Week 11 - What's Popular?

When I first heard about this piece I thought "fantastic, this'll be great!". Then I sat down to do it. It was a lot harder than I thought because I had to keep asking myself what is popular. I think a dictionary definition would go something along the lines of what is liked by a large number of people. But that answer gives me more questions then answers. Which people? How many people do I need to like something before it's considered popular? 5,50,500,5000? Young people are not a homogenous group; this was quite evident when talking to my cousins' in last week's interview (See Week 10 post for more details).  
So I'm going to do this activity in two parts - the first I will show you a board I have created showing what popular culture is stereotypically popular with young people.



The second part is I am going to show you my personal Pinterest profile. Why? Because I am an example of how diverse young people are. I don't fit into any one particular category. I wear many different hats depending on my mood. Sometimes I like mainstream stuff and other times I want to run to the fringe and stay there. It is a combination of my past, what has influenced me and what I aspire to be. My profile is a representation of the funny, quirky, inquisitive, fangirling sides of me. You will never find anyone else who has exactly the same tastes as me. I currently have about 3400 pins on 38 boards that make up who I am and what I think is popular. Enjoy

Going Down with the “Ship” – A Look at Teenage Participatory Culture by Investigating ‘Shipping’ in Tumblr Fandoms

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.   

Reference List

Canar, A. (2009). The Hunger Games. Children’s Book and Play Review, 90(6). Retrieved from https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/CBPR/article/download/18566/17299

Curwood, J.S, & Fink, L. (2013). The hunger games: Literature, literacy, and online affinity spaces. Language Arts,90(6), 417-427.  Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1399991078?accountid=13380.

DeSouza, M. (2013). A Case of the Red Pants Mondays: The Connection Between Fandom, Tumblr, and Consumption. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/tmd_major_papers/3/?utm_source=digitalcommons.uri.edu%2Ftmd_major_papers%2F3&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages

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

Jenkins, H. (2006, June 19) Welcome to Convergence Culture [Web log post] Retrieved from http://henryjenkins.org/2006/06/welcome_to_convergence_culture.html

Jenkins, H. (2009) Enabling Participation: Media Education for the 21^st Century. In Jenkins, H. (Ed.) Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture. (pp. 5-14). Retrieved from  http://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/free_download/9780262513623_Confronting_the_Challenges.pdf

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. 

Scodari, C., and Felder, J. (2003) Creating a Pocket Universe: "Shippers", Fan Fiction, and the X-Files Online, Communicaiton Studies, 51(3), 238-257. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/233197251?accountid=13380

Tosenberger, C. (2008). Homosexuality at the online Hogwarts: Harry Potter slash fanfiction. Children’s Literature, 36, 185–207. doi:10.1353/chl.0.0017

Williams, R. (2011). Wandering off into soap land’: Fandom, genre and “shipping” The West Wing’. Participations, 270–295. Retrieved from http://www.participations.org/Volume 8/Issue 1/PDF/williams.pdf

Ethnographic Appendix

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 1 – Unknown Author (2012) District 9 ¾ [Tumblr Post] Retrieved from http://peetamellarkly.tumblr.com/post/30808219724

Article 2 – Unknown Author (2013, August 21) Forever and Always [Tumblr Post] Retrieved from http://finiteincantatem-x.tumblr.com/

Article 3 – Unknown Author (2013, January 8) Hunger Games  http://il0veseamushp.tumblr.com/tagged/Hunger+Games

Article 4 – Unknown Author (2012, December 31) Gadge Ship Confession [Tumblr Post] Retrieved from   http://fyeahhungergamesconfessions.tumblr.com/post/35613694275

Article 5 – Unknown Author (2013, August) Crazy Signs [Tumblr Post] Retrieved from http://jhutchplusjlaw.tumblr.com/post/60236740592

Article 6 – Unknown Author, (2012, December) Ship All the Hunger Games Ships [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://hungergamecrackships.tumblr.com

Article 7 – Unknown Author (2013, August) Hunger Games Shipping Confessions [Tumblr Blog] http://thgshippingconfessions.tumblr.com

Article 8 – Unknown Author (2013, September 1) she’s amazing, he’s charming [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://hutchersonandlawrence.tumblr.com

