LFTVD - Fandom and Question 4 practice

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TO WHAT EXTENT DO FAN-MADE MEDIA PRODUCTS FOR LONG FORM TELEVISION DRAMAS REFLECT THE FIVE ELEMENTS OF HENRY JENKINS' THEORY OF PARTICIPATION CULTURE? [10 marks]

The theory of Participatory Culture is a concept that allows for the understanding of a long form television drama's audience; it deals with the function and structure of fandom, its five elements. Fan-made media products play a key part within the function of fandom. The artistic expression and communal engagement with dramas such as Stranger Things and Deutschland 83 is what builds up the structure of a fan base, that will eventually fall somewhere along Jenkins' five elements of participatory culture. Jenkins believes that fans play a key role in the circulation of media. The media products that they create allow for further advertisement and reach of LFTVDs and thus are a main factor in the circulation. 

The Stranger Things audience demographic consists of mostly men that are between the ages of 18-29. Despite this, there is common factor for fandom members of the drama: they are nearly always younger women that are between the ages of 14-20 (approximately), with a few exceptions. Some of the fan made media products produced by these members comprise of Instagram fan accounts, YouTube channels, and blog reviews. When compared to Jenkins' five elements, it can be argued that these products reflect the theory very well. More specifically, the Instagram fan account, "@strangerthingss.ig", is dedicated to posting daily Stranger Things content that can be said to fit into the guidelines of the theory. The account is dedicated to posting both snippets of cast interviews and fan-made edits, implying that they fall into the elements of supporting fan-contributions, belonging to a form of mentorship, and providing social connections between members of the fandom. The account is littered with fan-made art, edits and videos - not all by the account holder - and it is completely free to access.

The Deutschland 83 audience demographic consists of mostly men that are between the ages of 14-49. Similarly to Stranger Things, the fandom for Deutschland 83 has a large number of women that contribute to making the fan-made products - but with this drama it is less - although they do stay within the age demographic (considering it is very wide). Some of the fan made media products produced by these members comprise of a Soundcloud podcast and a blog review. When compared to Jenkins' five elements, it can be argued that these products reflect most of the theory very well. For example, the Soundcloud podcast "The Role Models Podcast" is dedicated to posting a series of interviews that capture and shape the stories of inspiring women. In one specific episode - #42 - the hosts, Isa Sonnenfeld and David Noël, are interviewing Anna Winger, the screenwriter for Deutschland 83 and 86. Within the episode, they share Anna's experience of creating the drama and tips for budding screenwriters. The podcast thus implies that it fits into the elements of having low barriers for communal engagement - as it is free to listen - and provides a form of mentorship by including Winger. The episode has no comments, but the option is available. 

Overall, fan-made media products for long form television dramas can be argued to relatively reflect the five elements of Jenkins' participatory culture theory. The theory explores an optimistic view of the power of audiences over the circulation of television content and this is reinforced by the multitudinous variety of fan-made media products that exist to promote the dramas.  

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