As long as there is mass media, there will always be junkies of it. While during the time of Jenkins, these psychotically-obsessed fans were considered outcasts, the technological advances behind the internet, seemed to streamline these types of fans into social acceptance.
The best example I have of this, is a personal one. This summer I worked for an independent book-buying company in Cincinnati. One of my main projects was coordinating a book launch party for the last installment of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, Breaking Dawn. In case you are unaware of what this series is (do not feel bad, last May I was right there with you), it a high school love story between a mortal, Bella Swan, and a vampire, Edward Cullen, for primarily girls, ages 9 to 17. Basically, think of how big Harry Potter was and add in material somewhat, sexually-explicit for tweens. On top of the standard excitement for the last installment of any highly-read series, the first novel is being made into a movie which comes out this coming Friday.
As I started my research and reading of the novel, I experienced one of the peaks of mass media fanatics; the Twilighters. At the time of my internship, there were over 1000 fan devotion website, each of which had running discussion boards, live chats, countdowns to the novel and film release. The author released music she listens to as she writes the novel, which has lead to major success on iTunes. MTV and several radio stations have had Twilight weeks recently. YouTube had a plethora of fan-created videos in tribute both to the release of the film, as well as Bella/Edward love tributes. Companies have created shirts based on popular ideas from the book. There was even an array of pretty terrible fan fiction, including one girl’s prayer thanking God for Edward Cullen.
At the actual event, there was not a trivia question that could stump the costume-clad participants who were eager to fight with each other over character rivalries. At midnight when they did receive the novel, several of the girls cried hysterically as they thanked me. Unsurprisingly, the next day the book was a #1 Best-Seller.
Before the internet, most of this phenomenon would not have been possible. While the book could create success and sales at high numbers, the distribution of updates from Stephenie Meyer’s website, the initial underground selling of clothes and the united front of fans would be meek. All the new technology, be it the internet or the capabilities with the iTouch or cell phones, has basically given mass culture one giant steroid pill. Since a television show can now hit books, billboards, websites, advertisements, magazines, shopping, cell phones, and magazines, over-exposure has led more to jump on the bandwagon. (You like what Serena wore on last Monday’s episode of Gossip Girls? Well, now the CW’s website, several fashion magazines, and naturally fansites will be able to tell you just how to get the look.)
Today, it is not so much about good taste and bad taste, like Jenkins discusses. Some of the best selling books, magazines, movies, and television shows are mostly guilty pleasures. These are more often than not the type of works that generate Twilighters and Trekkies. While these readers may poach the text to a new level, the reality-fiction blurred obsession has become acceptable. Markets across the board are seeing increases from the Twilighters, and the internet is serving as their supernatural-loving playground.
More on the Twilight Obsession (Just in case you want to get a glimpse)--
Author Website: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/
Fansite: http://www.freewebs.com/bellaedward101/index.htm
Clothing now sold at Hot Topic: http://search.hottopic.com/clothing/Twilight
Movie Website: http://www.twilightthemovie.com/
YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y-vCA0MWsE
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