Science fiction fans influenced popular culture by inventing practices that later became mainstream: conventions, fan fiction networks, cosplay-like costuming, fan art, online discussion, award campaigning, archives, and participatory media culture.
Table of Contents
| Quick fact | Information |
|---|---|
| Major channels | Conventions, fanzines, fan fiction, media fandom, online communities |
| Cultural shift | Audience became participant |
| Visible legacy | Comic-Con culture, cosplay, fan art, wikis, archives |
| Older roots | Science fiction fandom before the web |
Conventions and Public Fandom
Science fiction conventions helped establish the idea that fans could gather publicly around shared imaginative worlds.
Fan Publishing and Fan Fiction
Fanzines and fan fiction showed that audiences could write back, extend worlds, critique texts, and build social networks through publication.
Online Culture
Many habits now common online, from wikis to fan archives to participatory commentary, have roots in older fan practices.
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