The fan base for My
Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is a perfect example of an information
community and participatory culture that uses emerging technologies in this way—including
coordinating social media platforms with fan websites—to help facilitate
communication between members and provide a fulfilling experience for them.
For this blog post, I decided to interview members of the MLP: FIM community who frequented one of
the main fan fiction sites for MLP-related
materials, FimFiction.net. This I did by posting a notice through my personal
user account on the site, hoping fellow fans might come across or respond to
it. And imagine my surprise when—within a few hours—not just one but two writers volunteered to do the interview!
This, in and of itself, illustrates the ease with which members on such sites
can connect or stay updated on what other fans are doing within the community
on-line. For the convenience of these two members, I put together a
survey-style interview that FimFiction.net allowed me to send to them by
Personal Message (PM).
Here were their wonderful responses:
1) How did you learn
about the series My Little Pony:
Friendship is Magic?
Dustin Lange: I first learned about My
Little Pony: Friendship is Magic through my friend at school. I saw he was
listening to a song called "Lullaby For a Princess," by Ponyphonic on
his computer and asked him why he was litening to a song about ponies. He then
told me about it, and I have loved the show ever since.
Weeping Angel of
Darkness: I was on
Netflix and clicked a random show. My Little Pony.
2) What are your favorite MLP-related sites
(such as Equestria Daily, Derpybooru, Fimfiction.net, etc) to visit, and why?
Dustin Lange: My favorite site to visit
is FIMFiction.net because I love to read and write.
Weeping Angel of
Darkness: I only
get on FIMfiction, I like the stories that I find....
Dustin Lange: I use FIMFiction.net to
get news about the show, read fan stories, and connect with other bronies. I
prefer using this site over others because it has the highest density of
stories and fans of any site I have used.
Weeping Angel of
Darkness: [Same as #2]
4) How often do you interact with other members? Is this usually by commenting on their works, contacting them individually (like by email/PM), or both?
Dustin Lange: I interact with other
members on a daily basis by both commenting on their works and by private
messages.
Weeping Angel of
Darkness: I really
only get on here, but a friend is a brony, so I talk to him. But that isn't
exactly social media is it?
5) What aspect of the
MLP: FIM fan community do you enjoy the most?
Dustin Lange: The aspect I enjoy the
most about the MLP:FIM fan community is how friendly and caring other fans are!
I have gotten a lot of help from a lot of people who have no reason to care for
me – a total stranger on the internet – but they still took the time out of
their day to try and help me!
Weeping Angel of Darkness: Reading/writing fanfics of course. It is like singing. I know that I cannot do it, but I do it anyway. I love it.
Weeping Angel of Darkness: Reading/writing fanfics of course. It is like singing. I know that I cannot do it, but I do it anyway. I love it.
6) What are some of
your favorite ways to participate in this fandom?
Dustin Lange: I love to participate in
the fandom in many ways! I love to read and write, listen to and make music, as
well as discuss the show with other bronies!
Weeping Angel of
Darkness: I write
fanfics, and give strength to other bronies by announcing that I am one and
being persecuted.
7) Are there any
areas regarding either the show or fan community you would like to see studied
in greater detail (for example, scholarly articles, books, or scientific
studies on the growth of the fan base or its impact on our society)?
Dustin Lange: I would love to see how
bronies have effected the way society views masculinity. I have always heard
that bronies have made an impact, but I haven't seen anyone look into just how
much it has changed.
Weeping Angel of
Darkness: Well, I
WOULD like to see more polls and stuff, and a book or two would be nice. I am
thinking of having a study similar to this one on fave characters and seeing
how it works. I think they should in fact take more surveys on the impact that
the show has on our lives.
8) Finally, what
advice or wisdom would you like to share with those new to MLP: FIM and the fan
base about this community?
Dustin Lange: If you are friendly,
(most) people will be friendly back. If you are a jerk, people will try to
reason with you. If you continue to be a jerk, people will rip you apart.
Weeping Angel of
Darkness: Be bold.
I have to admit that this show unites us, and we are often great communities
of... well, love. Have fun, and express yourself!
From these interviews with Dustin Lange and Weeping Angel of
Darkness, it is clear to see that the MLP:
FIM fandom is a friendly community where members go out of their way to
help others succeed. Fans will also tend to gravitate towards sites relevant to
their interests, such as FimFiction.net—where they can share their writings,
enjoy those of other fans, and strengthen their skills. Regardless of which
site they visit, however, all participants in this culture have a well-founded
desire to know how their information community has impacted the world even
beyond on-line spaces. They want to know how this type of interaction and
similar show-related members will affect their lives and the lives of other people.
And that sense of belonging within this information
community, and the wish to make the world a better place as a result, are
powerful messages stressed by the MLP:
FIM fan base.
References
- Darkness, W.
(Personal communication, November 16, 2014).
- Jenkins, H., Clinton, K., Purushotma, R., Robison, A. J., & Weigel,
M. (n.d.) Confronting the challenge of participatory culture: Media education
for the 21st century. [PDF File]. Building the Field of Digital
Media and Learning: An Occasional Paper on Digital Media and Learning.
Retrieved from http://www.macfound.org/media/article_pdfs/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF (Links to an external site.)
-Lange, D. (personal communication, November 15, 2014).
- Stephens, M. (2006). Exploring web 2.0 and libraries. Library Technology
Reports 42(4), 8-14. Retrieved from http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23317356&site=ehost-live (Links to an external site.)
I love that your community members also found out about MLP:FIM through technology--Netflix and streaming music on a computer. This week's module has made me appreciative of technology is so many ways. Lately technology can often get a bad reputation--everyone is on their smart phones, no one talks anymore, blah blah blah. But reading about the emerging technologies and thinking about the ways they bring people together is so exciting!
ReplyDeleteThat's very true. You have to know when to simply enjoy the surrounding world, but technology can truly do amazing things. Transmedia storytelling is particularly fascinating, and it's something that has really allowed MLP: FIM as a fan base to take off (and it has for many other information communities).
DeleteAh. We live in a wondrous era, don't we? ^_^
I just can't help but love the answer WAOD gave when asked about writing fan fiction, and how it's like an inability to sing--you just do it anyway. It really shows how fun your community members really are. I also love that your community is so forthright in coming forward to discuss the community itself, it seems that technology and the internet is an important portal for them.
ReplyDeleteThey are definitely a wonderful group of artists! I love how friendly everyone in this community, such as on fan sites like FimFiction.net--and how they use technology to connect with friends and other creative individuals (it's astonishing). ^_^
DeleteThanks! It is truly amazing how information communities find different ways to connect or share resources. ;3 Your information community is really neat as well.
ReplyDelete