Article 9 –Abby (2012, August) Radiant as the Sun [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from  http://p-r-i-m-r-o-s-e.tumblr.com

Article 10 – Mark, (2013, June 4) Bread and Arrows [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from  http://peetasmagicaloven.tumblr.com

Article 11 – Ally, (2013, August 19) No one is a Victor By Chance [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://melodiesofamockingjay.tumblr.com

Article 12 – Sophie, (2013, August 20) Team Twelve Retrieved from http://cinnasownmockingjay.tumblr.com/tagged/thg 

Article 13 – Lily, (2013, September 1) Hunger Games [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://mynightmaresareaboutlosingyou.tumblr.com/tagged/f;the%20hunger%20games

Article 14 – Unknown Author, (August 10) I’ll carry your world [Tumblr blog] Retrieved from http://mockingdream.tumblr.com/tagged/thg

Article 15 – Unknown Author, (2013, August 6) hair red as a flame in the forest [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://hearthorne.tumblr.com/tagged/hunger+games

Article 16 – Anna, (2013, September 1) last year was child’s play [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://ennobaria.tumblr.com/tagged/the-hunger-games

Article 17 – Mike, (2013, February) Hunger Games [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://a-world-of-our-very-own.tumblr.com/tagged/thggif

Article 18 – Unknown Author, (2013, August 4) Tick Tock, [Tumblr Post] Retrieved from http://ticktockbreadboy.tumblr.com/post/57379988190

Article 19 – Unknown Author (2013) Hunger Games [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://warrioreverdeeen.tumblr.com/tagged/Hunger+Games 

Article 20 -  Mistylehoang (2010, October 27) Reasons We Ship Harry and Hermione [Tumblr Post] Retrieved from

http://fuckyeahharryhermione.tumblr.com/post/1415982437/reasons-we-ship-harry-hermione

Article 21 – Unknown Author (2012, September) Ron and Hermione Greatest OTP [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://fuckyeahronhermione.tumblr.com/

Article 22 – Daria (2013, August) Drarry [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://justlittleharry.tumblr.com/tagged/drarry

Article 23 – Unknown Author (2013, August 30) said Snape [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://severus-my-love.tumblr.com/

Article 24 – Selina (2012, December 5) Defying Gravity [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from  http://hurtscozitmatters.tumblr.com/tagged/Harry-Potter

Article 25 – Courtney and Tiffany (2013, September 1) Welcome to District 12 [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://welcome-to-district-12.tumblr.com/

Article 26 – Unknown Author (2013, August 21) Potterhead [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://im-a-just-a-potterhead.tumblr.com/

Article 27 – Unknown Author (2013, August 19) Harry Potter Geekdom [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://harrypottergeekdom.tumblr.com/tagged/harry-potter

Article 28 – Unknown Author (2013, August 18) Let Us Be Potterheads [Tumblr Post] Retrieved from http://dramionefelton.tumblr.com/post/58604000737/pugmuncher-freethehouseelves-fiiniick

Article 29 – Unknown Author (2013, August 30) I solemnly swear I’m up to no good [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://callmetonks.tumblr.com/

Article 30 – Unknown Author, (2013, August 30) Not All Who Wander are Lost [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://potterlings.tumblr.com/

Article 31 – Unknown Author, (2013, August) Harry Potter Hunger Game Crossovers [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://quaffle-chasers.tumblr.com/tagged/thg

Article 32 – Unknown Author (2013, July) Hunger Games [Tumblr Blog] Retrieved from http://let-thegamesbegin.tumblr.com/tagged/hunger+games

Article 33 – Unknown Author (2012, March 31) Team Katniss [Tumblr Post] Retrieved from http://flynnfury.tumblr.com/image/55941294009

Article 34 – Fabylo (2013, August 19) We’re All Mad Here [Tumblr Post] Retrieved from http://allofthisiswrong.tumblr.com/

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

https://www.facebook.com/TheHungerGames/posts/598778953474852

Article 36 – Unknown Author, (2013 January 6) Hunger Games Ships [Message Board Thread] Retrieved from  http://thefandomnet.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=hungergames&action=display&thread=269

Article 37 – Elri (2013, August 23) Always is a promise for ever after [Tumblr Post] Retrieved from http://ninjaotta.tumblr.com/post/59123241717/this-is-life-i-live-genuine-discord-if-you

Extra Resources

Collins, S. (2009). Catching Fire. New York: Scholastic Publishing.

