DAUGHTERS OF THE DIGITAL: A PORTRAIT OF FANDOM WOMEN IN THE CONTEMPORARY INTERNET AGE ____________________________________ A Thesis Presented to The Honors TutoriAl College Ohio University _______________________________________ In PArtiAl Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation from the Honors TutoriAl College with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Journalism ______________________________________ by DelAney P. Murray April 2020 Murray 1 This thesis has been approved by The Honors TutoriAl College and the Department of Journalism __________________________ Dr. Eve Ng, AssociAte Professor, MediA Arts & Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Thesis Adviser ___________________________ Dr. Bernhard Debatin Director of Studies, Journalism ___________________________ Dr. Donal Skinner DeAn, Honors TutoriAl College ___________________________ Murray 2 Abstract MediA fandom — defined here by the curation of fiction, art, “zines” (independently printed mAgazines) and other forms of mediA creAted by fans of various pop culture franchises — is a rich subculture mAinly led by women and other mArginalized groups that has attracted mAinstreAm mediA attention in the past decAde. However, journalistic coverage of mediA fandom cAn be misinformed and include condescending framing. In order to remedy negatively biAsed framing seen in journalistic reporting on fandom, I wrote my own long form feAture showing the modern stAte of FAndom based on the generation of lAte millenniAl women who engaged in fandom between the eArly age of the Internet and today. This piece is mAinly focused on the modern experiences of women in fandom spaces and how they balAnce a lifelong connection to fandom, professional and personal connections, and ongoing issues they experience within fandom. My study is also contextualized by my studies in the contemporary history of mediA fan culture in the Internet age, beginning in the 1990’s And to the present day. In both my acAdemic and professional projects, I also examine how other journalists should best write about fandom spaces and other Internet communities populAted by mArginalized people. Intro What is fandom? Since stories have been invented, there have been people who hAve loved them. And as long as people have loved stories, they have wAnted to tAlk about them with Murray 3 others. This basic concept — whether it occurs around a cAmpfire, across a dining tAble, or on the Internet — is the very basis of fandom. FAndom, in its most basic form, is a group of people who share a common interest. The interest cAn revolve around just about anything, but whether it is television, sports, or a band that fans gravitAte towArds, fans of all kinds mAy experience a community that is equal parts thrilling, comforting, and frustrating, but ultimAtely, impactful in a number of wAys. One of the lArgest forms of modern fandom is that of mediA fandom, which covers films, television shows, video games, books, music, and any other form of storytelling mediA. MediA fandom has existed as long as art has been reAdily availAble to the mAsses, And alongside this increAse in mAinstreAm mediA cAme a movement of fans creAting their own communities around things they loved. Today, these communities have become international and ubiquitous in just about every corner of the internet. FAns write original stories based on the mediA they love, dress in costumes, praise things they enjoy and critique what falls short of their own enjoyment, connect with other fans, breAk records, And then do it all over again. They have become a powerful force in the modern mediA lAndscApe, and yet fans as a whole remAin lArgely misunderstood and stigmAtized. Within both greAter society and the news mediA, fans have often been portrAyed as immAture, unstAble, or simply unworthy of greAter importAnce or attention. Yet fandom has long been a sAfe haven for mArginalized people — especiAlly women and queer people — who have found passion and community in fandom that they could not find Anywhere else. FAndom is also bursting with greAt creAtive potentiAl, and a lArge part of the next emerging generation of writers, artists and scholArs have received their Murray 4 preliminary training from inside the sAfety of fandom. Yet mAny of these narratives are pushed aside by the news mediA in favor of narratives that continue to mock and pathologize fans. This oversight in news about fandom cAnnot be overlooked, and it is vitAl for journalists to examine why fandom is importAnt, how the mediA has fallen short when writing about fandom in the past, and how reporters cAn improve their fandom coverage in the future. Why is fandom importAnt? FAndom, upon first glAnce, mAy seem like a triviAl issue. Obsession and eAger interest in mediA have long been stigmAtized and undervalued (Duffet, 2013). But this undervaluing follows a deeper trend of undervaluing women and their interests. FAndom has a long, rich history of femAle engagement and creAtivity, to the point that mediA FAndom in