not sleeping with the band

Not Sleeping with the Band:Female Fandom Online

Presentation title shamelessly stolen from Nancy Baym’s Blog

Marj KibbyAoIR 2008 Copenhagen, Denmark

May 2, 2023

A presentation to AoIR 09 | www.newcastle.edu.au

2The music fan

Festival HallBrisbaneJune, 1964

May 2, 2023


3The music fan

The female music fan’s experience has been seen as a pre-teen idolization, rather than as a mature appreciation of the music culture.

May 2, 2023


4Gender in the online environment

Utopian vision of the internet:• Erase social differences of race, class and gender, • Physical characteristics seemingly invisible in the online world.

No utopia, however:• Women are using the Internet to resist sexism and empower

themselves by occupying spaces that are problematic in a face to face environment.

May 2, 2023


5Online fandom

The internet has changed the way that fans acquire and listen to music, exchange information, communicate with each other and connect with the musicians. It has changed the way that music fandom is experienced.

May 2, 2023


6Online fandom

• A growth in new discursive spaces and systems.

• A trend towards disintermediation

• A reconfigured experience of space and time.

Social chat

Within fandom a sense of individuality-in-community is articulated, and fan identity is dependent on a relationship with other fans.

This relationship is always available online.

May 2, 2023


7

May 2, 2023


8Social chat

“Before recording what is one if the greatest albums ever made, they came up with a couple of ep’s, including this one.

Fantastic of course, rich in flavour and feel, mood and text, but all words fail on describing track #l ‘Century Son’.

Let’s just say I haven’t heard a kaining rock song so hard since ‘Teen Spirit’, and before that ‘Search and Destroy’ ’’

(Steph 11/8/07).

May 2, 2023


9Connections

The ‘fanatic’ fandom usually ascribed to women is established as a norm for the group and consequently loses its gender associations.

May 2, 2023


10Connections

“I got to tick off everything on my list for these concerts...I met and talked with all of the band, embarassed myself by asking for their autographs, I got setlists on both nights (Glenn's on Thursday and Kiernan's on friday), danced during every song and screamed up a lung during both shows, and got to meet a few more people from this list.” (Mel 24/12/07)

“The Christmas shows were everything I hoped they would be and more. Well worth the trip, and I'll be joining Mel in booking early for next year's.” (James 28/12/07)

May 2, 2023


11Feelings

Social networking sites that facilitate talking and the sharing of personal and emotional content can be seen to validate traditionally female ways of connecting with friends, and of making friends with the objects of fandom.

May 2, 2023


12Feelings

“Just came in from a stressful day, and you’r message made me feel good. It is always nice to be amongst friends”

(U2girl 12/4/08)

May 2, 2023


13Space and Place

Fandom has traditionally been organized within local boundaries, and the virtual local opens up new places for the construction of fan communities.

Online spaces are not gender neutral, but there are indications that they are not as gender specific as their physical world equivalents. Limitations on physical factors such as safety and propriety lessen the gender gap in the experience of online space.

May 2, 2023


14Gendered fandom

What the Internet provides is not a whole new experience of fandom for women and girls, but rather enhanced opportunities, a greater variety of experiences, and increased returns for effort.

The internet makes it easier to be a fan, it changes the relationship between fans and between fans and musicians, and it makes it more rewarding to be a fan.

May 2, 2023


15Gendered Fandom

Gender does not disappear online.

However in the absence of physical cues, contributors have a greater chance of being respected and responded to as contributors rather than female contributors.

In the absence of physical barriers contributors have a greater chance of being female contributors.

not sleeping with the band

Technology