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A ton could be said about the apparent issues with the current state of fandom. The more I think about the “state of fandom”, the more I become intrigued with the concept of fandom having a “state”.
With film criticism, multiple essays discuss the link between the audience and the filmmakers. Some of them get so deep as to link theory to Freud and developmental psychology. Additionally, there exists discussion of a so-called “contract” made between the two. For example, suspension of disbelief is a form of a contract between viewer and creator. It may be an unspoken one, but there’s a clear line that viewers are willing to bend toward before the media loses its credibility. Though the fandom conversation may not directly align with a conversation of a film’s verisimilitude, it underlines the fact that there are certain implied relationships between the parties involved in media. Without going too far deep into the specifics, I wonder if it’s time to explore these “contracts” between fans of a form of media and creators in greater depth.
I want to spend a significantly larger chunk of time writing about this, but research time is currently made unavailable to me. Other than the articles mentioned in the show (and linked below) are there any other good articles that explore the “contract” or aspects of a “contract”?
What do you think the current state of fandom is? Do you agree or disagree with the “entitled sentiment” of fan culture? Do you think there is an issue? If there is an issue, is there any way to change it?
Lastly, shoot us examples of media you have issues with. The Ghostbusters reboot, or prequels to popular films… Mass Effect 3… let us know!
Let us know what you think here in the comments, our twitter (@apathusiast) or at our email: apatheticenthusiasmshow@gmail.com
Entitlement of Fan Culture – AVClub
Fandom is Broken – Birth.Movies.Death