The way that young people interact with popular culture has
changed with the Internet and the introduction of social media. When I first experienced
Tumblr, my first thought was that there were other people out there who were
just like me. Being a young person and a member of a fandom, I constantly have
sought out people who share the same pop culture “obsessions” as myself. The
online world became the perfect outlet, as my family and friends were simply not
interested. By engaging in
fandoms through social media, on platforms such as Tumblr, young people feel a
sense of group identity and camaraderie with likeminded people. This essay will
use Jenkins theory of participatory culture to show how this is engagement is
demonstrated through the act of “shipping” characters from their favourite
franchises. To establish an understanding an ethnographic sweep of two popular
Tumblr fandoms (communities): the Hunger
Games and Harry Potter (Potter),
has been conducted and will be used to provide case studies to demonstrate the
three most common types of shipping. (The
full details of this sweep can be found in the Ethnographic Appendix). Finally I will look at how fandoms are
assisting young people to become contributing members of society by
establishing strong communication skills and enforcing strong boundaries to
follow.
Participatory culture is about how people engage and
participate with a popular medium or text that revolutionises how they interact
both with likeminded people and the wider community (Jenkins, 2006). While
participatory culture has existed since the 1930s, the introduction of social
media has changed the way young people are interacting, with social media
forums influencing the ways how many young people interact both in a virtual
and in a physical setting. Participatory
culture shifts the focus from an individuals’ perspective to how a person sees
their ideas through involvement with a larger group (Jenkins, 2009:6). As social
media becomes increasingly embedded in our lives, it has opened up multiple
platforms, increasing the opportunities for us to contribute to the dialog (DeSouza,2013:5).
Jenkins notes that modern popular culture is being
revolutionised. The traditional top-down model where producers get total
control over content is shown is shifting because there is a strong grassroots
movement of young people who are actively deciding to select what material to
accept or reject; using it as a baseline in which to create their own material
(Jenkins,2006; Herzong,2012: Article 1.3). This type of convergence gives them
a sense of power which was previously unheard of and are slowly changing the
rules, as they are becoming a generation that has an active involvement in the
cultural economy as they become creators of content and give back to their
communities (Jenkins,2009:10-12).
Johnson argues that popular culture is enhancing the
cognitive development of young people as opposed to making them stupid (Johnson,
2005:12). He maintains that young people don’t want stuff dumbed down but are
craving intellectual stimulation, going out and seeking more demanding material
(Johnson, 2005:9). This can be demonstrated in the actions of Hunger Games
fans. While the novels are pitched at a young adult audience, their content is
considered “heavy” for this audience, with the subject matter including
conscription, dictatorship and children fighting to the death for the entertainment
of the elite(Canar,2009). Rather than shy away from serious topics the fans
have embraced it - engaging in a dialogue that is well beyond their years,
paralleling the scenarios in the books with situations involving countries
abroad (See Ethnographic Appendix, Article 35).
By participating in these forums, young people are able to see parallels
between the text and current events, acting as a catalyst for other young
people to become aware of civic action.
Fiske
explains that popular culture or “popular pleasures” arise from social
connections formed by subordinated people (such as young people), and these
movements are bottom-up and exist in some context to oppose the power
structures that control them (2010:40). The engagement with these popular
pleasures creates a social capital, the higher the level of involvement; the
more capital one accumulates (Fiske,1992:33-34). Those with a high level
of capital are considered to be closer to the ‘canon’ or official text; and
often discriminate between themselves and those who don’t follow the canon
closely. This can be demonstrated through various created works on Tumblr. In
my past dealings with fandoms on this platform there is a substantial
difference between what constitutes a “gaps and silences” work, which works
within the canon boundaries and what is “non-canon” and ignores or changes
vital elements of the universe. If canon is repeatedly disregarded, it can
cause friction, leading to that creator being “un-followed” or ostracised.
Tumbr is one of the fastest growing social media
forums in recent memory. There are several major features that make the Tumblr
platform appealing to young people and allow them to demonstrate participatory
culture (Jenkins, 2009). Firstly, users only need to provide a username and an
age, allowing young people a sense of anonymity and freedom that other sites
may not allow. Secondly, membership to Tumblr communities is not based on
physical or personal characteristics. Unlike the young person who may be
isolated at school because they are different, the Tumblr philosophy of
acceptance based on the mutual love of a common interest, that makes users feel
accepted and valued. Thirdly, The content does not have to be original - they
can re-blog items that they like into their own account for others to follow
(although from personal experience I have found that it is considered a faux
pas not to acknowledge the original source). Finally, blogging on Tumblr is not
limited to words, but can be expressed in almost any format – including
pictures, gifs (a moving graphic file) and videos (DeSouza, 2013:10). All these features make the space feel open
and inclusive.
