a presentation on the marauders fandom within AO3 in creating publics and communities
Question 1: When I think back on my presentation, I see that one of its shortcomings was that I neglected…
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One response to “Marauders Fandom Publics & Community Formation on AO3 — Anamay Jenner”
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Hey Anamay, As a Harry potter fan,I really enjoyed your presentation. I found it especially interesting how you explored the way fans have expanded the world beyond what was shown in the original films and books, particularily by creating more detailed character lives, identities, relationships and communities through fan fiction.
here are my questions,
Q1- in your presentation you mention that because of jk rowlings transphobia many fans responded by introducing more diversity into their fanfiction stories. to what extent do you think this diversity was a direct reaction against jk rowlings views, and to what extent do you think it would of developed naturally within the fandom anyway? for example do you think fans would have inevitably used fan fiction to explore more diverse identities, relationships and experiences because the original harry potter left so many gaps in the representation? or do you think the public controversy made this more urgent and politically meaningful for fans?
Q2- you discuss how affordances such as tagging, commenting, bookmarking and sharing allows fans to find stories, interact with writers and build a stronger sense of community. do you think if fans did not have these tools that the fandom would still be so active and welcoming Or would it become harder for smaller, more specific communities, such as queer fans, trans fans, or fans looking for particular character interpretations, to find each other and feel represented?
Q3-if the tagging wasnt decided by fans and was decided by the platform how different do you think AO3 would be as a space for fandom? For example, would it become less accessible for readers trying to find very specific stories, identities, relationships, or themes? Do you think platform controlled tagging would make the site more organised, or would it limit creativity and make it harder for fans to define their own communities, meanings, and ways of interacting with stories?
thanks 🙂
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