Week 9

Week 9

1. What role does Hills (2004) suggest the fans play in the construction of cult TV?

According hill’s (2004) article, we can considered he discuss three definitions of cult TV. These three parts are model of text, inter-text and audience (Hill, 2004).
Based on this question, we will focus on his third definition of cult TV. In my opinion, every cult TV should be having a lot of loyal and dedicated audiences. Actually, Hill (2004) defined cult TV through an audience’s passion for a TV show. A successful TV show must have lots of fans follow it. Thus, this TV shows has one factor to become a cult TV. Therefore, fans are necessary construction of cult TV.
Hill (2004) identified being a fan of cult TV just has subjective enthusiasm or a ‘special devotion’ is not enough. It has to defend one’s fan passions. As he quoted Jostein Gripsrud’s (2002) words “proper fandom exists when an enthusiasm for some cultural object or other takes on …a totalizing, defining role in people’s lifestyles and identities” (pp. 517).

2. How is new media central to this?

New media has important function of promotion of cult TV. Especially, Internet effect new generation deeply. Hill (2004) state “most of fan activities are carried out both online and in real life” (pp. 519). They can use Internet communicate with other fans. They can check the information of the cult TV online. As hill (2004) mentioned fans produce commentaries, fan fiction, episode guides and production histories. Therefore, Internet offers a platform for them to do these things. They can post interpretations, episode guides and fictions online. They will have their web pages. Hill (2004) identified “Fans of cult TV create a market for memorabilia, merchandise and props that relates to their much-loved TV shows” (pp. 519). Therefore, they can sell the memorabilia online. Hill (2004) quote Kirsten Pullen’s words “the Internet may have begun to mainstream fandom”(pp. 519).

References

Hills, M. (2004). Defining Cult TV; Texts, Inter-texts and Fan Audiences, The Television Studies Reader, R.C. Allen & A. Hill. London and New York: Routledge.