Week 10 - Interview with a "young" person

This week's task is to do an interview with a "young" person to see what's current. As I'm over the age of 20 and I don't have a school to relate to I contacted my cousins through Facebook to see if they'd be interested. Three of my cousins responded: Rosie (19), Elise (16) and Georgina (14) responded and these are the following answers to their questions.
1.What is your favourite TV show?

R: Girls
E: Sherlock
G: Dance Academy

Girls Logo (HBO)

Sherlock (BBC) 

Dance Academy (ABC Kids)

2. What is your favourite character on that show and why?

R: Sharna - she's everyones conscience

E:Sherlock, because i admire how different and smart he is.

G: Tara, because she has similar embarrassing life problems. 3.Do you think that watching this show has influenced you in some way?

R: Made me more conscious of not having to have it 'all worked out for ages

E: Yes

G: A bit, in making me want to be able to dance when I clearly can't.

4.What’s your favourite movie? Why?

R: Billy Elliot - its different, it broke boundaries and made a big difference to the dance world

E:'10 Things I Hate About You', because it is a movie about high school so i find it relate able.

G: Ella Enchanted. It's my favourite movie because it makes me laugh and is easy to follow. 5.Do you like reading novels? Why/Why not?

R: yes, they transport you to a different world

E:Yes, because they seem more personal as you are able to connect with characters better.

G:Yes I love reading novels. This is because I am a good reader and I love to escape to other people's lifes and adventures. 6.Are you reading a novel at the moment? if yes what is it?

R: Yes, Midnight in Peking by Paul French (I went to China in the holidays)

E: Yes, Princess by Jean Sasson

G: Yes I am, but I've already read it once. Its Spellcaster by Claudia Gray. 7.Is there a book that made an impact to your life/ spoken to you?

R: The 5 people you meet in heaven by Mitch Albom

E:The Harry Potter series

G: Yes, that would be a trilogy called The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. It is set in the 1800s and it really spoke to me, I've read it multiple times and I still love it. 8.Do you prefer magazines to books? Why/Why not?

R: Don't ask hard questions... I like both, they're different mediums

E:No, i like books better because they are more entertaining

G: No, because they don't have a story or anything and I just love books. I do like magazines though. 9.Do you read eBooks? If yes do you prefer it over a physical book? Why/Why Not?

R: Yes, but i prefer real books. the smell and you know where you're up to, you can quantify it

E: No

G: Yes, I have a kindle of my own that I got for my birthday last year. I don't prefer over a physical book though, because I love the smell of books and the feel of the pages. Although, my kindle is really useful for travelling. 10.What music are you listening to at the moment?

R: grace potter and the nocturnal stars

E:I listen to mainly pop.

G: I listen to a lot of different music, basically everything but country. A lot of pop and rock at the moment. 11.Do you like keeping up with what’s popular or do you do your own thing?

R: Bit of both

E:Yes and no. I listen to what is popular and to songs that aren't as popular, for example i like korean pop.

G: I do like to every now and then see what's popular, so that I don't wear something totally ridiculous and I like to keep up with the music trends but I don't care about celebrities. 12.Do you have Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr/Instagram accounts? How often do you use them?

R: yes, all of the above but twitter is just for uni - and i wish not to incriminate myself

E: Only Facebook and i check it rarely.

G: 12. I have a Facebook and Instagram account. I check Facebook all the time - its usual for social interaction and asking my friends about assignments and homework or just chatting. I used to go on Instagram a lot, but now I don't use it anymore. 13. Do you play video games? If yes, what is your favourite game and why? How much time do you spend playing it?

R: Just games on my phone: flow/boardroom tycoon/candy crush - I don't know

E: No

G:I do play the occasional mario kart and just dance but not very often. Just Dance and Mario Kart are my favourites 14. Do you thing that popular culture is making you smarter?

R: I think pop culture makes you more aware of the world around you. mostly its just like fashions and flings and whatnot but sometimes it clues you in on real issues like kony 2012

E: No

G: No I don't. The music doesn't have a good message - with the drinking, alcohol, smoking, drugs. And the activities that the 'cool kids' in my grade engage in is not good.

