “I cannot imagine ever taking one of my fan fics and rewriting it as original fiction… Not because I am afraid that I would be breaking copyright—I'm pretty confident I could do a good enough job of the rewriting to avoid that—but because I would be breaking the trust of my fannish readers. Those were the people for whom I wrote, the people who loved the same fandoms I did and wanted more from them.” These people truly care more for the passion for the fandom than luxuries like money.

Both feminists and gamers face plenty of adversity within their fandoms, but when they are combined, a storm of hate is bound to follow. Enter Anita Sarkeesian, a media critic who decided to combine her feminism and love for video games to help create a more positive picture for women gamers. Women gamers have faced a great deal of affliction since video games have risen in popularity, and assumed a large role in pop culture. Even though adult women are now the largest demographic in video games, according to Entertainment Software Association, they still face constant critique and abuse by men gamers. Sarkeesian recognized this debilitating issue, and has put forth effort to try to give women gamers some momentum. Aside from Sarkeesian, women have tried, and continue to try, to assert themselves within the gaming community by speaking up to those who matter. When a sexist remark was identified in World of Warcraft, women spoke up, and it was soon changed. Women gamers, just like every other fandom, is not afraid to speak up and take action to maintain the sanctity of their fandom.

Fans devote their time, effort, and money into something that they are truly passionate about. Though not everyone sees the appeal in dressing up like anthropomorphic animals, or investing their time into a serious about vampires or wizards, those who are feel enough lust for their hobbies that they are willing to fight for what they truly enjoy. Fans devote their time to their fandom because they don’t want it being set aflame by some sexist remarks or disloyal fans. Regardless of how much turmoil fandoms face, it is the passion and devotion of the fans that truly keeps them afloat.

http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/501/422

http://www.wired.com/2012/06/anita-sarkeesian-feminist-games/

http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-el-james-worth-58-million-20150629-story.html

http://www.dailydot.com/geek/adult-women-largest-gaming-demographic/

[fans-users-gamers-blog]

Exploitation of Consumers and Fans

Making money at the expense of others is not new topic. It’s capitalism at its core, and has torn industries, organizations, and fandoms apart. It’s why America’s top 1% owns approximately 38% of America’s wealth. Exploiting others may not be the most humane method of expanding one’s wealth, but it increases efficiency and heightens potential earnings. Both digital advertising companies’ methods of exploiting consumers and E.L. James’ exploitation of fans are both unethical, yet they were necessary for maximizing profits.

Digital advertising companies tend to push their limits on the creepiness scale. According to Susan Hutton, a writer from the University of Michigan, these companies are tracking every bit of information they can collect about individual consumers. This information is being sold to businesses to help them maximize profits. Hutton wrote “Twenty years ago, a magazine ad was designed for its readers. Today, digital marketers design ads for just a slice of such an audience and can place them before an even more specialized segment: you.” Although these companies are seemingly invading the privacy of the individual, they are working well within their legal rights. According to the Federal Trade Commission, there are rules that protect the rights and information of the consumer, “which bars unfair and deceptive acts and practices in or affecting commerce.” March 26th, 2012 was the last time a rule has been put in place to protect consumers. Four years have passed and technology has expanded to allow digital advertising companies to navigate around these rules. Businesses strategically use this information in ways that are entirely immoral. According to the Wall Street Journal, in 2012, Orbitz was charging Mac users more for hotels than PC users. Later that year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Staples was only giving discounts to users within 20 miles of a competitor. While technology continues to blossom, the exploitation of the consumer will only grow.

According to The Guardian, 50 Shades of Grey author E.L. James is worth in excess of £37 million ($51.5 million USD). According to Bethan Jones of Aberystwyth University, “ The central issue in relation to fan exploitation and labor is that fan fic readers and reviewers did some of the work in creating Master of the Universe, but James took sole credit for its success.” James originally posted 50 Shades of Grey (Originally called Masters of the Universe) as a Twilight fan fiction on fan fiction.net under the screen name Snowqueens Icedragon, but later took it down. Similar to digital advertising companies, E.L. James took advantage of people to maximize profits. Digital advertising companies take people’s information, whereas James stole the intellectual property of others. The biggest similarity lies within legality, where both worked within their own legal rights, regardless of the morality of their actions. According to Alex Lothian (2009) “In recent years, media producers have explicitly sought to solicit fan participation as labor for their profits in the form of user-generated content… Rather than fans stealing commodified culture to make works for their own purposes, capital steals their labor—as, we might consider, it stole ideas from the cultural commons and fenced them off in the first place—to add to its surplus.” Copyright laws on intellectual property within the fan-fiction communities are shaky, which gave James the opportunity to exploit the communities for her own gain, while working within legal system, which offered her the greatest method to maximize profit.

