The Harry Potter fandom is among the biggest ones in the world, with new fans joining every day. Since there is always the yearning for more stories, the book’s official site, Pottermore, and the original home for Harry-Potter-themed fan fiction, MuggleNet, are the most well-known sites for fans’ gathering (“Discover More from J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World”; “About Us”). With fans actively participating in the franchise, the Harry Potter fandom can be characterized by what Pearson defined as “horizontal creativity” (85).
However, in contrast to Pottermore, at MuggleNet.com, people participate actively in fan fiction, with what Azuma terms as “derivative works” making the core of the site (25). Therefore, the Pottermore community seems to represent the concept of the database culture, whereas MuggleNet.com clearly does not.
Nostalgic feelings are very strong in the Harry Potter fandom. With the close focus on the books written by Rowling, there is a significant amount of totemic nostalgia among fans as Proctor describes it (1105). However, the described characteristic of the fandom does not make it toxic since it highly encourages creativity and invites anyone to participate. While people in their early 30ies make the core of the fandom since they grew up with the franchise, newcomers of all ages appear in the fandom every day.
After creating a new account and MuggleNet.com, it was discovered that the local fans are very friendly and happy to see new supporters of the franchise. In addition, while the books are focused on the fight against injustice and intolerance, there is little resistance against hegemonic society in the fandom. Overall, having many creative, devoted, and inspiring people in it, the Harry Potter fandom remains thriving and invites people to explore the wonders of its magical universe.
Works Cited
“About Us.” MuggleNet.com. Web.
Azuma, Hiroki. Japan’s Database Animals. Translated by Jonathan E. Abel and Shion Kono, University of Minnesota Press, 2009.
“Discover More from J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.” PotterMore.com, n.d. Web.
Pearson, Roberta. “Fandom in the Digital Era.” Popular Communication, vol. 8, no. 1, 2010, pp. 84-95.
Proctor, William. “’Bitches Ain’t Gonna Hunt No Ghosts’: Totemic Nostalgia, Toxic Fandom and the Ghostbusters Platonic.” Palabra Clave, vol. 20, no. 4, 2017, pp. 1105-1141.