15. Do you read the book before seeing the movie adaption?

R: I try to

E: If i have time before it comes out i do

G: Yes I do. I read the book for the recent movie City of Bones back in 2011 and I've read the rest of the books in that series that have come out thus far.

What I see out of these interviews - I expected the younger my interview subject the more into popular culture they would be and more 'with it' about what's considered cool but that wasn't the case. Rosie was more aware about popular culture and how it relates to The Sleeper Curve (see my week 2 overview for more details). I expected Elise's age group to be heavily involved in social media - this wasn't the case as Rosie actually spent the most amount of time engaged in these forums. From talking with Elise and Georgina the 'cool kids' are more aptly named the troublesome kids who engage in dangerous behaviours that aren't seen as cool by their peers. Reading novels is something that is still done, all of them mentioned escapism in some way and they aren't jumping to eBooks like drowned rats off a ship. I asked the movie adaption question because I have heard sweeping statements from some people about how teenagers will only watch the movies if given the option, boycotting the books. I was relieved to find out that this isn't the case.

Featured Pictures

Image 1: Girls Loge; wc licensed (Wikimedia Commons) by Beao
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Girls_logo.png (HBO, 2013)

Image 2: Sherlock; wc licensed (Wikimedia Commons) by RanZag http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Benedict_Cumberbatch_filming_Sherlock_cropped.jpg

Image 3: Dance Academy (cc by NC2.0) http://www.newvideo.com/flatiron-film-company/dance-academy-season-2-volume-2/ (New Media Group,2013)

Week 9 - Nature versus Nurture

As this is a free post I’ve decided to go for a topic that’s a little different. Awhile back I was introduced to a new television show called Orphan Black by my best friend while I was over having dinner at her place. For those who are unfamiliar with the show, it’s a Canadian sci-fi drama about clones. What is slightly ironic about this situation is that my best friend is an identical triplet and spent most of her high school existence being called one. The show focuses on three main clones as they struggle deal with many complex topics including nature vs nurture, mental illness, identity, legal, social and bodily rights along with the overarching question am I real? While my best friend doesn’t have all these questions to answer, the nature vs nurture topic is something that we can both relate to – partially due to our background.

Orphan Black (BBC America, 2013) 

This is probably a good time to mention that I’m a triplet and we’ve been part of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research’s multiple birth study as they’ve tracked us from childhood and used us as test subjects to help them answer the nature vs nurture debate. Over the years they’ve measured us, photocopied our hands, tested our tastebuds, taken blood and hair, given us complicated memory games to complete and stuck us in an MRI machine to look at our brains just to name a few. Unlike my best friend who they really want to test, I’m fraternal (which means that we didn’t hatch from the same egg) are part of the control group. So we can completely empathize to the characters as they were treated like lab rats. 

While on an ice-cream break in between episodes I asked her about what it was like to be called a clone. She vividly recalled in a Year 10 Biology lesson that the student teacher emphatically stated that identical triplets didn’t exist (they were all in the room) and that it was a genetic mistake, causing the rest of the class to explode into laughter. This gave a selection of immature teenage boys plenty of ammunition to use over the next few weeks. Naturally she took it in her stride, the next day bringing in the framed piece of paper from the hospital lab saying that they were monozygotic triplets - 99.9% identical and while the incident didn’t effect her, it did have an effect on her sister Wendy*, who as far as I know became withdrawn in that particular class and now heavily dislikes this anecdote being told. This is where the nature vs nurture question comes into effect – how is it that three sisters who are genetically identical and raised together have such varied reactions to a situation? Are personality traits genetic, is it environmental or is it a mixture of the two?  As much as I’ve been led to believe that it’s 50/50 – I’ve read a study from German scientists that traits such as resilience and stubbornness are up to 75% genetic. Not to mention the countless studies of identical twins separated at birth which showed IQ, education, job choice, grooming, partner preference and tastebuds as just some of the traits that were almost identical, despite the fact they were raised in polar opposite environments. So the jury is still out on that one.

