Fandom Stands Out for Its Culture of Gift-Giving

In a world where everything from advice to parents to rating the best toaster oven can be a source of income, fan communities stand out for a very different norm. Most of us are accustomed to online content that is monetized in some way. Mommy bloggers include diaper ads for income, Amazon influencers happily receive free merchandise in exchange for unboxing and recommendation videos. Podcasts and YouTube channels have Patreon tiers to ensure a steady stream of income in return for a steady stream of content. In contrast, the norm in fan communities has long been for enthusiasts to make content for other fans for free—it’s known as a gift economy.

A gift economy is a mode of exchange in a culture in which goods or services are given to others in the community without any expectation of financial reward. This tradition of creating, gifting, receiving, and reciprocating, builds strong social ties and a sense of obligation to the community and to others in the community. Followers invest a tremendous amount of time and energy and even financial resources into creating things for other fans to enjoy, without any expectation of receiving monetary compensation. The goal is to share the joy of something that both people love, with the recognition that celebrating something together is more fulfilling than enjoying it alone.

Source: Yan Krukov/Pexels

That’s not to say that there isn’t an exchange happening, communities are vibrant and lively places because fans generate content of many kinds for others. They write hundreds of thousands of words of fanfiction about their favorite fictional characters or real-life actors or singers. They create fan art and videos depicting those characters or people. In many cases, fan works bring to life situations and relationships that never happened in canon or reality, giving the fans some control over what they want to see happen even if it never will.

In exchange for that content, fans create something in return; it could be more content, but it could also be words of appreciation, or engage in discussion, sometimes agreeing and sometimes disagreeing. There is a rich tradition of enthusiasts providing (mostly positive) feedback on shared fanworks as the only “payment” to the creator. Some constructive critique may also be included, especially if the creator requests it. Many professional writers and artists got their start creating fanworks, and benefitted from the free flow of ideas and honest responses from others.

Other forms of fanwork are not so visible but just as valued, from coding fan archives and wikis to maintaining online communities to making gifsets and memes to organizing fanworks challenges. Even the consumption of fanworks is part of the gift economy since fanworks are created to be consumed and thus that use is an integral part of the cycle. Fandom runs on this norm of devotee labor and the collective enjoyment the content produces, resulting in a distinctive culture that they value.

There has been pushback from other fans when that culture and the norm of a gift economy is challenged. When E. L. James took her Twilight fanfiction that had been posted online for free and turned it into the bestselling Fifty Shades of Grey novel, many followers didn’t appreciate the violation of the fandom tradition of a gift economy. Part of the pushback is practical since fanfiction is considered “transformative works” that are an exception to copyright claims. Otherwise, followers wouldn’t be able to write 20,000-word stories about their favorite fictional characters without the copyright owners, often large corporations like Disney or Warner Brothers, filing a claim.

Fan communities are protective of their members, both in terms of outsiders trying to commodify and take advantage of free labor and in terms of privacy. In the early 2000s, a group of venture capitalists who called themselves “FanLib” tried to harness devotees’ enthusiasm for fanfiction by monetizing its production and controlling its dissemination, but fans quickly realized the owners were not part of the community and were violating the gift economy norms. Without the investment of followers themselves, the venture failed.

What is it about the gift economy of fandom that is so compelling and worth protecting? Online platforms like Tumblr, Twitter, and Reddit, in addition to online archives like Fanfiction.net and ArchiveOfOurOwn, make fanfiction, fanart, and other fanworks easy to access—and free. Fanworks are available to anyone and everyone, without limitations of income and without any requirement of divulging information about age, gender, sexuality, ability, socioeconomic status, or anything else. Emotional bonds are created between followers through the exchange of fanworks and related dialogue, contributing to the strong sense of community in fandoms.

Source: By Lynn Zubernis

There are social and psychological benefits for admirers to having communities with a gift economy. Fan communities that incorporate the posting and sharing of fanfiction, for example, have been found to provide social support for individuals who are vulnerable or have experienced trauma. A recent study found that LGBTQ fans who write and share fanfiction online can safely explore their identities and shore up support systems for themselves, while also helping to create alternative world views for other enthusiasts. Because fanworks remain outside of the market economy, devotees from marginalized communities are free to create a corrective narrative, examining or even eradicating (in the story) issues like homophobia, misogyny, racism and ableism. There’s no publisher or professional editor to insist on changes (though follower culture includes ‘beta’ readers who provide free editing to others). There’s no need to consider whether something will or will not sell or even if there’s an audience out there who will be receptive to the content. The fan creator’s only consideration is what they feel inspired to create and share.

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The widespread distribution and accessibility of these fanworks, as well as the close emotional bonds that the gift economy creates within the community, offer social support, enjoyment, and validation. For many enthusiasts, the value of these intangible assets is more important than the financial compensation that might result from taking fanfiction out of the realm of the gift economy and putting it for sale on bookstore shelves.