Fans vs. critics: Challenging critical authority through memes. (1st September 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Soegito, Anthony
• Is Part Of: Journal of fandom studies. Volume 7:Number 3(2019)
• Page Start: 279
• Page End: 301
• Publication Date: 2019-09-01
• Subjects: Fans (Persons) -- Periodicals; Subculture -- Periodicals; Popular culture -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; 306.1
• DOI: 10.1386/jfs_00005_1
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2046-6692

Abstract

This article explores how fans of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film franchise challenge the authority of film critics regarding their negative appraisal of comic book film Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice (Snyder, 2016). Observing memes shared in Facebook fan pages, I argue that fans construct their own authority by defining themselves against critics via questioning critics' taste, constructing critics as villains, and enacting their own sophisticated cultural capital. My research shows how fans use Internet memes to control the discussion and validation of their object of fandom amongst fans on social media. Observing the year following the film's release, this study analyses memes via a visual rhetoric and modal analysis. While comic-book movie fandom has previously been academically explored, this subset of fans remains under-analysed. What is at stake for DCEU fans is the respect of popular culture, social media and fandom at large, their status impacted by the film's critical failure.