“In the late 1990s, the mainstreaming of online technologies allowed even more people to enter media fandom”, explains Coppa [1] regarding the early stages of fandom online. Once the Internet became available, people soon started to organise the net to fit their interests. In this case, looking for ways to expand their reach within the fandom community to those in other parts of the world. It was the fans that created the webpages for other fans to enjoy, and, as it is obvious today, that tendency kept growing.
Nowadays, fandoms communicate mostly through social media, which facilitates sharing information, fan work, related news and, primarily, fanfiction. The biggest network for sharing written work within fans was founded in 1998. It is called FanFiction.net and it is still in use today [1], which shows how important these platforms are for fandoms. After the success of FanFiction.net, some other platforms have been created for the same purpose (like ArchiveofOurOwn.org and Wattpad.com), and these are more known among the new generations of fandoms that have inhabited the web in recent decades. Nonetheless, it can be easily forgotten that fanfiction is not the only artistic manifestation of fandoms, so we have to keep in mind the existence of other platforms used by fans to showcase these other forms of art: Tiktok for fan edits, Instagram for fan accounts, Patreon for fan art and Etsy for those who have started a small business thanks to their fandom-based art. These are only some of the many websites available for anyone who desires to soak themselves in content related to that new TV show that they fell in love with or the characters of the last book they read that have inspired them in any way.
Sharing between fans and meeting new members of the fandoms are not the only advantages of social media. The Internet is a great tool for fans to communicate with the artists they love. Be it singers, actors, writers, etc., most of them are likely to have personal profiles in one or more platforms. This allows fans to be part of their daily life, be up to date, and sometimes even engage in conversation through Q&A sessions or live videos. According to Bennet, this possibility helps the artist connect with the fans, which makes them feel more seen and adds value to their experience as loyal followers [2].
Knowing all this information, we can infer that, since its start in the 1990s, online fandoms have just experienced growth and amelioration. Online platforms attract mostly teenagers and young adults who belong to fandoms, but they do not always stay uniquely behind screens. Often, social media is used to promote conventions and fan meetings that serve to meet other fans face to face and interact in fresh air for once. These events are normally recorded and later broadcasted online for attendants to remember it or to show those who could not go what happened, promoting their participation in subsequent activities.
There is no doubt that fandoms were born long before the Internet, but nowadays they benefit greatly from this feature that so easily connects fans around the globe.
References
1. Coppa, F. (2006). ˋA Brief History of Media Fandom´. In Hellekson, K. and Busse, K. (eds.) Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet: New Essays. North Carolina: Jefferson and London: McFarland & Co. pp.41-59.
2. Bennett, L. (2013). ˋResearching Online Fandom´. Cinema Journal. Vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 129-134).