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[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

I think ones of the pressing issues in Jake Paul’s fandom is the synthetic aspects how his following is able to grow, thanks to YouTube for being a place where people have access to free content. Unlike a song you have to purchase on iTunes or a movie in the theatre that you have to buy tickets to, watching Jake Paul’s videos don’t serve as any cost to the viewer. As a result of its accessibility, YouTube popularity does not necessarily distinguish talent, unlike other forms of entertainment, where one has to make a decision on whether or not they want to pay money to buy the song or see the movie, based on whether or not they think it will be good, whereas watching a YouTube video, regardless of whether or not the viewer finds it good, benefits the creator of the video by providing them views and allowing them to potentially show up on the trending videos page on YouTube. However, watching a YouTube video does cost time to the viewer. Jake Paul originally rose to fame on Vine, and maintained his earlier Vine fans when he crossed over to YouTube, because Vines are only 6 second videos, so it does not cost the viewer any money or that much time to view them, only contributing further to Jake Paul’s success.

-Rebecca Goldfarb

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

For paper 3 I think I want to write about the influence that Harry Potter and the Harry Potter fandom have had on fan culture and other fandoms. I know that many other fandoms have sorted their characters into the 4 Hogwarts Houses, and it got me thinking how else Harry Potter has effected other fandoms.

-Zach Kern 

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

Walter Benjamin

Walter Benjamin talks about the idea of an actor playing themselves in film and this represents a falseness that lacks the aura of the theater. To an extent, I think this is true in psych, as the actors do play characters that have a chemistry similar to that of the actors in real life. However, I don’t believe it represents a falseness, instead, it has its own aura. The show is a very real place and time and, although it may be stitched together, the atmosphere of watching the show and the environment it is seen in creates its own aura. In theater, one is always missing something and, depending on one's seat, one is being directed to look in a certain place or having certain moments blocked room view. TV and Psych is more unifying. It presents a form of entertainment that can be watched and rewatched to see everything that was missed, and although things are cut, each moment is experienced by a viewer in a specific place and tie, which gives the show an aura, even if it is a conditional one.

-Lissa Sangree-Calabrese

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

This is a very interesting paper topic choice, especially with the rise of alternative music as a part of hipster culture (as discussed in class as culture that isn’t mainstream, which is ironic since it’s becoming mainstream). I was wondering if you are going to focus on a specific indie rock band, or speak more in vague terms of the fandom/group of fans who like the genre as a whole. You could also potentially examine the differences between indie rock fandoms and stereotypical pop fandoms, as fans of indie rock are more invested in the music than the bands themselves and dedicate themselves to the genre, rather than one specific band. Though, I think that examining the change of the subculture of indie rock music over time is definitely an interesting route to follow for your paper.

Goodluck!

I think I will write about indie rock for the research paper. Indie rock is a kind of music genre originated around 1980, mostly with independent record label. When first originated, indie rock is considered “alternative” and had little commercial success and popularity. Its fandom is kind of a subculture. However, as Hebdige suggested, subculture will eventually be incorporated into mainstream culture. The fate of indie rock seems like the embodiment of this argument— achieving commercial success, becoming mainstream over time. I hope to explore how the concept and fan base of indie rock changed across time, what social factor caused its emergence, and how society influenced the subject and style of this genre.

—Wanchen Zhao

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

I think these are both good starting points for the third paper. The BTS fandom has a vast fandom with lots of different social groups within it, which might be beneficial in exploring the concept of social hierarchy and how the fans interact and engage in conflict; then again, the fact that there are millions of fans collecting in different ways might complicate the process of identifying general trends. For either paper topic, you might want to consider integrating to topic of what makes a “true” or “good” ARMY or stan (whether one has to actively vote/stream, or just appreciation is enough), and the social constructions around that idea.

-Richard W

One of the most pressing issues within the BTS fandom is the separation between international and Korean fans. While all of the fans love and support BTS, they lack unity and acceptance of each other. Korean fans tend to look down upon international fans, especially those who cannot speak or understand Korean. Often times, international fans regard Korean fans as over-the-top and shame some of their behavior, such as stalking and mobbing the band at the airport (although international fans can/do mob the band as well). Because of this divide, there are often fights within the BTS fandom and a “social hierarchy” between the types of fans.