Fandoms can be likened to a fraternity of elite
viewers, which show a heighted dedication and active involvement to their pop
culture pursuits (Hadas, 2013:330). These members sit above the regular
audience who passively engage with the text. Similar to a fraternity, the
fandom subculture could be considered a closed group as a priori knowledge of
the subject matter is required to participate within the forum (Scodari and Felder,2000:240) and phrases such as “it’s not that
important” or “it’s just a [book/movie/]television show” are seen as nothing
short of blasphemous (Jenkins,1992:10). People are able to be involved in
multiple fandoms at the same time through the representation of multi-fandom
blogs and pages (See Ethnographic Appendix Articles 1,2,13,14, 22 and 32). As a
collective they provide momentum to grow cultural capital within their online
community, which can radiate out into the real world (Kirby-Diaz,2013:39). Shippers
are one just one section of the wider fandom community.
Shipping is not a new phenomenon in the world of
popular culture. “Shippers”, which is short for relationshippers, are people
who emotionally invest in the relationships of a particular text. The term
became popularised by one of the first examples in the X-Files with Scully/Mulder
partnership in the early 1990s (Williams, 2011:271). While it is not limited to a particular
demographic, young women and teenagers are highly represented (Scodari and Felder, 2000:238). The ‘shipper’
behavior can be considered extreme and obsessive rather than appropriately
passionate by outsiders unfamiliar with the subculture (Grossberg, 1992:64; Jenkins,1992:15).Even though the fan
pairings will have no authority over the actual text, the act of shipping gives
the fans a sense of power and purpose within their fandom. Jenkins notes that
publishing work is no longer exclusive to the social elite and is no accessible
to previously marginalized sections – such as teenagers (Williams,2011:279;Jenkins,2006).
There are three types of “ships” that are present within the
fandom community. The first are canon ships, which are made up of character
relationships that are present in the original text. The second is non-canon
ships made up of character combinations that are not written in the text.
Finally there are “slash” ships, which discuss romantic relationships between
characters of the same sex.
Canon ships emphasise the character relationships within the text.
This can be shown through fans highlighting particular moments within the text
that they loved or use the framework set out by the author to create an
original work such through “gaps and silences”. Within the Potter fandom this is shown through
the “Ronmione” ship – a combination of Ron and Hermione. Entire pages are
dedicated to the “greatest otp [one true pairing] ever” with fans declaring
that the relationship is “perfect”. Boards are filled with fan-made art of the
couple and gifs of their world
(Kirby-Diaz,2013:41; See Ethnographic Article 5). Within the Hunger Games
fandom, the Peetnis” ship – a combination of the two protagonists, Peeta
Mellark and Katniss Everdeen, is the dominant “canon ship”. Although outside influences such as mainstream media see
this relationship as one aspect of a perceived love triangle, the fandom have
chosen not to become tribal and have embraced the single character of Katniss;
allowing her emotions to drive the force of the “relationship” rather than the
shippers choosing for her by basing it on actions of either suitor (See
Ethnographic Appendix Articles, 5 and 33). These ships support the authority
and legitimacy of the original text, building upon the existing cultural
capital within circulation.
Non-canon ships are built upon the interpreted subtext shippers
claim is in the text. This is shown in the Hunger Games through the “Gadge”
ship – a combination of secondary characters Gale and Madge. One Tumblr gif read “I ship Gale and Madge so
hard it hurts. In my mind Madge survived the bombings and was somewhere in D[District]2
waiting for Gale. They got married and had babies…” (See Ethnographic Appendix
– Article 4) The strongest piece of evidence to support this romance comes from
Catching Fire when Madge supplies the expensive medicine to help Gales after he
is publically whipped in the Main Square (Collins, 2009:140-141). There are similar examples in the Potter
fandom with the “Harmony” ship – the combination of Harry and Hermione. Although some shippers support
this because she calms Harry down, believes in him and always watches his
Quidditch matches; other fans have rejected this by arguing that these
behaviours are similar to a sister rather than a lover (See Ethnographic
Article 20). By reading between the lines and
creating these alternate scenarios, they are actively participating and are
assisting to shape their online community by broadening the cultural capital
landscape (Jenkins,2006).
Slash ships are some of the most controversial yet engaging
section of the fandom community. Slash ships throw out regular societal
expectations of gender and allow characters to uncover traits allowing them to
form erotic partnerships (Jenkins in Tosenberger,
2008:192-193). Like other
non-canonical relationships, they have been marginalised by mainstream fans who
have accused them of distorting the characters. The Hunger Games fandom have
embraced this with the “Peenick” ship – a combination of Peeta and Finnick
(another male contestant in the Games), was sparked by a passage in Catching Fire where Katniss sees “Finnick kissing Peeta” (He is actually performing CPR)
(Collins,2009:337). Paralleling this is the “Drarry” ship –
a combination of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. Rather than the characters
being friends, it combines characters who are enemies with the text. While
there is no evidence within the text to support this, shippers have recast the
characters hatred as angst and sexual tension to create scenarios and alternate
storylines for their own benefit. While homophobia is acknowledged it is
usually downplayed (Tosenberger, 2008:194; See Ethnographic Appendix Article 22).
