I interviewed Prof. Henry Jenkins, and he provided an excellent insight that changed my initial view of fanfiction and the fandom.

HIGHLIGHTS

“When you write fanfic. Are you trying to do art? Mostly not. And I think that’s what’s so good about fanfic is so much of it is bad. I say that because it creates a space where you can be bad and get better. You can be bad, get feedback, get better, and that makes it a more democratized art form.

And it also motivates you because you read a piece of bad fanfic, and you say, well, I can write better than that. Whereas if you read Moby Dick, you don’t say that. Or if you watch The Godfather, you don’t say, I can make a better movie than that.”

If you’re in a world where only the very best gets released, which is the world of mass media. It doesn’t create incentives for us to create art. Whereas participatory culture depends on there being bad art that we can push beyond. Yeah. Definitely. To have a space to be bad and improve. And both of those are key parts, I think, of fan fiction.”

——Prof. Henry Jenkins

REFLECTION: Henry was very down-to-earth in our talk and he really nailed at saying what makes fanfiction unique to people within the fandom. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about having the freedom to mess up, learn, and get better. Fanfiction lets anyone try their hand at storytelling, no matter their skill level, and that’s what makes it so empowering and fun.

EVALUATION: It’s easier to be creative if we focus on creating “bad art” as a starting point. This creates a safe space where people can grow and experiment, making fanfiction a unique and inclusive way to spark creativity and tell stories.

EXPERT INTRODUCTION:

Henry Jenkins is a renowned media scholar and cultural critic, best known for his work on participatory culture, convergence culture, and fan studies. He is a professor at the University of Southern California and the author of numerous influential books, including “Convergence: The Future of Media” and “Fandom: Identities and Communities in the Age of the Internet.” Jenkins’ research explores how media technologies and fan communities shape our understanding of culture and identity.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT:

EVIDENCE:

BONUS: being invited to join the Transcultural Fandom of East Asia, a group of researchers of fan studies that Mr.Jenkins is recruiting along his travels. The aim of the Fandom is to broadcast the voice of the East-Asian fandom (Mr.Jenkins mentioned that he had fallen in love with Shanghai based fandom, which he thinks is the most vibrant and creative and engaging fan culture in the world). I was overjoyed to be invited. I really look forward to being with a group of researchers and looking at their direction of work. Because it’s definitely gonna be different than simply investigating alone on this area.