English translation of the article below!

Näyttötyöksi media-alalla toimimisesta saimme tehdä videon, artikkelin, julisteen ja some postauksen jostakin itse valitusta aiheesta. Itse päätin tehdä työn fanikulttuurista ja sen paikasta yhteiskunnassamme! Videoon haastattelin kahta ystävääni ja haastatteluvideon pohjalta tein loput tarvittavat osat näyttöä.

Työ oli välillä hieman haastavaa, mutta olen hyvin tyytyväinen loppu tulokseen. Linkistä pääset lukemaan artikkelin ja katsomaan videon, teaseri löytyy @medioso.info Instagramista!

For the final project in working for the media industry (a part of the degree), we got to make a video, an article, a poster and a social media post from a topic of our choosing. I chose my topic to be fan culture and it’s place in our society! For the video I chose to interview two of my friends and did the rest of the parts based off of that.

The work was challenging from time to time, but I’m very satisfied with the result. The link above will lead you to the article and the video, you can find the teaser in Instagram @medioso.info

The video in the article has english subtitles, but is otherwise in finnish, so the plain translated version of it will be below!

Translation of the article

Fan culture, what is it? Many might first think of the stereotypical; girls screaming and jumping in the front row of a pop star’s concert, but in reality it is so much more. To get to the core of this phenomenon I chose to interview two of my friends, who’ve been a part of this culture for many years..

First I interviewed my friend Linnu, the first thing that catches your eye as you step into her room is the huge photo collage on her right wall, which has taken her years and a nice amount of money. ”I should be ordering more of those, maybe I could fill the rest of the walls too?” Linnu laughs.

The years she has spent being a fan of the band Blind Channel has had it’s ups and downs. The first time Linnu saw the band live was only a year ago, at her first festivals in July. Linnu tells me that it is her best memory from the time she has been a fan, which I fully believe. The first time I met Linnu was in 8th grade, when Linnu was being severely bullied for her fan identity. I didn’t even know Linnu was a fan of Blind Channel before 9th grade, when she finally gathered the courage to tell me about it, probably fearing that I wouldn’t like the band. The bullying followed her the whole secondary school time, in school but also during free time. After 9th grade Linnu was the happiest she’d been in a while, knowing that going into high school grades and people would change.

”Of course it does, it gives you a safe space to go to when times are hard” ;Linnu answers when I ask her if being a fan has an affect on her mental health. Linnu also tells me that Blind Channel and other artists have saved her when she’s had a hard time.

After the interview I stayed for a while to speak with Linnu, which strenghted my believe in the fact that those who have the courage to be a fan without caring about what other people think are stronger than many may think.

The next day I went over to my other good friend Olivia in the means of doing the same interview. Olivia’s room is maybe a bit more minimalistic to my previous interviewee’s, but looking around you can still spot many things that showcase her fan identity. Olivia also has two guitars in her room, an acoustic- and electric one, both of them she uses in her covers.

Like many of us, Olivia is a huge Eurovision fan. Between the questions we spent a lot of time talking about the upcoming show and it’s participants. Olivia actually found a dear band through eurovision, the band that represented Slovenia in 2023 called Joker Out instantly sparked Olivia’s interest, and since then she has been to a few of their concerts in Finland. The fangirling has also caught Olivia’s little sister by storm, who has accompanied Olivia to all of the gigs. ”I wish that I could travel and see them live there (in Slovenia)” ;Olivia answers when I ask her about her dreams regarding being a fan. A new familiarity, G-Dragon, Olivia found through the korean drama series ”Squid Game”. This has brought her fangirling into another continent entirely. Olivia in fact tells me that this artist is her idol, especially because of his musical skills.

After the shoot, we talked about Eurovision and I left thankful for the fact that music brings people together like this.

Fan culture is so much more than just screaming at gigs. It creates lifelong friendships, brings courage and brightens up the darkest of days. Fan culture has changed throughout the years, but in one way or another it has always been a part of communities. I would say that fan culture is an important part of our society right now and it supports mental health in a way that many don’t understand. Sadly the bullying regarding fans has also increased in the years, and everyone doesn’t take it seriously, which increases teens’ insecurity and fear of being themselves.

Fan culture is a phenomenon that evolves all the time and awakens many opinions, but it’s topicality can’t be argued.