Fandom Buried Paul

Where else are the lines between producer and consumer blurred as much as they are in fandom? The internet has led to some crazy cultural advances, and I feel as though the endless collaborative opportunities is one of them. The article stated, “Fans need to be seen as collaborators and equals” and I couldn’t agree more. Without one, there is no other. Fans and artists are created in each other’s image, especially now in the digital age.

Baym’s article did a great job outlining what online fandoms seek to accomplish. To reiterate, fandoms seek to:

• ·      Share feeling
• ·      Build social identity
• ·      Pool collective intelligence
• ·      Interpret collectively

Growing up, I was endlessly fascinated by Beatles fandom. To be specific, sixth grade me was obsessed with Beatles conspiracy theories. I spent an inordinate amount of time online examining clues that led to the possibility of Paul’s death, exploring potential arcane symbology on the front of Abbey Road, and trying to get the “magic-eye” effect to work on the cover of Magical Mystery Tour so I could call the number that appeared and, purportedly, listen to a voice message left by John mere hours before his death.

It’s all preposterous, now that I think of it, but these interactions at a young age shaped my online identity in many ways. I grew accustomed to these online communities and learned to navigate them. Of course, the subject matter was probably a little dodgy for a sixth-grader in his elementary school computer lab to be looking at during free time, but I only got kicked out once.

Now that we’re well into the internet age, I’m still heavily involved with online fandoms. Certainly, the forms detailed in Baym’s slightly outdated article have changed, but the principles remain the same. To be honest, it seems as though I spend more time on discussion forums than actually engaging with the source material, but that seems to be a critical aspect of fandom. I use fandoms to enrich my experience with a work, whether it’s a piece of music, a book, tv show, video game or whatever. Fan communities have really enriched my interactions with things I find interesting.

Scouring grimy forums for info back in the day was a blast, don’t get me wrong, but now it seems as though accessing info and interacting with like-minded fans is so much easier. In fact, most of my interactions are localized around Reddit, which allows me to combine nearly all of my interests into vibrant sub-communities. It’s an incredible resource and takes the hassle out of finding a discussion. Of course, the more in-depth discussions require a little digging, but sites like Reddit offer a jumping-off point for most fandoms.

Some might say that fandoms detract from individual interpretations of a work, but I think that’s just nonsense. Communication is an essential part of being human, and the more voices and brains we can get on a topic the better. Plus, if we somehow find out if the current "Paul McCartney" is just an actor, my life can finally have some validation.