Chapter 6: Conclusion:Supernatural fan culture ahead of the game?
Chapter 6: Conclusion: Supernatural fan culture ahead of the game?
Overall, what can be determined from this analysis is that the Supernatural fan culture and its fans continue to participate with the text and with each other in the standard ways that Jenkins (1992, 2006a) determined when analysing the Star Trek fans and their culture - they actively participate by attending dedicated conventions, and the increasingly high production rate of fan fiction being read and written highlights a continued fan interest in expanding the narrative depicted on screen. In addition to this, the fan culture seems to adhere to Levy’s (1997) theory of collective intelligence as the fans share knowledge constantly, culminating in a knowledge community which is collated for all to access via the cosmopedia - SupernaturalWiki, the online fan maintained encyclopaedia discussed in Chapter 3.
However, it is the evolution of the relationship between the fan and the text which suggests that fan cultures are changing, the Supernatural fan culture as a possible front runner. The dialogue discussed in Chapters 4 and 5 highlight an apparent effect that fans and their activities have on the actual show narrative - fan opinion on characters is reflected in their longevity, creators admit mistakes which may be influenced by fan commentary and finally the inclusion of metatextual comments relating to fan activity and practices. This opens up the possibility of further analysis of Supernatural and other genre based shows which may dabble in breaking the fourth wall; what is successful? When is it too far? Supernatural as a text itself is ripe for further discussion in the context of the contemporary television and its postmodern aspects.
In Chapter 2, the discussion of how fans interact while attending conventions was limited to the data provided by the participants of the questionnaire, while this provided a range of fan opinions on the practice of convention attendance and personal experiences - a way of furthering the study of fans in a convention environment would be to attend such an event in an observational capacity only. In addition to more extensive ethnographic studies to determine why this practice continues to be popular despite the current financial climate.
To summarise what was discussed in Chapter 3, the fan writing which is prolifically produced by the fans of Supernatural conforms to the standard identified in Jenkins’ (1992, 2006a) detailed insight into the practice - also with a focus on the sub-genre of slash. However, as detailed in the chapter, it is in the dominance of slash as a preferred genre for both readers and writers that make the Supernatural fan culture unusual when compared to other fan cultures which favour slash fiction but is less prolific in its production of it compared to the more traditional genres. This topic can be furthered by deeper analysis of what is being written; using the data collated by "MissyJack" as a starting point, coinciding with extended ethnographic research into who is writing, to determine whether Jenkins’ was correct in his suggestion that ‘Media fan writing is an almost exclusively feminine response to mass media texts.’ (Jenkins, 2006a:43) In addition to this, the popularity of RPF, despite its apparent taboo status in previous fan cultures, is an interesting occurrence to explore.
It is in the continuation of research into the topic of Chapter 5, where the most new information about fan cultures centred on television texts can be possibly garnered - both in tracking Collins’ future projects with the fans and whether this is a singular occurrence; looking at whether there are other actors, musicians, writers or personalities which are encouraging similar involvement of their fans. This would lead to questioning how successful have their endeavours been and what this means for the fan culture which originated the fans involved.
To sum up, while the Supernatural fan culture conforms to past examples of participation; it is in the branching out of the fans and its new relationship with the creative minds behind it that makes it an intriguing topic and text for further study.
Masterpost | Chapter 1: Introduction | Chapter 2: Asylum 5 a Fan Convention | Chapter 3: Fan Fiction: a Prolific Practice | Chapter 4: Postmodernism and Catering to the Fans | Chapter 5: New and Evolving Forms of Interaction | Chapter 6: Conclusion: Supernatural fan culture ahead of the game? | Filmography and Bibliography | Acknowledgments
Overall, what can be determined from this analysis is that the Supernatural fan culture and its fans continue to participate with the text and with each other in the standard ways that Jenkins (1992, 2006a) determined when analysing the Star Trek fans and their culture - they actively participate by attending dedicated conventions, and the increasingly high production rate of fan fiction being read and written highlights a continued fan interest in expanding the narrative depicted on screen. In addition to this, the fan culture seems to adhere to Levy’s (1997) theory of collective intelligence as the fans share knowledge constantly, culminating in a knowledge community which is collated for all to access via the cosmopedia - SupernaturalWiki, the online fan maintained encyclopaedia discussed in Chapter 3.
However, it is the evolution of the relationship between the fan and the text which suggests that fan cultures are changing, the Supernatural fan culture as a possible front runner. The dialogue discussed in Chapters 4 and 5 highlight an apparent effect that fans and their activities have on the actual show narrative - fan opinion on characters is reflected in their longevity, creators admit mistakes which may be influenced by fan commentary and finally the inclusion of metatextual comments relating to fan activity and practices. This opens up the possibility of further analysis of Supernatural and other genre based shows which may dabble in breaking the fourth wall; what is successful? When is it too far? Supernatural as a text itself is ripe for further discussion in the context of the contemporary television and its postmodern aspects.
In Chapter 2, the discussion of how fans interact while attending conventions was limited to the data provided by the participants of the questionnaire, while this provided a range of fan opinions on the practice of convention attendance and personal experiences - a way of furthering the study of fans in a convention environment would be to attend such an event in an observational capacity only. In addition to more extensive ethnographic studies to determine why this practice continues to be popular despite the current financial climate.
To summarise what was discussed in Chapter 3, the fan writing which is prolifically produced by the fans of Supernatural conforms to the standard identified in Jenkins’ (1992, 2006a) detailed insight into the practice - also with a focus on the sub-genre of slash. However, as detailed in the chapter, it is in the dominance of slash as a preferred genre for both readers and writers that make the Supernatural fan culture unusual when compared to other fan cultures which favour slash fiction but is less prolific in its production of it compared to the more traditional genres. This topic can be furthered by deeper analysis of what is being written; using the data collated by "MissyJack" as a starting point, coinciding with extended ethnographic research into who is writing, to determine whether Jenkins’ was correct in his suggestion that ‘Media fan writing is an almost exclusively feminine response to mass media texts.’ (Jenkins, 2006a:43) In addition to this, the popularity of RPF, despite its apparent taboo status in previous fan cultures, is an interesting occurrence to explore.
It is in the continuation of research into the topic of Chapter 5, where the most new information about fan cultures centred on television texts can be possibly garnered - both in tracking Collins’ future projects with the fans and whether this is a singular occurrence; looking at whether there are other actors, musicians, writers or personalities which are encouraging similar involvement of their fans. This would lead to questioning how successful have their endeavours been and what this means for the fan culture which originated the fans involved.
To sum up, while the Supernatural fan culture conforms to past examples of participation; it is in the branching out of the fans and its new relationship with the creative minds behind it that makes it an intriguing topic and text for further study.
Masterpost | Chapter 1: Introduction | Chapter 2: Asylum 5 a Fan Convention | Chapter 3: Fan Fiction: a Prolific Practice | Chapter 4: Postmodernism and Catering to the Fans | Chapter 5: New and Evolving Forms of Interaction | Chapter 6: Conclusion: Supernatural fan culture ahead of the game? | Filmography and Bibliography | Acknowledgments