While they may look the same they have extremely different characteristics that make each of them unique: one had a stronger accent and passion for languages, one was very direct with her communication and tried every trick in the book to physically stand out from her sisters, while the other creative and more laid back then the other two and was a little more sympathetic with the mistaken identity issue. I used to be able to tell them apart from 20 metres purely by body language, how they walked, what they had for lunch and what company they kept. Everyone else knew one of them and then took a wild guess or tried to see the identifying mole to get the right name.  

She also remembered how good it felt when she went to university for the first time that she was referred to by her first name rather than as “one of the triplets”. I can relate to this as members of my extended family still do this when they introduce me at family functions.

Not that it’s all doom and gloom – they have been able to pull the sister swap off with very few people noticing, a feat that I would never be able to do. I find the show interesting as the characters inter-change with each other and how they react under different circumstances. Can’t wait for season 2!

*Name changed 

Featured Image
Offical Orphan Black Poster by BBC America, tvdb image by cedell: http://thetvdb.com/banners/posters/260315-4.jpg (Copyright BBC America, 2013) 

Week 8 - Scholarly Article

This week this post is supposed to be giving an overview of a scholarly piece of work that helped us to understand the topic that we had chosen for the first essay. The first essay for me was a bit of a passion project - I wanted to help others (mainly my family) understand the concept of "shipping" and while this is hardly a new phenomenon, fandom members who do "ship" particular characters from their pop culture world have been written off in the past as either annoying or just downright weird. Being immersed within a Tumblr fandom (which I didn't use for my essay as the franchise is not pitched at young people), I could see that this wasn't the case. I was really glad when I found scholarly literature that reflected the feelings of this particular group.

One of the interesting chapters I used to in my essay was by Rebecca Williams entitled "'Wandering off into soap land': Fandom, genre and 'shipping' The West Wing."
In a nutshell, "shipping" is where a fan/person sees (or imagines seeing) a romantic relationship between two (and in some cases more) fictional characters. The relationshippers, known more commonly as "shippers" emotionally invest in these characters which are in some way linked to their identity as a fan.
By looking at shipping within the unusual selection of "The West Wing" is an interesting spin on previous studies by Jenkins and Fiske. Jenkins has previously looked at the notion of fans "poaching" material from their favourite film and TV texts in order to create their own material (aka fan fiction) while Fiske has previously looked at shipping in teenage fandoms such as Buffy. What makes The West Wing an interesting choice is that this show is considered by some writers as a high level drama with complex political themes, where romantic relationships between the characters are considered by most of the audience as "melodramatic" and that the "feminised" practice of shipping tarnishes the series (p271). Thankfully, this is where Williams steps up to bat for for the shippers. She acknowledges that , "shippers" are predominantly female but that they only make up a small percentage of fan dialogue posted on fan sites and forums. Executives and producers are able to gauge the reaction (positive or negative) from the fan-base by the decisions they make on the show: the "shippers" campaigning to see characters get together are just one section of this broader community. She also notes that television executives are usually reluctant to ship character combinations because of the likelihood that it could shorten the life of the show (or fall victim to the "Moonlighting Curse") instead offering fans teasers, giving them enough to be satisfied in the short term while maintaining the themes of the show.
One question that I wanted to ask is why do people ship characters in the first place? What do the "shippers" get out of it? From personal experience I can say that I honestly don't know, one minute I was a casual fan then I became absolutely hooked and needed to get my hands on every single episode. Once again, Williams backs us up. "These fans are not deluded, nor do they believe that the on-screen romance is 'real', but rather they identify with the emotions and developments they see on the screen... similar to that person's inability to why he or she is in love with another in real life" (278-279). People who become long term "shippers" tend to draw on personal experiences to be able to help construct the viewer's narrative of the relationship. They might see something of themselves in a character or remind them of a situation they've been in before or see similar behaviours in people around them. Either way, it impacts identity as they view with the show on a deeper level to the unattached audience.

RANDOM NOTE: The West Wing is the only TV Drama to win an Emmy for every year that it was on television. Overall the show picked up a total of 27 Emmys during its run from 99-06.

Williams, R. (2011). Wandering off into soap land’: Fandom, genre and “shipping” The West Wing’. Participations, 270–295. Retrieved from http://www.participations.org/Volume 8/Issue 1/PDF/williams.pdf