Fanfiction tags have largely been examined in terms of their usefulness for searching and archiving work or in terms of who has control over their creation (community users or website creators). The primary concern has largely been that the need for a tagging system’s usefulness and efficiency be balanced with the desire for community input and development. However, in her 2014 essay on the use of metadata in fanfiction archives, Shannon Fay Johnson expresses her additional concern that, given the increased ability to manage tags and generate vast amounts of metadata on archival sites, authors who write on marginalized or deviant themes may be subject to censorship or other negative repercussions. Indeed, the debate over tagging in fanfiction communities has grown as authors who touch on controversial themes have faced community backlash in the form of doxing and death threats or online harassment while readers have increasingly demanded that authors use tags as warnings by arguing that authors are responsible for flagging offensive or distressing content.
Johnson also stresses that user-generated fanfiction tags have helped form online communities and “[tags] are continually changing and adapting as new fans enter the community, both virtually and physically, and as technology progresses.” If, as Johnson argues, tags are a key part of online community formation, what does this new debate over tagging reveal about changes within online fandom communities? By examining the debate within online fandom, this paper assesses the changing perception of deviant content, tagging, and censorship within fandom communities and considers the effects these changes have or may have on a subculture built on inclusive participation.
About the presenterErin Aust
Erin has a B.A. in English Literature and in Sociology from Washington College, an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Humanities and Social Thought from New York University, and is a PhD candidate in Cultural Studies at George Mason University. In addition to her work with fantasy studies at Signum University, her main interests include the formation of literary communities outside of academia.