For Mr. Henry Jenkins
Why is media fandom so central to the notion of convergence culture? What does this mean for less invested consumers?
Convergence not only refers to the fusion of media platforms, but also the blurring of power, culture, industries, genres and even societies to name a few. It occurs on 4 differing levels of which fandom have a key role in each; being technological, industrial, cultural and social. It is a process that changes individual cultural artefacts and icons into a franchise which stretches across multiple platforms and genres. What fandom epitomizes, or perhaps represents in the extreme is the notion of an empowered consumer; one with increasing visibility. The fans with the greatest level of participation in convergence culture are essentially the anti-thesis of media conglomerates and help to debunk the top-down power dynamic that are perpetuated by these corporations on an industrial level. Convergence, as Henry Jenkins notes is not an endpoint; but rather a constant tug-of-war between grassroots media and media conglomerates [Jenkins, 2004]. Using the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy by Peter Jackson we can begin to analyse how fandom has turned what was originally a set of books more than half a century ago into a franchise that has spawned new forms of representations. Media fan cultures have promoted convergence, not just in terms of grassroots media, but also as materialistic consumers who spend countless amounts on merchandise, social groups and even cultural practices. Fandom is both the bane and the lifeblood of media conglomerates; they can breach copyrights and illegally upload movies, create their own fiction that may stray from the original plot, but simultaneously it is the fans that sustain their respective franchises, constantly contributing both revenue and knowledge to the Lord of the Rings franchise. What convergence culture essentially illustrates is not a sudden drastic change in how fan communities act; but rather they highlight the increased visibility of fan communities as well as their increased interactions and participation. Convergence culture is heavily influenced by media fandom as both grass-roots media and industrial convergence both rely heavily on fan loyalty as well as a fan’s pleasure not only in knowing, but in exchanging knowledge. By analysing the 4 key platforms of convergence culture and how deeply invested media fandom are in each of them it helps to paint a picture of how the loyalty of fan communities has essentially caused media fandom to embed itself within the convergence culture process.
Convergence culture is embodied by two varying power dynamics; a top-down and a bottom-up process. It is through these two processes do we see the side effect on less invested consumers that are caught in a power struggle over the rights to produce versus copyright legislation. However in between the power struggle between global conglomerates and fan communities are the consumers with varying degrees of investment into the franchise. For these consumers, entering the Lord of the Rings fan communities it opens up a whole plethora of fan-based artefacts that litter not only the Internet, but literature, TV and Hollywood cinema in the form of Peter Jackson’s trilogy. Simultaneously, consumers who are yet to define their identity within a Lord of the Rings based fan community are at risk of alienation and even exclusion. What should be noted is that contribution to participatory culture is not uniform, nor is it simply a duopoly between fan communities and media conglomerates. Instead, it would be far more accurate to depict convergence culture as influenced by a spectrum of groups with varying levels of production and consumerism.