Another issue regarding the BTS fandom is the fan wars. Fan wars are feuds between two fandoms and in Kpop, some fans believe one can only be fans of one group. Those who like more than one group are sometimes shamed and if they like two groups that are “feuding” (which is usually just made up by the fans and in reality, the bands are not actually feuding), they are sometimes shunned from a fandom. Other fans start fan wars, whether it be by making up rumors about another band or making fun of one of the band members, and relations can get heated within the two fandoms.

These two relationships in regards to the BTS fans, one within the fandom and the other with other fandoms, are what I would like to focus on for my 3rd paper, as there is a lot to explore.

-Lily Weaver

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

I think your topic has great potential; what you are investigating seems very interesting. I like how you combined gender into the sneaker fandom. This actually reminds me of the feminist movement in the 1960s when women wore male apparels; I wonder if there is a connection between the two. I think you can narrow the focus of your essay to a more concise thesis. 

For paper 3, I want to explore why more women are now entering the male dominated field of sneaker culture. In the past decade there has been an increase in women sneakerheads. For a long time sneaker culture was not fully inclusive of women. The sneaker designers were mostly males and designed sneakers for women that they perceived women would want to wear. So these male sneaker designers would have stereotypical designs with very girly colors on women sneakers. In recent years sneaker company have given more opportunities for women designers and women athletes to endorse the sneakers they collaborated on or designed. I want to examine why more women are now interested in joining the sneaker culture? Why people pay hundreds upon thousands of dollars for sneakers? How has the fans in the sneakers culture evolved? What impact has sneakers culture brought to American culture and politics?

-Jessica Lu

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

I think you have a very interesting topic. However, I think you may want to consider developing your idea into a more arguable thesis. Right now it seems like your paper might be a bit of a report on why Hayao Miyazaki’s animes were so popular. Maybe if you compare and contrast the most popular ones, and what it is that makes them so popular, your paper will be a little easier to get length out of. 

For my paper 3, I want to write about how Hayao Miyazaki was so famous for the anime he created. All the anime film that Hayao Miyazaki created was very touching. For example, My Neighbor Totoro. It talked about the friendship between the girl and Totoro. I am interested in Hayao Miyazaki’s anime and I am very curious about how he got those ideas.

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

As boring as it may sound, I would like to dive deeper into the political analysis of Game of Thrones and the social commentary it brings to our society today. Game of Thrones attacks many controversial topics today and puts power within the hands of those who in many ways are people who originally have nothing. It will be interesting to investigate how Game of Thrones draws parallels to our world today.

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

For my paper 3, I want to write about how Hayao Miyazaki was so famous for the anime he created. All the anime film that Hayao Miyazaki created was very touching. For example, My Neighbor Totoro. It talked about the friendship between the girl and Totoro. I am interested in Hayao Miyazaki’s anime and I am very curious about how he got those ideas.

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

I think I might write on the ways the Star Wars fandom has received the ethos of the works of William Shakespeare. In particular, I will examine this matter in comparison to the works of a director known to have influenced the Star Wars franchise. Namely, the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, in his films, Throne of Blood and Ran. These films are adaptations of Shakespeare's Macbeth and King Lear, respectively. The fan texts I will use to gauge their side of the relationship will be Ian Doscher’s Shakespeare's Star Wars, consisting of the eponymous work, subtitled Verily, A New Hope, The Empire Striketh Back, The Jedi Doth Return, The Phantom of Menace, The Clone Army Attacketh, The Tragedy of The Sith’s Revenge, and The Force Doth Awaken. These may be problematic in their capacity as fan texts, as, contra Fiske’s notion of the Cultural Economy of Fandom (described in class as a “gift economy”), they are broadcast, rather than narrowcast texts, and may thus carry additional legitimacy.

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

For my third essay, I want to focus on why Roger attract the most fans among all the greatest tennis players and athletes. For what he did both on the tennis court and to the society, he becomes not only one of the greatest athletes, but also a man who devotes himself to the society. We can often see him helping children with ALS and other illnesses. His sportsmanship doesn’t limit on the tennis court but also inspire people in the society

