all I know about fandom I learned from you guys...

[flea]

Here's a silly thing that's been preying on my brain lately: mediafandom? Stupid name. I mean, what does "media" mean? I have read enough of y'all's meta to know it isn't the NEWS media, which is what the non-fannish first thought goes to. As I see it, mediafandom seems to describe people who entered fandom through television shows (especially Xfiles, among my acquaintance), in contrast to people who were attending scifi cons and in the zine scene before this dang newfangled technology came along. Am I wrong? But then, where does Harry Potter fit in, since that seems to be in mediafandom but he's a book? Or wasn't he fannish before there were movies? I'm so confused.

Anyway, why not simply call it television-fandom, not mediafandom, and keep me from flashing to Dan Rather all the time? Also, the pedant in me wishes to observe that every mode of communication is a medium - print, television, etc.

Who made up this name?

Your mundane friend,
flea

Comments

[veejane.livejournal.com]

P.S. -- "Mundane" as a term is an SF culture thing, and media fandom mostly doesn't have a name for "people not like us."

It is kind of freaky to me that people really do use the term "mundane" as an insult word, meaning "those people not smart enough to see the Blazing Intelligence and Forwardlooking Excitement of SF" -- like, I thought it was ironic for a long, long time. For some (SF) people, not ironic.

Which is why I am glad that there is no common-use term for not-media-fen among the media fannish. I can only cross my eyes so many times before they stick that way.

[casperflea.livejournal.com]

For the record, I was using it ironically, above.

[veejane.livejournal.com]

Far be it from me to recognize irony when I see it!!

That way lies a sad lack of kerfuffling, and where would media fandom be without kerfuffling? I ask you!

[casperflea.livejournal.com]

Also, while we're being linguistic, can you find me the origins of "fen"? I think it's a fun one.

[veejane.livejournal.com]

I can give you a cite when I get home, but it is one of many language-modifications that evolved as a "we're different from those other people" thing, along with a lot of descriptive vocabulary. Instead of fans, fen. No, it makes no sense to me either, and yet I use it alla time.