Before an in-depth analysis of convergence culture in relation to fandom is pursued, it is worthwhile to define the model of fandom as well as addressing the stigma associated with it in order to create a rather uniform point of analysis. For the purpose of analytical ease, I will use a fan in the context of anyone with an extensive loyalty to the Lord of the Rings of which these can include fans of Tolkien’s texts or fans of Peter Jackson’s interpretation. Although it is equally easy to argue that any casual participant of the Lord of the Rings fan community can be classified as a fan, I will support Lisa Lewis's comment that "fans remain the most visible and dedicated of any audience" [Lewis, 1992]
Technological Convergence:
Technological convergence has had huge implications for media fandom on multiple levels as well towards the other subsets of convergence. With the increase of globalisation as well as an increase in internet access and use it has increased visibility of what were previously at best small communities around the world, both to themselves as well as to outsiders and has in a sense unified the global fan community of Lord of the Rings. Technological convergence allows fans not only to share works of art and fiction amongst themselves, but in many cases it creates a virtual public forum in which any fan can participate within and similarly media fandom shapes how new media such as the Internet are to be used. Simultaneously technological advancement has implications in an industrial sense, allowing for a greater marketing potential and distribution for global as a result of the increased visibility, allows for a greater market audience. As accessibility to niche fan markets within smaller countries are no longer a boundary it paves room for the turning of the trilogy not only into a corporate franchise, but rather an increasingly mainstream cultural icon unto itself. The implications of technological convergence allows Tolkien’s original trilogy to be reinterpreted through different medium such as conventions, games, websites and even through blockbuster movies and through fandom’s utilisation of technological convergence it has created a whole new cultural definition of The Lord of the Rings. Technological convergence increases visibility of fan communities by negating the spatial differences and encouraging their gradual increase of which they "...have long defined their membership through affinities rather than localities" [Jenkins, 2004]. It is through such a process that Peter Jackson was allowed to collude with more passionate fans as he created his trilogy, having chaper access to both production and distribution methods [Jenkins, 2004], but also through his ability to utilise the interactive properties of new media. However the increased interactivity as well as the spatial shrinking does have its risks. With a larger and far more impersonal medium, it can cause both conflict and alienation. What previously may have been a local Frodo Fan Club could possibly feel isolated amongst the plethora of new fans and opinions and less invested consumers could feel themselves either swayed towards fandom, or perhaps feel alienated amongst fan communities.
Industrial Convergence:
A cultural artefact that remains as a standalone that does not branch into other industries is now a rarity. With corporations capitalising on the potential revenue that can be achieved and the increasingly loyal fans willingly contributing both revenue and knowledge in order to create a more defined Middle-Earth, the original trilogy of books has in a sense become a large fusion of industries. No longer can the Frodo evoke the thought of a hobbit, but with it we must define Frodo as Elijah Wood, as Peter Jackson’s interpretation as well as Tolkien’s original creation to name a few. Media fandom can be said to be integral to industrial convergence as the marketing potential of any product is directly related to the perceived fandom and the amount that such groups would be willing to pay. Industrial convergence is based solely on the potential revenue any franchise can gain. As such ventures such as a ‘special 1% low alcohol and dark-coloured hobbit beer’, Ken and Barbie dressed as Aragorn and Arwen and Burger King’s ‘Lord of the Onion Rings’ promotions are only legitimized if the expected revenue exceeds the expected costs [Conrich, cited by Mathijs and Pmerance, 2006]. The expected revenue stems mostly from fandom and their desire for more prestigious merchandising. What Lord of the Ring exemplifies is how marketing potential is based largely on fandom. The net value of individual goods is based on a supply and demand system, and a large amount of revenue can be transacted by fans alone. Fandom is integral to industrial convergence; they not only purchase goods directly but help to determine the value of merchandise by way of demand. Similarly, Peter Jackson’s movie which in itself converged industries not only between the literate world to Hollywood, but also combined aesthetics, the star systems, special effects and even costume design; each of which created its own fan sub-culture amongst fans. With products and merchandising selling up to $10,000 for a set of weaponry memorabilia, it highlights the dedication that some fans have towards the trilogy.
Cultural Convergence:
Arguably there is a difference between convergence culture and cultural convergence. In this context I will use cultural convergence in terms of different ways of life, in which culture can be seen as a lifestyle or a particular frame of mind. Although fandom has a less pivotal role in the convergence of cultures, it is still prominent within Lord of the Rings subcultures that may have previously existed. What fans create is a culture with what John Fiske refers to as a "shadow cultural economy", that is one that lies outside popular culture yet shares features and compensate for what fans see as lacking [Fiske, 1992]. Although media fandom is not central to convergence culture in this sense, it provides a community for different cultures to bond, and indeed it helps to define "cultural tastes and practices [which] are produced by social rather than by individual differences" [Fiske, 1992]. Fandom and cultural convergence are not heavily dependent on each other, the willingness to share and participate in a dialogue with a general disregard to any personal cost gives fandom a strong foothold in cultural convergence. With fan sites and forums in particular, fan fiction and discussions can see a fusion of cultures through the shared interest of Lord of the Rings.
