SALON: Fandom: The Next Generation
This salon proposes a discussion of reboot culture and long-running franchises as tandem forces that shape fandoms over time. Specifically, how might we consider fandoms as both intergenerational and transgenerational groups? What impact does generational difference create in fandoms, especially it is labelled and culturally defined by those in the industry (e.g. Boomers, Millennials…)? Today’s media landscape is a world where no IP is left behind. Media franchises, from sprawling transmedia universes like Star Wars and Marvel’s MCU to this summer’s sweet update of the children’s book series, The Baby-sitters Club, are constantly producing new content, being reimagined and rebooted. Additionally, many media franchises now stretch to durations previously unheard of for primetime television series: to date The Simpsons has aired 31 seasons, Grey’s Anatomy recently surpassed ER as the longest running medical drama of all-time, and fans of Supernatural were meant to tearfully say goodbye after 15 seasons…only to be thwarted by COVID-19 shutdowns. What, then, does it mean for fans of media franchises when content becomes insurmountable in size and spans decades in duration? How do writers and producers of rebooted and long-running media franchises seek to keep material fresh and attract new audiences without alienating core fans? How do longtime fans reconcile with changes, updates, and remakes to their beloved texts? In particular, we are interested in the ways that fan communities grapple with media texts shifting to reflect a desire for greater diversity in representations of gender, race, and sexuality—see, for example, the recent boom of gender-swapped reboots like 2016’s Ghostbusters and 2018’s Ocean’s 8. How might we understand generation as key component in these critical conversations?
Participants: Megan Connor (Indiana University), Bridget Kies (Oakland University), Morgan Bimm (York University), Peter Cullen Bryan (Portland State University), Meredith Dabek (Maynooth University), Laurel Rogers (University of Texas, Austin), Dawn Walls-Thumma (Independent Scholar) (moderator: Lesley Willard)
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