Henry Jenkins on The Future of Fandom and Media Consumption

Fan culture has always been something that has interested me, which was why I decided to listen to an episode the podcast 'Fandom made me' featuring Henry Jenkins speaking on The Future of Fandom and Media Consumption. After being introduced to listeners as the 'father of fandom studies', Jenkins very swiftly denies the position of being a patriarch in what he refers to as a feminist field. For the most part, he is correct in this idea. Many fan spaces in terms of media consumption have always been female-dominated, which has led to many dismissive ideas about not only these women, but also the certain types of music and film they tend to engage with. Jenkins, however, continually emphasises the importance of fans for the media industry; after all, without consumers there would be no room for any products. He speaks about how social the act of media consumption has become for everybody in more recent years with the rise of platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. The ability of audiences to discuss the products in their cultural zeitgeist among others so easily has transformed the modern media landscape to become more interactive than ever before. Jenkins also touches on the potential threat of AI, or in his eyes the lack thereof. He does recognise why some creatives may feel concerned, although he claims that he does not see it as posing any major risks for the likes of script writers, as it simply does not possess the same human expression which we as consumers value so deeply. Jenkins ends the episode by speaking on transcultural fandom studies, more specifically how he believes this type of fandom helps lead to greater appreciation of international cultures between people. Using the example of popular Japanese media such as various anime TV shows, Jenkins speaks on how this has now become so widespread that almost anyone across the world can recognise the style. I found the podcast episode to be very engaging, as Jenkins seems to have a very solid grasp on not only what fandom has been for years, but what it is becoming in our hyper-connected world. It was interesting to hear a theorist we study speak about more modern products, such as the cultural phenomenon of Summer 2023 'Barbenheimer', and how fandom played a major role in that.

'Fangirl' by Hannah Ewens

Following on from our trip to the BFI in January, I became particularly interested in the work of music journalist Hannah Ewens, more specifically her book 'Fangirl'. Released in 2019, the book delves into the modern world of music fandom through the eyes of girls and women. Chapters with titles ranging from ''We Are The media': Inside the Hive Mind', a clear reference to Beyonce, to 'Witches Always Live Through This: Courtney Love's Older Fangirls' explore a whole host of themes and different music artists.  She also references the work of countless other scholars and those who have published commentary relating to fan studies. Some of these include Henry Jenkins, Lori Morimoto and Allyson Gross, who have all contributed different ideas about modern fandom. Ewens also takes the opportunity to cover some more heavy topics, writing at length about the Manchester attack and the death of Amy Winehouse. At the forefront of both of these chapters remains the fans and their individual experiences - ranging from young girls who were personally affected by the horrific events which took place at their first ever concert, to middle aged women who had struggled through addictions alongside Amy herself. It is clear in the way Ewens writes that she understands the importance of fans, often hinting at her own experiences as one. She therefore ensures that the voices of these women are at the heart of the book through countless interviews, a constant reminder of what is most important in this discussion. I found the book to be very intriguing from start to finish; Ewens perspective felt fresh and relatable, yet also well thought-out and knowledgeable. She was able to write about fans in such a way that was professional without ever risking becoming informal, or worse, patronising. The book spoke to me as a young female fan of music, I saw myself in many of the pages and felt seen by her personal anecdotes. 'For every girl who has ever had an obsession' reads the epigraph, which perfectly encapsulates the essence of 'Fangirl'.