Corporate fandom: Re-creating media fans as a public

Abstract

Using Michael Warner’s (2002) conception of publics and counterpublics, we can see that historically much of fandom was situated in the position of counterpublic as fans not only were placed on the outskirts by others but also actively participated in acts that ran counter to the mainstream reading and consumption of media content. Current media fans of popular American franchises, however, are often courted by corporations and those with the power to influence the mainstream. There is an interest in the types of transformative practices in which fans engage. In actively seeking these audience members and their practices, corporations are forcing these groups into a more public position while helping to shift the types of activities that are considered part of fandom. Essentially, by bringing ‘desirable’ and ‘affirmational’ media fans into the mainstream, corporations are reorganizing them as publics in terms of their position within society, and this shift could contribute to a change in what it means to be a media fan.