Geek As Citizen

Fan I am #4: Fandom Identity And Pathology

by

Planetary Collision

We’ve all been there. Some of us may be there right now and wish we weren’t.

The fandom meltdown. The flame wars, the slander, the arguing, and perhaps even the outright confrontations and questionable activity. We’ve all got a story of arguments, of failed endeavors, of con overspending, and so for.

Now when you back up and say “but aren’t we here to like the same things” it makes one think. Why the people dedicated to “liking” something are so busy hating each other and creating problems.  It sort of botches the whole goal.

In fact, it may seem fans hate each other more. As a friend once, when discussing a specific (and yes, unnamed) fandom noted that he saw more infighting among fans than he did in people who didn’t like said fans. Familiarity is seriously a petri dish for contempt.

So as I noted I think there’s five kinds of fans: Recreational, General, Social, Active, and Applied. People may just relax, or their fandom is part of their overall active and probably professional life.

I think conflicts can actually be understood as meltdowns in specific spheres. Usually this leaves the Recreational and General fans going “WTF?”*

But for others, it makes perfect sense. Or at least imperfect sense.

Here’s where I think it happens.

Read more

Geek Catalog Update 11/2/2014

by

Here’s our latest Geek Catalog updates! This one leans heavy towards coding, Canada, and female geeks!

If you want to check out the full catalog, go to the lists sorted by Geekery and by Focus!

Comics

  • Charity

Computing

  • Female Geeks
    • Girls Learning Code – A Canadian non-profit that focuses on helping young women learn technical skills in a supportive atmosphere.
    • Ladies Learning Code – A Canadian non-profit that focuses on helping people learn beginner technical skills in a comfortable, social way.
    • Rails Girls – A worldwide group that works to empower women with technology.
  • Youth Education
    • Kids Learning Code – A Canadian non-profit that focuses on helping young people learn technical skills in a supportive atmosphere.

Video Games

  • Academics
    • Digital Games Research Association – An association for academics and professionals who research digital games and things related to them. Includes events, a journal, a conference, and more.
  • Charitable Work
    • Get Well Gamers – A foundation to bring video games to children’s hospitals in the US.
    • Get Well Gamers UK – A foundation to bring video games to children’s hospitals in the UK

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.musehack.com/, publishes books on career and culture at http://www.informotron.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.

Fan I Am #3: Identifying As A Fan

by

Whirlpool

Previously I identified the following forms of fans:

  • Recreational – The fandom is fun.
  • General Interest – There is definite interest in the subject, and time is put in.but not much is done with it.
  • Social – One identifies with, socializes, and bonds with other fans.
  • Active – One is actively doing things in the fandom.
  • Applied – One’s fandom interest is involved in career and/or large parts of one’s life.

So now we’re back to one of the questions that started this all: does it make sense to identify as a fan.

I meet so many fans and people for whom fandom is a strong part of their identity. I also see pathology in fandom identity, in flamewars and meltdowns and worse. Yet I also see people for whom it delivers passion and happiness.

So it makes sense to ask such a question.

But First . . .

Read more