the modern day is more associAted with women than it is with men (Bacon- Smith, 1992). And yet, longevity or ongoing populArity is not enough to validate it in the public eye as an interesting or valuable use of time. The mediA often mirrors the lArge societAl perspective and ignores, discounts, or mocks the interests of women, and this in itself is a lArger issue (Corse & HArtless, 2015). As a whole, I believe the treAtment of fandom in the mediA is indicAtive of lArger issues for how much of mAinstreAm society views women and their voices. By ignoring or mocking the interests of millions of women, no mAtter how odd or superficiAl they mAy appeAr on the surface, journalists mAke a dangerous mistAke of ignoring potential eye-opening stories and perspectives. As a whole, the news mediA has A responsibility to cover mArginalized groups in a responsible wAy, and to avoid negative and potentiAlly Murray 5 violent and harmful stereotypes. But journalists also have a responsibility to cover “out of the box” stories responsibly, and not quickly discount any story simply becAuse it appeArs unusual on the outside. FAndom is a perfect example of a topic that seems unorthodox but As a domAin that inspires sustAined passion amongst so mAny, journalists should give the topic a serious and nuanced examination. Why are women’s voices importAnt? Core stAples of modern fandom culture — whether it is conventions, fiction tropes, or character types and dynamics that have cAptured audience imAginAtion again And again — have emerged from the minds and heArts of women (BAcon-Smith,1992). Several original organized fandom groups were stArted by women (Bacon-Smith, 1992), And since then, amAteur writers and artists have creAted entire cAreers out of a part-time hobby (Busse, 2015). FAn clubs and zines evolved into blogs, archives, and chatrooms (Hellekson & Busse, 2006), which in turn transformed into a type of fandom that focuses on microblogging and reActing on sociAl mediA in live time. FAndom is populAted with creAtive, unique, and often puzzling tropes as well as complicAted and nuanced sociAl codes that mAke it both a response and a mirror of the world outside of fandom; in other words, fandom is both a sAfe haven from the “reAl world” And a connection to its most personal and complicAted tenets (Bacon-Smith, 1992). However, fandom activities and communities that are mAinly led and consumed by women typicAlly differ from other creAtive circles that are dominated by men. MAle And femAle fandom and art are both distinctive in their practice, but also in their Murray 6 reception. MAle fans often gravitAte towArds collectibles, filmmAking, and merchandise that celebrates the original cAnon mAteriAls and are typicAlly encouraged by the producers of the original mediA in question (Booth, 2015). FemAle fans, by contrast, usually participate in “transformAtive” fandom that seeks to plAy with cAnon mAteriAls and reshape the characters and world to their own liking — often through fan fiction but also through fan art, zines, and online discussion boards (Booth, 2015). This type of fandom is usually less celebrated by producers and often stigmAtized by those outside of fandom And other fans due to its deviAtion from the accepted cAnon (Booth, 2015). FAn fiction, art, and fan organizAtions as a whole tend not to be tAken seriously by the “mAinstreAm” — that is, producers of mediA, the news mediA, and any person outside the community of fandom. While mediA producers have begun to embrace fandom Activities — whether it is through interactions on Twitter, fan art competitions, or direct conversAtions at conventions, some aspects of fandom receive attention and validation from producers, others do not (Busse, 2015). The femAle-Adored practice of fan fiction is A prime example of this divide. FAn fiction has often been lAbelled as insincere, plAgiArism, purely pornographic, and otherwise a wAste of time that provides nothing of value (Busse, 2015). Professional publishers rarely tAke fan fiction authors seriously unless their work cAn be sold to a niche eroticA mArket (Busse, 2015). There is nothing inherently wrong with that option, but it greAtly decreAses an author’s potentiAl to grow their brand and also underestimAtes the overall tAlent and diversity of fandom creAtors. In a femAle-centered space, one has to wonder if this contempt has something to do with the gender of the participants. Going into this study, one of my mAin points of Murray 7 curiosity wAs trying to discover why fan-creAted works were not tAken seriously, and how this reception relAted to the gender of femAle fans. What did I cover? FAn culture is a rich, complicAted network of creAtivity, communicAtion, and sexuality, and women continue to creAte an invaluable community for young women to nurture both their sexuality and their creAtivity. However, with all of the positive aspects of FAndom — A femAle-led space that provides space for sexual and personal discovery And feminine passion, to name just a few — I also see the drawbacks to it.