How do vampires use the internet? An exploration of fandom and technology

Presented as a keynote at PyCode Conference, 15th October 2019.

Many thanks to remarried, narcisum, sheepskeleton, i-want-my-iwtv and Remco van Straten for allowing me to use their beautiful artwork in my slides. Two slides are taken from the Organization for Transformative Works' infographics.

Links and further information:

Fandom history and migration
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/13/fan-fiction-fifty-shades-grey
https://fanlore.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Fandom_on_Tumblr
https://fanlore.org/wiki/Fandom_and_the_Internet
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-rise-fall-internet-art-communities
https://meeedeee.tumblr.com/post/188387764186/a-new-history-of-fandom-purges
https://tenlittlebullets.dreamwidth.org/1067298.html
https://twitter.com/MorseCodexx/status/1155843769398431744

Pinboard
https://idlewords.com/talks/fan_is_a_tool_using_animal.htm

The Tumblr 'porn ban'
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/06/opinion/tumblr-adult-content-pornography-ban.html
https://fanlore.org/wiki/Tumblr_NSFW_Content_Purge
https://twitter.com/alliecsays/status/1069959663364595712
https://xeshirefm0.tumblr.com/post/181015400087
https://github.com/yahoo/open_nsfw

Quizilla
https://fanlore.org/wiki/Quizilla
https://www.quotev.com/quizzes/Quizilla

City of Heroes
https://massivelyop.com/2019/04/15/score-city-of-heroes-emulator-leak/
https://twitter.com/Enichan/status/1121508137222254593

Machinima
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinima
https://www.bloodspell.com/

Archive of Our Own
https://www.wired.com/story/archive-of-our-own-fans-better-than-tech-organizing-information
https://fanlore.org/wiki/AO3_Tagging_Policy_Debate
https://fail-fandomanon.livejournal.com/24177.html?thread=107524209#t107524209

Organization for Transformative Works
https://transformativeworks.org/
https://github.com/otwcode

Dreamwidth
https://www.dreamwidth.org/legal/principles
https://github.com/dreamwidth/

Transcript

1. How do Vampires Use the
   Internet?
   Rae Knowler
   PyCode Conference
   15 October 2019
   

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2. Rae Knowler
   @RaeKnowler
   Python (Django, CKAN)
   PHP, Go, JavaScript
   they/them
   

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3. View Slide

4. View Slide

5. remarried.tumblr.com
   

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6. narcisum.tumblr.com
   

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7. sheepskeleton.tumblr
   .com
   

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8. i-want-my-iwtv.tumblr.com
   

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9. I do not allow fan fiction.
   The characters are copyrighted.
   It upsets me terribly to even
   think about fan fiction with my
   characters.
   It is absolutely essential that you
   respect my wishes.
   Anne Rice, April 7, 2000
   Remco van Straten
   

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10. What is this talk
    about?
    

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11. When you build a tool,
    you can't predict who's
    going to use it or what
    their needs will be
    

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12. Fans are very motivated
    and organised users
    

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13. Parallels between Open
    Source and fandom
    

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14. Wandering
    fandom
    

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15. 1990s: MUDs, UseNet, GeoCities
    

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16. 1998: LiveJournal, 1999: FanFiction.net
    

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17. 2007 (big fandom migration in 2010): Tumblr
    

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18. 2009 (big fandom migrations in 2017 and 2018):
    Dreamwidth
    

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19. 2009: Archive Of Our Own
    

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20. Fans using technology
    Fans repurposing technology
    Fans creating technology
    

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21. Fans using
    technology
    

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22. Maciej Cegłowski
    "Fan is a Tool-Using Animal"
    

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23. https://pinboard.in/
    

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24. pairing:chekhov/sulu
    p.needstags
    chapters-read:12
    

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25. 'research
    *artemis
    +dylan/posey
    @anonymous
    ^allthefeels
    ]<10k
    

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26. View Slide

27. View Slide

28. View Slide

29. sophia-helix.tumblr.com
    

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30. View Slide

31. View Slide

32. Fans repurposing
    technology
    

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33. Quizilla, 2002-2014
    

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34. https://www.quotev.com/quizzes/Quizilla
    

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35. View Slide

36. melon
    limon
    lemonade
    lémón
    nomel
    l3m0n
    

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37. https://nerdvsworld.tumblr.com/ wallpaperzzz.com
    

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38. http://www.bloodspell.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bl
    oodSpell_logo.jpg#/media/File:Bloo
    dSpell_logo.jpg
    

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39. Fans creating
    technology
    

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40. View Slide

41. https://transformativeworks.org/flyer
    s/
    

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42. View Slide

43. View Slide

44. View Slide

45. View Slide

46. Open access
    Interoperability
    Open source
    Community review
    Respecting privacy
    Transparency
    Freedom
    Respect
    

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47. Conclusions
    

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48. When you build a tool,
    you can't predict who's
    going to use it or what
    their needs will be
    

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49. Fans are very motivated
    and organised users
    

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50. Parallels between Open
    Source code and fandom
    

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51. Thank you!
    

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