How many of you on my beloved Flist remember Fandom Before The Internet?
Those days when fan fiction could only be found in Zines, or fan run newsletters, or at convention gatherings where people would pass out copies of their fic? When you found fellow fans by clubs listed in the backs of Sci-fi magazines? And of course, we all know about the Dark Days of Slash fandom, which involved secret handshakes, codewords, and clandestine exchanges in public toilets. ;)
I found a bunch of my old 'zines today, and just got to thinking. It was a hell of a lot harder to meet fans back in those days. We'd run into each other at conventions, and strike up conversation in lines or at the food court or waiting for events to start. There'd be giggling and squeeing and the exchange of addresses and maybe even phone numbers.
I kept in touch with a few folks I met that way, through snail mail, and we'd share stories and photos from conventions and things like that. Big long letters full of all our fannish activity, sent maybe once every couple of months. And then we graduated to sharing emails, and joining the same mailing lists....
I still remember the awe and wonder I felt upon discovering my first .txt archive. It was fan fiction I didn't have to pay for! And that was unheard of! And then I realized I could put my fic online! Holy cow, it was awesome!
Now? I could never have imagined, when I first ventured into the world of fan community, that anything like the fandom of today would ever exist. I am constantly in instant contact with fellow fans from all over the world. People all over the world are reading my little babble about fandom right now. And can respond, instantly, should they want to! Friendships are formed with as little effort as clicking a button and saying 'wow, you write genderswitch crossover FMA/HP slash too?'. And instantly, a fandom connection has been made!
And I have to say, from my experience, fandom is a whole lot more close-knit than it used to be. For me, at least. We've all found each other, we're all banded together by common interest and common desires. And that's awesome.
Which is why I don't fear the fragmenting of fandom. Even if we all up and move, we will remain the close, tight-knit community we are. We've all invested far too much time and effort into building this community to let it fracture and falter.
Anyway, in light of all the asshattery and let downs going on right now, let's share the good fandom memories, the positive things. Let's all remember what, exactly, it is we're all so desperate to hold on to.
I think we could all use a bit of happy commiserating right now.
(We'll return to our regularly scheduled porn later.)
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