In the last few weeks of my Overview of Industry class, we have delved into the topic of fans, from their roles, to who they can be, and how they can influence your work. My previous opinion of fans was that they were people who admired the creative projects of others, and probably idolised them to some degree. As such, this meant that I came into these handful of classes with a somewhat closed state of mind, thinking, “how the hell could screaming girls ever help One Direction on their next project?”. Turns out I just was not thinking big enough, and when it really comes down to it, now I could confidently say that without fan collaboration, a lot of projects would cease to exist – especially in the case of internet dependent projects.
In an age where sharing has been made instantaneous thanks to the internet, the 21st Century has opened up multiple doors and is changing the way that humans can create. I think that is most obvious when looking at the rise of social media and in particular the rise of Youtube. Whilst I have already briefly discussed Youtube as a creative profession in a separate blogpost, I very much glossed over the colossal role that fans have in this niche of internet creatives. Youtube, as a platform, was founded on collaborations between people all around the world. In the early years, no one was a ‘Youtube star’, and the site became popular by normal people sharing their lives through video, finding friends and building communities. This was all on a very small scale though, until a handful of channels decided to fuel the website’s strong collaborative environment, the most noticeable among them being Hank and John Green, and their Youtube channel, ‘Vlogbrothers’. In the year of 2007, brothers Hank and John, who lived across country from each other, decided to give up all text-based communication for a year and only converse with each other via weekly video blogs. The project, titled ‘Brotherhood 2.0’ quickly gained them following on Youtube, and once 2007 had ended, the two continued to post videos discussing topics relating to media, gaming, charity, and education. They also continued to gain popularity on the internet, and are still considered to be leading figures on the era that brought on online media and communities. One of the biggest feats of their community (dubbed ‘Nerdfighteria’, or ‘Nerdfighters’ when referring to individuals), is their annual event of ‘Project for Awesome’, a yearly movement that sees the Vlogbrothers community create and share videos promoting their favourite charity since 2007. Originally funded through the crowdfunding website Indiegogo, this project creates multiple interactions and networking opportunities for any creative with internet access, whilst also successfully produces one of the largest scale internet collaborations with the intent to raise awareness and donations for charities worldwide. Ten years from the Brotherhood 2.0 project, the Green brothers continue to promote online community and collaboration, through their multiple projects such as DFTBA Records and Crash Course. The Green brothers are also the founders of VidCon, an annual online video conference, which is now considered the largest in-person gathering of online video creators, viewers, and representatives.
Whilst I still remain unconvinced about the effectiveness (and in most cases, legitimacy) of crowdfunding, my Overview of Industry classes have highlighted to me instances where they have proved very effective (as well as my own research into the origin of Project for Awesome).
'I Am Also a We' - Sense8, Season 1, Episode 2
The Green brothers have produced huge victories over the years through their use of fan collaboration, and continue to teach the world – myself especially – the benefits of online community and partnership, especially in a time where most have negative opinions on the effects of the internet. I believe that the morals of Hank and John Green and their brands are the future of the creative industries, as a space that promotes education, kindness, and highlights the beauty of humanity’s ability to not only create, but create together.
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