too big to kill: fandom will survive the internet bills
So much of fandom as a practice is done online now, and I don't think it should be that way!
I'm not super involved in fandom online. I like to think of myself as an amateur sociologist putting a magnifying glass up to online communities and going "hmm ..."
Fandom is the sandbox of the public sphere 1. People are coming together to discuss and debate real-world issues embedded into imaginary worlds.
Fandom as a practice has been going on (and going strong) since the late 1920s 2. Through pulp magazines, readers would send opinionated letters on stories (usually sci-fi), to be published in other editions. Editors and publishers even encouraged fans to exchange contacts, reach out to each other and organize!
There's been a lot of ruffled feathers regarding online safety bills (see: KOSA) and legislation relating to digital IDs that are being passed.
The consensus from fandoms and fans has been mixed (from what I've seen). Some believe the bills are more about data harvesting and targeting anyone who doesn't make hegemony their bitch. Others are happy to say 'good riddance' to the kids taking over their spaces.
This is going to -- and has, in the UK and Australia -- make sharing and creating fanart/fanfiction online very difficult. Regardless, fiction is powerful! Immersion into a different perspective can change hearts and minds, provoking us to "explore alternatives to the status quo"3.
As the internet becomes colonized by corporations, fans should look beyond the setting horizon of social media and go back to the basics: Make zines yes, but make them collaborative! Bring back those "letter to the editor" type responses. (Side tangent: When did collaborative zines get so professional anyway?)
The internet isn't forever -- the only thing that lasts is imagination, passion, and the desire to share. Fandom will find a way.
A place where regular people are allowed to express their opinions on society and current events.↩
The paper that backs this up (and inspired this post) is called "Clap If You Believe in Sherlock Holmes: Mass Culture and the Re-enchantment of Modernity".↩
The quote is also from "Clap If You Believe in Sherlock Holmes"↩