Participatory Activism and Fandom Culture

Jayne Hat on fan

Liza Potts’ purpose in writing this article was to demonstrate how fan activities can create participatory activism within digital spaces and social media platforms. She mainly references the sale of Jayne Hats within the Firefly fandom, to argue that the making of these hats is an example of social and political engagement that are used to challenge power structures that have already been established. Potts wants readers to resist corporate control over intellectual property, build stronger community of fans, and create a better way to produce and distribute fan art without corporation involvement.

Potts articulated her ethos through establishing that she is an academic at Michigan State University. The case study is packed with citations from relevant academics in digital rhetoric and participatory culture, primarily drawing from de Certeau, Jenkins, and Bruns. This alone establishes her acknowledgement to the work that has come before her and her hours of research that went into this case study. She meticulously works de Certeau ‘s strategies and tactics to help provide a framework to base her article on in regards to understanding fan action. She makes references throughout the study and tags them appropriately, which help her maintain her credibility as an author and researcher.

While this is a research case study, Potts showcases an emotional side as well as she does a logical side, when she begins discussing the fandom of Firefly and their conflict with corporate greed. The fans of this show are extremely passionate about it, and treat it as a lucky club that they get to be a part of. There is a cult following to Firefly, as my sister and her husband has demonstrated over the years. Potts described the Jayne hats as a symbol of family and belonging, which elicits a strong emotional response with fans. The conflict between the fandom and corporate greed shows her sympathy for the fans who are simply trying to show love for their favorite show while resisting the corporation they are facing.

Using de Certeau’s framework to closely define the power dynamics at play with the tactics that fans have thrown at Fox to challenge their strategies shows a strong incorporation of ethos and logos. Potts does a fantastic job of incorporating logos into this case study by defining participatory culture, spendable media, and connecting these concepts to the actions of Firefly fans while working against the corporate giant of Fox. She also uses a multitude of examples with the Jayne hat, using quotations and citations from fans and actors throughout the paper, using specific Firefly references, and citations from works on fan studies.

The most enticing or persuasive piece of evidence is the accounts of fan responses and posts throughout several social media platforms. This showcases Potts dedication to meticulously sifting through millions of posts to find ones that perfectly articulate her vision with this article and demonstrates the strategic usage of social media by fans to create solidarity and construct a counter-narrative against Fox’s actions.

In this case, fan activities are a form of activism. The fans created their own version of the Jayne hats, spreading awareness on platforms, and taking the fandom into their own hands. Even though this was not a form of political activism, it is still a group of people standing up for their belief that no corporation owns or controls intellectual property. These fans did not back down when facing a billion dollar industry, they simply stood their ground and continued to fight for what was theirs. This was activism in its purest form. There was not much to gain but the pure enjoyment of something they held dear.

Fan works and copyright has been surrounding franchises for years with fan fiction and fan spin-offs. These Fan-fiction books often surround popular and established works, but the fans have created their own spin to characters that already exist. This happens most with works like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and The Hunger Games series, where fans were not exactly happy with the endings of these series or wished that they could change things. When these fan-made works are created, they do not take ownership of the characters or total plotline, they just create what will make them happy.