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

I would first like to acknowledge that you have a strong take on Rihanna’s indirect and subtle contributions to feminism especially in our modern day society. Her perseverance of being a strong, independent women of color who preaches only what she does gains her respect and trust from her fans. She recently won the humanitarian award and she raises money for those in need which are two great examples of her contributions to society that you can definitely touch upon in paper two. These not only contribute to feminism but other issues she was involved in as you’ve mentioned above. Furthermore, I would say to explore deeply on Rihanna’s real and relatable personality as a pop culture artist whose life may be as messy and as imperfect as her fans. What makes her contributions to feminism sparkle unlike other singers who also contributed to feminisim? I think you can direct your attention towards how her bravery contributes to feminism. A lot of feminists may not agree with her style and approach maybe because they haven’t tried it or because it is new and strange. But shouldn’t they embrace that Rihanna wears anything and that she can build her own confidence also influencing young women to do the same? What is Rihanna doing that other pop artists are not doing and how does her subtle and natural attitude benefit her fans? Rihanna knows how to love herself and her self growth is a huge factor in her popularity and the love she gains from her fans. You have many ways to weave in all these aspects and maybe even more for your paper. Good luck! :) 

Paper 3 Focus

For my paper three, I think I want to focus on the huge role Rihanna has played in today’s society as being a strong, independent, hard-working women and how it relates to feminism. Rihanna is one of the biggest feminists of pop culture, yet she doesn’t need to broadcast a long paragraph saying how she’s a feminist on every social media account, but rather actually acts on her stance and shows it in real life. Rihanna is a girl of many talents and is involved in many issues, but this one is a very important and pressing matter, especially today. She may not be the first feminist you would think of when asked, but she will be after this paper and looking at all the different subtle yet confident things she does and lives her life by that show she is a feminist, and “we all should be feminists” (shirt in the picture). 

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

For my third paper I would like to look into the idea of sampling in music. Kanye West is famous for his use of sampling in music and incorporating different styles into his songs. This has helped him as an artist by differentiating himself from other artists by having unique sounds. Sampling is a form of fan production because the artist is taking a beat, lyric, or melody and incorporating it with their own ideas, just as a fan writer would. This is not done to replace the original work but to put a new take on what it could be. from Kanye’s earliest work to the present this is a major part of his work.

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

For the third paper, I will be focusing on the different dynamic of the Mean Girls fandom has in regards to a stereotypical fandom. The Mean Girls fandom is not identified by a nickname or a group of people who unite in order to praise the classic film. Instead, it is an entire culture of teens and young adults who can’t help but relate, or wish they could relate, to the characters and their experiences.

Additionally, the aura of the movie Mean Girls can be accredited to its ability to remain, and continue to be, relevant even after having been released over a decade ago. There are, and have always been, movies about the quintessential high school experience because people will always be in high school or going to high school. Therefore, its presence in time will always be pertinent.

The main form of reproduction comes from quoting the movie and continually relating it everyday situations. This reproductions takes form in gifs with reactions, pictures with quotes, and clips from the movie. Mean Girls has become more than just a movie, but a work of art that contains more cultural significance than anyone would like to admit.

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

For my third paper, I would like to focus on the how to rise of digital platforms has contributed to the consistency of the One Direction fandom even through their current indefinite hiatus. I want to explore what perpetuates their cyclical fandom despite the fact that people seem to “outgrow” it. Overall, I am most interested in how the idea of aura affects the fandom in the digital age, as well as how the concept of sameness contributes to the success of this particular boy band while other similar boy bands have not received the same amount of recognition.

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

For my third paper, I would like to focus on how the Beatles attracted so many fans so fast, and how they continue to live on today as one of the most popular bands in history. What makes them different from prior bands of their era? How did they influence society socially?

Not only were they insanely talented, good-looking, and introduced during a fortuitous time, but they also were a tightly knit group. They created the fan frenzy known as Beatlemania, which I will analyze in great deapth. An important part of their triumph included targeting certain fan groups and changing the theme of their music, to avoid repetition. Their popularity caused masses of people to attended concerts to a point where the fans hysterical screams often drowned out the Beatles own voices. I hope to break down their rise to success and their continued glorification.

-Daniela Delphus

[britneybroniesbeliebers2017]

For my third essay, I am going to investigate the relationship that the Buffy fandom has had with the creator of the show, Joss Whedon. Whedon is known for many other works, particularly in science fiction, but is infamous in the hearts of Buffy fans for gifting them with the show. Whedon has had much controversy surrounding him both in his personal life and professional life, and I want to explore how this affects the fandom in its enjoyment of the show, if it affects it at all. I want to find out if questionable actions from behind the scenes of a show can make fans second guess themselves, or if this can be overlooked due to the quality of the show. 

-Lulu