Digital dvertising companies and E.L. James make/made money off of unknowing people in an immoral fashion. Laws need to undoubtedly be solidified to protect the rights of the individual, because cases like the aforementioned will continue to appear. Many people call E.L. James and digital advertising companies thieves, yet they are not only profiting off of people- entire industries are growing because of their work. These are only two cases of exploitation, as many industries rely upon profiting off of unknowing consumers. This will continue to allow the rich to get richer, a basic rule of capitalism. Unless the government pulls a Robin Hood and stops these travesties from occurring, don’t expect to see any stoppage of people like E.L. James and

As the Wu Tang Clan said, “Cash rules everything around me.”

http://www.lsa.umich.edu/lsa/ci.buybuyprivacy_ci.detail http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/27/fifty-shades-of-grey-el-james-fortune http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/501/422 http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304458604577488822667325882 http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323777204578189391813881534 http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-do-advertisers-track-you-online-we-found-out/ https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/media-resources/protecting-consumer-privacy/ftc-privacy-report

[fans-users-gamers-blog]

Stereotypes In Fandom

Inequality in modern-day America has often drawn ties to racial minorities and religions, but some of the most blatant inequality comes from our own personal interests. Our passions, hobbies, and the individual’s source of entertainment are frequently ridiculed, because they are, and have been seen as “unusual.” Being a female sports fan, and being a Star Trek fan, are just two prime examples of large groups of people being excluded and shamed for what they truly love.

Women in sports is not a new concept. In 1974, Lesley Visser became the first female reporter on an NFL beat. She was the first televised female NFL analyst, and the only sportscaster (male or female) to work on the Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the World Figure Skating Championships and the U.S. Open. In 2006, she was the first woman to be elected into the NFL Hall of Fame. So I ask: how could a woman, recognized as one of the greatest minds in the history of sports, not be able to nullify the common mindset of female sports fans being inferior to male sports fans? Alyssa Rosenberg, a culture writer with the The Washington Post, and a devoted sports fan, said “I recite these bona fides not because I think you need to hear them, but because I think there's a lingering perception that women who love sports are dilettantes, pursuing a game to please our boyfriends or throw ourselves into athletes' paths.” Being a woman sports fan shouldn’t be a constant struggle to prove one’s fandom. Rosenberg is just one of many women who have devoted a significant portion of their lives to the sports that they truly love, yet their gender has often held them back as being seen as “true fans.”

Trekkies have also dealt with similar criticism of being seen a lesser in society. These individuals promote their fandom to not only to show their passion toward Star Trek, but as a means of expressing themselves. In the 1997 film Trekkies, one fan, while discussing the true meaning of Star Trek, said “The right things, you know, like treating people like they're equals and treating people with respect.” This hasn’t held true for the public’s view on the individuals who devote their lives to Star Trek. These people are seen as strange, and outliers of “normal” society. Just as female sports fans are seen as lower than male sports fans, Trekkies are seen as lower than people who have hobbies that are deemed “normal.” Though the movie Trekkies is generally seen as having a positive tone, I found the exploitation of passionate fans to be inappropriate. Kevin Fiddler, a movie critic from Henderson Home News wrote, “Hysterical look at Star Trek nerds in the wild,” in his review for the movie. Brian Mckay of eFilmCritic.com wrote “…it doesn't have to try hard to get a laugh because the Trekkies provide the comedy with their mere existence - and the comedy is golden!” The movie crosses an unsettling line and purposefully uses some of the most extreme cases of Star Trek fandom to get a laugh out of the audience.

Women sports fans and Trekkies face similar struggle in the blatant inequality that they face when supporting their respective fandoms. In an article written by Dr. Mel Stanfill, she states “…stereotypes about fans condemn who they are as people instead of what they do.” It’s the stereotypes about these groups of people that’s preventing their acceptance, whether it be within their fandom, or in society. As devoted fans, it is their job to continue fighting this ongoing battle, and with the increase of people like Rosenberg and Visser, these stereotypes will soon diminish.

Works Cited:

Stanfill, Mel. “’They’re Losers, but I Know Better’: Intra-Fandom Stereotyping and the Normalization of the Fan Subject.” Critical Studies in Media Communication 30.2 (2013): 124. Print.

"Lesley Visser." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.

Rosenberg, Alyssa. "The Plight of the Female Sports Fan." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 1 Feb. 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.

Trekkies. Dir. Roger Nygard. Paramount, 1997. DVD.

Fiddler, Kevin, and Brian Mckay. "Trekkies- Rotten Tomatoes." Rotten Tomatoes. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.