Amphituber
King Bowser
Disclaimer: Contains many of my opinions. Feel free to disagree with me; I'd love to learn what you think.
There are many, many ways to enjoy an artistic work. Take television shows, for example; some people, when they find a show they like, watch it all the way through.
Every episode.
In a week.
Others (like me) dabble in a show, watching an episode here or there when they can. Both of these are the surface level of fandom. I will call it Consuming; like any other customer, you are consuming a company's product.
At this point, you are indeed a fan of a show, but you are not a direct part of the show's fandom. Many, many people are fans on this level, and it is often the most culturally acceptable part of fandom.
But why stop there? Let's delve deeper, into the first level of actual fandom, Discussion. You may discuss a show and it's characters casually on a forum, but you aren't doing any serious analysis.
That brings me to the next level: Analysis. Analysis is more common to those who think with the left side of their brain. This involves deep study of a show and it's characters and the creation of fan theories based on research. Lots and lots of fan theories. The Legend of Zelda fandom is especially prone to this. Analysis is essentially Discussion on an near academic scale.
The next level we reach is Fan Works. People write fan fictions and collaborate on various fan projects. I believe people who think more with the right side of the brain are more attuned to Fan Works. Fan Works is very closely connected to the bottom level of Fandom: Shipping.
This is the messy bit. Shipping is an exploration of basic human emotions like love and lust and thus makes many people uncomfortable. It is also very, very personal. This is where Fandom becomes somewhat culturally unacceptable. Shippers argue over their OTP's, and some weird stuff goes on (no details here). Again, like Analysis, some Fandoms are more prone to Shipping than others.
So, in summary:
The Entrance Level - Consuming
Level 1 - Discussion
Level 2 - Analysis
Level 3 - Fan Works
The Bottom Level - Shipping.
For good or bad, fandom is what it is and I'm glad I'm a part of it. This is my theory on how Fandom is divided into levels. Thanks for reading! i may revise this in the future. Feel free to share your opinions with me and give feedback.
Amphituber
There are many, many ways to enjoy an artistic work. Take television shows, for example; some people, when they find a show they like, watch it all the way through.
Every episode.
In a week.
Others (like me) dabble in a show, watching an episode here or there when they can. Both of these are the surface level of fandom. I will call it Consuming; like any other customer, you are consuming a company's product.
At this point, you are indeed a fan of a show, but you are not a direct part of the show's fandom. Many, many people are fans on this level, and it is often the most culturally acceptable part of fandom.
But why stop there? Let's delve deeper, into the first level of actual fandom, Discussion. You may discuss a show and it's characters casually on a forum, but you aren't doing any serious analysis.
That brings me to the next level: Analysis. Analysis is more common to those who think with the left side of their brain. This involves deep study of a show and it's characters and the creation of fan theories based on research. Lots and lots of fan theories. The Legend of Zelda fandom is especially prone to this. Analysis is essentially Discussion on an near academic scale.
The next level we reach is Fan Works. People write fan fictions and collaborate on various fan projects. I believe people who think more with the right side of the brain are more attuned to Fan Works. Fan Works is very closely connected to the bottom level of Fandom: Shipping.
This is the messy bit. Shipping is an exploration of basic human emotions like love and lust and thus makes many people uncomfortable. It is also very, very personal. This is where Fandom becomes somewhat culturally unacceptable. Shippers argue over their OTP's, and some weird stuff goes on (no details here). Again, like Analysis, some Fandoms are more prone to Shipping than others.
So, in summary:
The Entrance Level - Consuming
Level 1 - Discussion
Level 2 - Analysis
Level 3 - Fan Works
The Bottom Level - Shipping.
For good or bad, fandom is what it is and I'm glad I'm a part of it. This is my theory on how Fandom is divided into levels. Thanks for reading! i may revise this in the future. Feel free to share your opinions with me and give feedback.
Amphituber