UT Communications The Experience of Media Production Paper

? Part 1

As a child (6-17), did you participate in or were you a part of online fandom or online fan communities (as you understand it)? What were your fandoms?

Note that this question is not limited to media fandoms. For example, sports fandom may be included in your response, as long as your participation also takes place online.

If you answered Yes to question 1, how did participating and being a part of a fandom help you build an identity? Draw from specific examples in your life. At least one in-text citation from course materials is required. If you answered No to question 1, how do participating and being a part of a fandom help children and youth build an identity? At least three in-text citation from course materials are required. 

Required readings:

Pande, R. (2018). “Highlighting Diversity in Fandom Infrastructure” & “Anime and Manga Fandoms as Cross-Cultural Pathways to Media Fandom.” In Squee from the Margins: Fandom and Race (pp-34-44)

Korobkova, K. A. (2014). Schooling the directioners: Connected learning and identity-making in the One Direction fandom. Digital Media and Learning Research Hub.

? Part 2

How does the experience of media production represent a form of ’empowerment’ for youth, especially as it has now become so much more commonplace in their everyday lives?

Required readings:

Martens, M. (2011). Transmedia teens: Affect, immaterial labor, and user-generated content. Convergence, 17(1), 49-68.

Santo, R., Phelps, D., Angevine, C., Lotero, A., & Herz, L. (2021). Beyond home and school: community-based media and youth voice on pandemic life in the United States. Journal of Children and Media, 15(1), 112-116.