This was pretty illuminating to read - I don't blame you for kind of having that stress response revisiting stuff like this. You've grown a ton since this period of your life, and I genuinely appreciate the work you've done in this space. The archival work is especially important, as we're kind of running into those issues (especially with say, Flash Games) where if no one cares, they're just going to vanish. I appreciate you caring, I guess is what I'm saying.
"Harry as the prince of Potemkin pop culture, who inherited the infrastructure of the band, Liam who remained in a constant push-and-pull dynamic with an audience and industry that ended up consuming him whole. Louis who went from fighting for the band and leading the charge to his career being squandered. Zayn being mistreated and finally having enough, now working on his own terms. And of course, Teflon Niall."
YES! THANK YOU! YOU GET IT! I am really looking forward to what you write, 1D is such a fascinating case study in fan cultures and came at such a unique time with the shift in fannish platforms, social media, 'stalking', etc - I'm so glad that you're the one doing this, because you understand it all from the inside!
As much as I've covered 1D already, I've definitely been trying to pace myself because I don't want to stir a hornet's nest, so I very much appreciate that you think I get it. I mean, I think I do as well, but I know this is all very much not the popular or preferred perspective. Then again, that's partially why I started writing in the first place, because the discrepancies and ignorance of the behind the scenes dynamics and infrastructure drive me insane.
I hope my reporting lives up to your expectations!
I was never in 1D fandom, but spent enough time on tumblr that this hits me!
"We were better off when there was a semblance of a fourth wall between fans and the creators, fan objects and the companies that manage their brands. When stans weren't rewarded. When the media ecosystem didn’t pander by default."
Agree strongly.
Thank you for the work you're doing and I'm sorry you ever had to experience any of that. I hope others can learn from your insights because it's an important side of things.
I should go archive my old, now inactive tumblr, more for the old art and links than anything. I was lamenting this week that substack doesn't have tag or archive viewing the way tumblr does - how am I supposed to retain or refind anything these days? And when it's only ever endless scroll, no pagination? Is it weird to say that web/app design has increasingly removed our agency as users?
Tumblr itself was definitely a greenhouse for this type of thing. That's kind of why I feel like my writing can be relevant to others because it can sometimes be easier to recognize patterns when you see them called out elsewhere, right? At least that's my experience!
Definitely archive/download your account! Who knows when the whole site will go down. I always used my account as a scrapbook of sorts, so everything on there--pics and quotes etc--are things I would like to keep.
In defence of Substack's design: the search function on individual publications works extremely well! Something I've complained about with Tumblr quite a bit, making it impossible to find things I know I've posted. And they went ahead with forcing the algorithmic dashboard onto new users... I guess we're lucky the chronological one is still available at all. We 100% have had our agency removed by UI, and it feels like it's by default. Tag viewing on Substack would be amazing, though. Would also love to be able to archive things in different folders, rather than all my saved posts being lumped together.
Hi Monia, would you mind if in one of my upcoming articles on fandom, I mention this or the other one about the One Direction fandom that you wrote? Obviously bringing all the links back to your page.
I will talk about the topic broadly and wanted to present your articles as a case study.
I'm REALLY looking forward to this.
I'm glad to hear that!
This was pretty illuminating to read - I don't blame you for kind of having that stress response revisiting stuff like this. You've grown a ton since this period of your life, and I genuinely appreciate the work you've done in this space. The archival work is especially important, as we're kind of running into those issues (especially with say, Flash Games) where if no one cares, they're just going to vanish. I appreciate you caring, I guess is what I'm saying.
Thank you, that means a lot since you've been around from the start!
You deserve all the success, but without the expense of your mental health.
"Harry as the prince of Potemkin pop culture, who inherited the infrastructure of the band, Liam who remained in a constant push-and-pull dynamic with an audience and industry that ended up consuming him whole. Louis who went from fighting for the band and leading the charge to his career being squandered. Zayn being mistreated and finally having enough, now working on his own terms. And of course, Teflon Niall."
YES! THANK YOU! YOU GET IT! I am really looking forward to what you write, 1D is such a fascinating case study in fan cultures and came at such a unique time with the shift in fannish platforms, social media, 'stalking', etc - I'm so glad that you're the one doing this, because you understand it all from the inside!
As much as I've covered 1D already, I've definitely been trying to pace myself because I don't want to stir a hornet's nest, so I very much appreciate that you think I get it. I mean, I think I do as well, but I know this is all very much not the popular or preferred perspective. Then again, that's partially why I started writing in the first place, because the discrepancies and ignorance of the behind the scenes dynamics and infrastructure drive me insane.
I hope my reporting lives up to your expectations!
I was never in 1D fandom, but spent enough time on tumblr that this hits me!
"We were better off when there was a semblance of a fourth wall between fans and the creators, fan objects and the companies that manage their brands. When stans weren't rewarded. When the media ecosystem didn’t pander by default."
Agree strongly.
Thank you for the work you're doing and I'm sorry you ever had to experience any of that. I hope others can learn from your insights because it's an important side of things.
I should go archive my old, now inactive tumblr, more for the old art and links than anything. I was lamenting this week that substack doesn't have tag or archive viewing the way tumblr does - how am I supposed to retain or refind anything these days? And when it's only ever endless scroll, no pagination? Is it weird to say that web/app design has increasingly removed our agency as users?
Tumblr itself was definitely a greenhouse for this type of thing. That's kind of why I feel like my writing can be relevant to others because it can sometimes be easier to recognize patterns when you see them called out elsewhere, right? At least that's my experience!
Definitely archive/download your account! Who knows when the whole site will go down. I always used my account as a scrapbook of sorts, so everything on there--pics and quotes etc--are things I would like to keep.
In defence of Substack's design: the search function on individual publications works extremely well! Something I've complained about with Tumblr quite a bit, making it impossible to find things I know I've posted. And they went ahead with forcing the algorithmic dashboard onto new users... I guess we're lucky the chronological one is still available at all. We 100% have had our agency removed by UI, and it feels like it's by default. Tag viewing on Substack would be amazing, though. Would also love to be able to archive things in different folders, rather than all my saved posts being lumped together.
This sounds exactly why I left conservatism… Although you were at the centre of fandom and I was on the periphery, so it didn’t hurt this bad…
The patterns of behaviour really do appear everywhere, which is also part of what I find beyond depressing.
Hi Monia, would you mind if in one of my upcoming articles on fandom, I mention this or the other one about the One Direction fandom that you wrote? Obviously bringing all the links back to your page.
I will talk about the topic broadly and wanted to present your articles as a case study.
As my newsletter is public, it is entirely available for citation, reference, and critique.