IST 605: Popular Media and Fan-Cultures

This guide is dedicated to popular media and the fan-cultures that surround them.

Now what does this mean? Popular media, or "mass media", simply refers to media that is released for mass consumption amongst the populace; it does not necessarily refer only to media that is famous or mainstream. Popular media may include anything from books, movies, video games, or music. This means that just about all entertainment media falls within this category.

Many works of popular media have fan-cultures surrounding them; groups of dedicated fans who work to share, promote, and discuss the work, as well as to create fan-content, which may include fan-art, written fan-fiction, or even fan-music and fan-games.

You may, yourself, have a piece of media that you love and want to learn more about or to discuss with others, though you may be at a loss at where to do so. This guide will therefore introduce you to some sites to learn more about these fan-cultures and their associated media, as well as view fan-created media.