The premise of young people being engaged in slash ships
gives them the ability to experiment, explore their sexual orientations and
express their opinions about homosexuality with other fans, within an environment
they feel comfortable in, with boundaries they can control.
Critics of social media sites may take the stereotypical
approach that young people who heavily engage in these fandom community sites
will become anti-social and will be unable to function or contribute properly
in the offline world (Jenkins,1992:10). This
is not the case. Tumblr fandoms are communities in themselves, and like offline
social groups they have a set of norms, rules and expectations that their
members abide by. Young people accept this code of conduct as they participate
in these online forums (Curwood, 2013:421). The skills they learn within this
space can mirror how these individuals can transfer this to the real world and
become contributing members of society. By participating in fandoms they have
made a conscious decision to become active contributors rather than passive
viewers, and this passion, no matter how random it may seem to outsiders, will
translate into other areas of their lives.
There is a quote about Tumblr that has been
circulating for the past couple of months that I think beautifully summaries
this platform -“Tumblr isn’t just a blogging platform. It’s a place full of
people who are just like you. Tumblr has taught you lessons, given you laughter
and inspired you. It was always a place you could find comfort in, where you
could vent your anger and share your sadness. Full of people who understand you
and who are just as sane as you are.” (Ethnographic Appendix Article 37). To
me, this illustrates the camaraderie between members of a community who
may never meet. Harry Potter and the Hunger Games have been just two snapshots
of a wider shipping subculture where young people are actively participating and
connecting through this online community. It doesn’t matter what your ship is
or whether it is mainstream or not, they have gained a positive group identity
and sense of acceptance by sharing and voicing their passions.
Fiske,
J. (1992). The Cultural Economy of Fandom In Lewis , L.A. (Ed) The
Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media, (pp. 30-49). New York:
Routledge
Fiske, J. (2010). Productive pleasures. In Understanding
popular culture. (pp. 40-55) New York: Routledge
Grossberg,
L., (1992). The Affective Sensibility of Fandom. In Lewis , L.A. (Ed) The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and
Popular Media (pp. 50-65). New York: Routledge
Hadas,
L. (2013). Resisting the romance: “Shipping” and the discourse of genre
uniqueness in Doctor Who fandom. European Journal of Cultural Studies , 16
(3), 329–343. doi:10.1177/1367549413476011
Herzog, A. (2012). “But this is my story and this is how I wanted to
write it”: Author's Notes as a Fannish Claim to Power in Fan Fiction Writing. Transformative
Works and Cultures, 11. doi:10.3983/twc.2012.0406.
Jenkins, H. (1992) Textual
Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture. New York: Routledge
Johnson, S. (2005). Introduction - 'The Sleeper Curve'.
In Everything bad is good for you: how today’s popular culture is
actually making us smarter, (pp.1 - 14). New
York: Riverhead Books.
Kirby-Diaz, M.(2013) Ficcers and
Shippers: A Love Story. In Stuller, J.K (Ed.) Fan Phenomena: Buffy
the Vampire Slayer, (pp. 38-51). Chicago, IL: Intellect Books.
Tosenberger,
C. (2008). Homosexuality at the online Hogwarts: Harry Potter slash fanfiction.
Children’s Literature, 36, 185–207. doi:10.1353/chl.0.0017
Methodology
This ethnographic sweep of the site Tumblr was conducted
between August 1 2013 and September 1 2013. To sample size taken during this
time was 37 URL sites as this was seen as wide enough to cover the different
aspects of both fandoms. To be able to judge whether a candidate was a member
of a particular fandom 3 aspects were noted: was there a reference to either
the text or the film actors in the URL? Did the site list the franchise as one
of their fandoms in their “about me” section of their blog? And did the author
identify himself or herself as a “shipper” of a particular franchise? Sites that were not seen to successfully pass
these criteria were not recorded. The time ranges or cycles of these fandoms
should also be taken into account – while the Harry Potter fandom has a largere
amount of content to build upon, there are no new official material in the
pipeline. This is in opposition to the Hunger Games, which is set to have a
spike in popularity leading up to the release of the second movie Catching Fire in November 2013.
Ethnographic Articles
Article
20 - Mistylehoang (2010, October 27) Reasons We Ship Harry
and Hermione [Tumblr Post] Retrieved from
Article 35 – Hunger
Games Official Page (2013, May 10) Do you
think there are any similarities between Panem and present day? [Facebook
Thread] Retrieved from
Extra Resources
Collins, S. (2009). Catching
Fire. New York: Scholastic Publishing.
