Networks and Fandoms

“Networked communication makes visible the once invisible work of active audiences in creating value and expanding engagement around media properties,”

Henry Jenkins, Sam Ford, and Joshua Green (2013).

Fans are the most active of audiences; they create fanfiction, fanart, fanvideos, GIFs and so much more. There is so much value that is being created, and it is made all the clearly with fandom activities like Marvel Trumps Hate.

The very first Marvel Trumps Hate auction occurred last year and raised $19 262.52 for a variety of charities with the largest donations going towards marginalised groups that would be directly affected by Trump’s Presidency including: Planned Parenthood, the Trevor Project, and the International Refugee Assistance Project. It was inspired by Fandom Trumps Hate which launched after the 2016 Presidential Elections.

This year it is happening again and they are hoping to raise more money for charities than the previous year.

Fandoms are nothing without the connections that are made over shared interests, and the internet has made it so much easier for people to talk about their interests, and to share the content they produce about their interests. We don’t have to meet up at conventions once a year to talk to the only other people that are just as crazy about a film or TV show as you are. Now all we have to do is log in.

Marvel Trumps Hate demonstrates the creative engagement that develops from media, and the cultural value and monetary value that is generated.

Jenkins, H., Ford, S., & Green, J. (2013). Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture. New York: New York University Press.