Resistance is fertile

[rivkat]

So I was reading this article about online fandom, and I thought these were interesting passages:

And in talking about fan/[cy]borg use of code in relation to the Web, it is only at the level of HTML coding that fan/[cy]borgs work, leaving other levels to developers and scientists.
. . . .
In contrast, fans use other parts of the Internet, including Web browsers and connection software, but are unable to significantly modify or alter these parts and usually engage them in a “read-only” mode. ...

Because fan/[cy]borgs are not (generally) professional programmers, their knowledge of the deeper levels is limited, and current ideologies about programming encourage them to think that way. Thus, lower levels remain mostly “off-limits” for all but professionals and curious hackers. And at these deeper levels, code is changing—it is closing in design, with the result that corporations have greater control at these levels, which ultimately affects the surface. And without the skills or the interest in challenging control at these levels, fan/[cy]borgs are unable to fully challenge media corporations about ownership and fair use of media texts. Resistance is not futile—it is absent.

Mia Consalvo, Cyber-Slaying Media Fans: Code, Digital Poaching, and Corporate Control of the Internet, 27 Journal of Communication Inquiry 67, 72, 74, 82-83 (2003)

Gee, I thought, that sounds bad! It’s a good thing we own some goddamned servers now, and are nearing open beta on the Archive of Our Own due to the incredible work of fan coders! Not to mention Fanlore, and TWC, and our other preservation and advocacy initiatives!

And also I am very excited for tonight!

Comments

[amalthia]

well that was kind of insulting! And damn right we own our own servers now! :)