{"id":21196,"date":"2010-12-01T18:42:34","date_gmt":"2010-12-01T22:42:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wormholeriders.com\/blog\/?p=21196"},"modified":"2017-11-17T07:16:14","modified_gmt":"2017-11-17T15:16:14","slug":"as-the-wormhole-turns-fan-loyalty-and-rebellion-in-a-cyber-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/chuck\/?p=21196","title":{"rendered":"As The Wormhole Turns: Fan Loyalty and Rebellion in a Cyber-World"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello Stargate, Chuck, science fiction and television series fans,\"Click<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Did you still feel sad about when Stargate SG-1<\/a> was canceled?\u00a0 Were you upset when Paul McGillion\u2019s<\/a> character, Carson Beckett<\/a> from Stargate Atlantis was killed? What about the StarGate Atlantis\u2019<\/a> non-renewal? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Learn<\/a>Atlantis was terminated over two years ago, and yet, writer and Show Runner Joe Mallozzi<\/a> is still fielding questions, critiques and negative rants from people who continue to be upset about the show\u2019s end.\u00a0 So, what\u2019s up with that? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

After all, it\u2019s only a television show, right? Why are some fans getting so upset and bothered about the loss of their favourite character or show that they go out of their way to antagonize the show\u2019s creators, writers, and actors? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What is going on here? Is it because we have easier access to these people as a result of the internet? Or have people generally just become more ill tempered and rude?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Actually, the answer is based on the relationships that fans develop over time, not only with the show an<\/span><\/span>\"Click<\/a><\/span><\/span>d its characters, but with the creators of the show. Like it or not, we\u2019ve developed personal feelings for the characters that we watch on television every day. <\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Curt Sutterfield<\/a>, a broadcast and cinematic arts faculty member at Central Michigan University<\/a>, said he cares about certain characters from <\/span><\/span>\"Click<\/a><\/span><\/span>his favourite shows because he can identify with them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sutterfield said he\u2019s built a relationship with every character he\u2019s ever watched, which is the driving force of any show. And that\u2019s what Producers want; they want us to care about a show\u2019s characters so that we will come back every week. It\u2019s important that fans become loyal viewers. For that to happen, writers need to help the viewers to establish relationships with the characters in the show.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Jeffrey Weinstock<\/a>, professor of English who teaches ENG 324: Introduction to Popular Culture in \"Click<\/a>America at Central Michigan University<\/strong>, said the most intense relationships between viewers and characters are created by genre programs such as science fiction, fantasy or horror. “People talk about these programs online and they feel like they were made for them,” he said. “I was sad to see Twin Peaks go, I still feel like I have a relationship with the characters.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Good writers become victims of their own success. We fall in love with the characters that the writers have created, feeling joy and sorrow with them as they go through whatever challenge is written in the script. So, the very thing that keeps us hooked on a show becomes a problem for the networks when they pull the plug.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The studios and networks will tell you that shows get canceled due to many factors, one of which is ratings. Ratings fall when a particular show is not reaching its audience. The premise is wrong for the target audience. Or the characters are just not likeable enough. Viewers are not able to establish a relationship with the characters. And if the writers don\u2019t make changes fast enough, the show gets canceled. It happens all the time. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Click<\/a>Sometimes, when a network pulls the plug, a small audience becomes vocal and launches a \u201cSave Our Show\u201d campaign. This happened in 2009 with a \u201cSave Chuck\u201d campaign that made use of Twitter and Facebook based around the simple concept of watch the show, buy the DVDs or episodes, share the joy of Chuck<\/em><\/a>, and write to NBC<\/a> executives. \u00a0It worked and Chuck was renewed.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sadly, some fans get a little carried away when they feel the need to oppose the loss of a show. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On August 20, 2009, Joe Mallozzi<\/a> wrote in his blog, \u201cMore shocking for me … was the infantile behavior of some \u2013 supposedly mature adults taking advantage of internet anonymity to curse and name call like a bunch of children.\u00a0 Really, folks, it\u2019s embarrassing.\u00a0 I am embarrassed for you.\u00a0 This is the sort of behavior that gives fandom a bad name, giving those outside the community the fodder to marginalize, belittle, and lampoon.\u00a0 Sure, go ahead and criticize the creative all you like, but when you start leveling personal attacks against the show creator \u2013 a guy who has worked tirelessly to produce 15 years of a franchise you all feel so passionate about \u2013 on the basis of an unsubstantiated rumour (the alleged cancellation of the Atlantis movie), you cross the line from spirited fan to raving loon\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Later, on October 31, 2009, Mallozzi again spoke out about fan behaviour on the internet. T<\/span><\/span>\"SGU<\/a><\/span><\/span>his time, the slings and arrows were aimed at one of the actors of the new series, StarGate Universe<\/a>. Said Mallozzi, \u201cthe <\/span><\/span>negativity has also taken its toll on one-time regular Sherry<\/a>, proud mother of actor Brian J. Smith<\/a>, who, surprised and saddened by some of the hostility here, has elected to no longer read the blog. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Also, after several months of connecting with fandom online, Brian is stepping away from his popular twitter account for much the same reason.\u00a0 Some of the very same fans who he was kind enough to open up a dialogue with in the run-up to the premiere started leaving him nasty comments as though he was responsible for the show\u2019s creative direction\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Click<\/a>Things have since cooled down a bit, However, Brian J. Smith avoided Twitter for some time as a result of how he was treated. And who could blame him. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The actor who plays Lt. Matthew Scott<\/a> on MGM Studios Stargate Universe<\/a> as televised on SyFy<\/a> in the United States was bullied by people who felt they were protected by the anonymity of social media. No matter how it\u2019s labeled, rude and nasty behaviour on line is cyber bullying.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Stargate<\/a>
\nA few people on the other end also have exhibited the same behavior, provoking arguments o<\/span><\/span>n Twitter and Facebook and then blaming the “others” as if it was all the fault of someone else. Two wrongs do not make a right.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