[Jenkins, 2004]
Social convergence:
Similar to cultural convergence, social convergence is the fusion of a large target market, of class, age and social status. Lord of the Rings generates appreciation and helps groups of different statuses to converge for the general appreciation of the trilogy. Although media fandom is not entirely central to social convergence, it does play its role. Although not all the social fan clubs of Lord of the Rings share the same interest, or the same degree of loyalty it does provide the grounds for these particular fans from different societal groups to bond. Rather than an emphasis on differences, the social convergence is more dependent on appreciation of the trilogy. As such meetings where everyone speaks Elvish occurs, online forums that discuss the intricacies of Tom Bombadil and even an appreciation of the clothing that has spawned a detailed analysis of all replicas can occur encompassing people of all social statuses.
Although media fandom are not central to social and cultural convergence, it does provide a platform, or a common ground in which to bond over; thereby reducing the importance of any social or cultural pressures. In these two aspects of cultural convergence, media fandom is not as prevalent in defining the process of convergence as there are numerous other established social, cultural and even political forces that in many instances take precedent over fandom. Religion, communication or political situation can often take on a greater role than appreciation of an aspect of the Lord of the Rings franchise. What the trilogy has provided for fans is motivation "...not simply to absurb the text but to translate it into other types of cultural and social activities" [Lewis, 1992].
Note. This clip contains profanity, sexual reference and offensive material
The less vocal
Fandom and fan communities are often taken as having a uniform degree of interactivity in the participatory culture. However, fans do not encompass less invested consumers who may hold an appreciation for the trilogy, yet not enough to spend resources on merchandising, or to share their knowledge and opinions to other fans. It is far more accurate to see the degrees of ‘fandom’ and participation as a spectrum with fans on one extreme, and non-participants on the other. In between are consumers of the trilogy; those that do not directly participate in the fan system that surrounds the franchise. Those that may have watched Peter Jackson’s films due to its star appeal (Legolas/Orlando Bloom or Aragorn/Viggo Mortensen), or read a few of Tolkien’s other works and have not pursued any greater depth about Middle Earth can be seen as less-invested consumers. They are consumers who have shown an interest in the text, yet have little or no desire to expend resources on fan-based interaction. However as a result of convergence, and the decreased time and resources that needs to be sacrificed to gain access to the participatory culture around the trilogy, less invested consumers can gain a taste of Frodo Fandom. Less invested consumers can either find themselves enjoying the different forms of content that arise from fan communities and therefore increase their participation in the community which can turn into "...textual production that can circulate among - and thus help define - the fan community" [Fiske, cited by Lewis, 1992] or they could find themselves increasingly alienated from fan communities; perhaps seeing them as excessive or perhaps seeing their fan fiction as faulty. There are of course, those who stay in the same position and finish their role within the participatory culture after consuming the text.
A Conclusion
Convergence and fandom have directly affected each other, with both heavily influencing the behaviour of the other. Fandom helps to shape the very process of convergence and simultaneously convergence alters the power allocation of fans as well as their visibility. Through the four processes of convergence, we can see how it is deeply embedded and intertwined with fan loyalty. Convergence is further affected by the collective fan culture’s willingness to sacrifice resources for non material purposes; such as the gaining of credibility through merchandising as well as sharing and collecting knowledge to gain a more rounded definition of Middle-Earth and its inhabitants. Fandom not only effects how popular culture is converged and shaped, but even their own communities where fan reception is "...always shaped through input from other fans" [Jenkins, 2004]. As convergence has made production and distribution both more accessible and cheaper it has essentially empowered fans who with their power both consume and combat the franchise as perpetuated by media corporations.
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