People will behave on the internet in ways that they would never behave if they were face to face with a real person. Being unseen empowers some people (you) to do things they will usually not do. People sometimes think they cannot be traced back to their actions, hence your responsibilities to your actions appear diffused. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Anonymity is a seeming invisibility cloak to a person\u2019s expression online. Under an alter ego, one can post crude comments while still maintaining a do-gooder image offline. Or so some people think. In point of fact, the internet provides a false sense of anonymity. Most web sites do have ways to search out and identify most posters.\u00a0 Unpleasant comments made on line will catch up with posters because a savvy person can figure out a poster\u2019s I.P. address. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s quite normal to become engaged with and attached to the characters in a show that you love. After all, it\u2019s why we return to watch the show week after week. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

However, in the end, it is just a show on television. As we grow older, Dr. Beckett<\/a> and his c<\/span><\/span>\"Carson<\/a><\/span><\/span>olleagues will continue to face the Wraith in the Pegasus Galaxy, Chuck<\/a> will battle evil, and fans will continue to rally to save the shows we all lov<\/span><\/span>e. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Hmmm, just a thought, has television become a medium for viewer manipulation?\u00a0 Find out next time on As The Wormhole Turns<\/a> <\/strong>when I will have more for you to ponder and consider in the near future!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/a>\"WormholeRiders.<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As always thank you for reading and visiting WormholeRiders News Agency<\/a>. <\/span> Please feel free to leave a spam free comment or question here or click one of the social media icons below to share this news article. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

if you prefer (as so many of our visitors do) you may also visit and follow WHR on Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0 Facebook<\/a> or contact me on Twitter<\/a> with your comments or questions.\"Follow<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

ArcticGoddess1<\/a> (Patricia Stewart-Bertrand). <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hello Stargate, Chuck, science fiction and television series fans, Did you still feel sad about when Stargate SG-1 was canceled?\u00a0 Were you upset when Paul McGillion\u2019s character, Carson Beckett from Stargate Atlantis was killed? What about the StarGate Atlantis\u2019 non-renewal? Atlantis was terminated over two years ago, and yet, writer and Show Runner Joe Mallozzi…<\/p>\n

Read More “As The Wormhole Turns: Fan Loyalty and Rebellion in a Cyber-World”<\/span> »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[311,312,314,39,317,318,320,322,251,37,326,145,284,288],"tags":[310,473,313,315,316,36,474,475,319,476,321,323,324,250,84,429,325,327,328,329,330,437,331,59,283,332,333],"class_list":["post-21196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-as-the-wormhole-turns","category-atwt-fan-loyalty-and-rebellion-in-a-cyber-world","category-brian-j-smith-celebs","category-chuck-studio-series","category-curt-sutterfield","category-cyber-bullying","category-jeffrey-weinstock","category-joseph-mallozzi","category-mgm-studios-network-studio-series","category-nbc-universal","category-paul-mcgillion","category-stargate-franchise-news","category-stargate-universe-network-studio-series","category-syfy","tag-arcticgoddess1","tag-as-the-wormhole-turns","tag-brian-j-smith","tag-carson-beckett","tag-central-michigan-university","tag-chuck","tag-curt-sutterfield","tag-cyber-bullying","tag-introduction-to-popular-culture-in-america","tag-jeffrey-weinstock","tag-joe-mallozzi","tag-lt-matthew-scott","tag-malibunextyear","tag-mgm-studios","tag-nbc","tag-nbc-universal","tag-patricia-stewart-bertrand","tag-popular-culture-in-america","tag-save-chuck","tag-save-our-show","tag-sherry-harris","tag-stargate-franchise-news","tag-stargate-atlantis","tag-stargate-sg-1","tag-stargate-universe","tag-twin-peaks","tag-two-wrongs-do-not-make-a-right"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/chuck\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/chuck\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/chuck\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/chuck\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/chuck\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21196"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/chuck\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27688,"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/chuck\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21196\/revisions\/27688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/chuck\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/chuck\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wormholeriders.net\/chuck\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}